Stallion, Staffa, joins the Eriskay pony team at Lofftwen
Not many people have heard of Eriskay ponies. We certainly hadn’t until we met neighbours Alison and Adrian. Eriskays are the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Hebrides, and the workhorse of the crofter. As such, these hardy creatures are perectly capable of dealing with the winters here in the Cambrian mountains, and their hardiness and thrifty nature makes them well suited to conservation grazing.
They were invaluable to the island inhabitants who used them to carry pannier baskets of peat for winter fuel and seaweed from the shore to fertilise the land, but with the onset of mechanisation, and the movement of people to the mainland, their numbers declined rapidly until there were only a handful remaining. Although their numbers are growing, much still needs to be done, and breeding them requires very careful genetic selection to encourage healthy diversity.
Since first meeting Alison and Adrian about four years ago they have shown unrelenting dedication to the breed and we now have upto five Eriskay ponies on the farm at any one time. The latest member is stallion Staffa, who is on loan for a few months, and we are all keeping our hooves crossed that we will see the fruits of his productivity come spring next year with a couple of new editions to the Lofftwen Eriskay stable.
If staying at Lofftwen you will have a chance to meet the Eriskays, and Adrian and Alison are working on ideas for getting guests up close and personal to these beautiful, friendly, and inquisitive ponies (a small fee will go towards the Eriskay’s future upkeep).
