Within the Fell Ponies’ home range lies the Lake District with its national park and World Heritage Site.
The Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England received World Heritage Site status in 2017. The Fell Pony was not well-integrated into the effort of attaining that status, but the designation can ultimately be good for the breed. Click here for more information.
The World Heritage Site has three themes: Inspiration, Identity, and Conservation. The Fell Pony fits into each of them.
Inspiration Theme
Fell Ponies have certainly provided inspiration over the years to many with artistic and literary skill, but the inspiration in the World Heritage Site plan is defined quite narrowly: “The beauty of the Lake District inspired artists and writers of the Picturesque and Romantic movements and generated ideas about landscape that have had global influence.” While Fell Ponies may not have been considered inspiring by the Romantic and Picturesque movements, they have been inspiring for a number of people since then. In addition to paintings and books and photos and films, I’ve seen jewelry, holiday greens, textiles, and sculpture. To read more, click here.
Identity Theme
The Identity theme has a broad definition: “The acknowledged beauty of the Lake District is the result of thousands of years of industry and agricultural development of the spectacular natural landscape of mountains, valleys, lakes and woodland.” From shepherding and sledging in agriculture to packing and being pit ponies in industry, the Fell Pony is as integral to the identity of the Lake District as the fells that are dominant there are to the identity of the breed. To read more, click here.
Ancestors of today’s Fell Ponies would have been used in a variety of roles in the Lake District and surrounding areas. For instance:
Ancestors of the Fell Pony were used as pack horses/ponies before roads were good enough to facilitate wheeled transport of goods. While some evidence of this role is well known, such as packhorse bridges in the Lake District, other evidence is rarely collected into one place. I am working to correct that gap in the story of the Fell. Click here to see my collection of packhorse history.
Fell Ponies were traditionally used as milk float ponies. Click here to learn more about milk float ponies in the Lake District and surrounding areas.
While it is often thought that Fell Ponies weren’t used in coal mines below ground, I learned early in my Fell Pony education that indeed some Fell Ponies did become pit ponies. Click here to learn more.
Of course Fell Ponies are often used as ridden or driven ponies. To read a story about their association with Blennerhasset Manse near Wigton, click here.
Conservation Theme
Regarding the Conservation theme, the Executive Summary of The Nomination Document states that “landscape has a value, and that everyone has a right to appreciate and enjoy it. These ideas underpin the global movement of protected areas and the development of recreational experience within them.”
The Conservation theme, in some interpretations, has been challenging for Fell Ponies and their stewards because some emphasize the rewilding of landscapes. To read more about the false promise of rewilding, click here.
The Fell Pony addresses the Conservation theme in its role as a conservation grazer. Fell Ponies are helping to restore and protect landscapes in the breed’s home terrain. To read more, click here.
Fell Pony Tourism
The Fell Pony contributes to the Conservation theme of the Lake District National Park World Heritage Site through its current and potential increased involvement in recreational experiences and tourism. And of course the Fell Pony’s contributions to tourism extend beyond the bounds of the National Park. To read more about Fell Ponies and tourism, click here. For specific examples of Fell Pony recreational experiences, click here.