Saturday 6 August 2016

SATURDAY CRITTERS - Ponies with foals near Castle Island Hide

Once again these shots were taken when I was out with my bird group.  If you saw them on Thursdays post, you will know that no one could ID them.      Then I had a brain wave on how to find out about these ponies and have succeeded.  They were very friendly and ate grass from our hands.


They are Konik Ponies and are owned by NIEA and are currently on site to help maintain the Pondage wetlands .


They are an ancient breed –related to the now extinct Tarpan pony they thrive year round in conditions too challenging  for more domesticated  animals.


There are mares, filly’s and foals and their names are-
 Darla, Diana, Duma, Freya, Eostre, and Eimear.


          The three foals that were born around May time are not yet named.


There are an additional eight geldings and a stallion and colt on other parts of the reserves but these are not open to the public.  
You never know, perhaps somday I may be allowed to go and photoraph them.






I am linking this post with Saturday Critters.

I do hope you enjoyed seeing these gorgeous ponies and finding out a little bit about them.  

Thanks to Dr. Rory Mellon who is the Conservation and Estate Manager at the Quoile Countryside Centre for the addition information.

Many thanks for your visit and also for all your comments.

35 comments:

  1. They are beautiful! Especially the foal. Being related to an extinct breed is awesome.

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  2. Thank you for the additional information - and for more photos of these charmers.

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  3. The colts are precious, Margaret. The moms are really nice horses too. I am glad you got to see these and to share them. Thank you.
    ..

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  4. They are an attractive breed.

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  5. Beautiful ponies, aren't they sweet, love them.

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  6. Lovely captures of these tough Konik ponies and adorable foals.

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  7. Nice work on Google Margaret. Those horses are certainly different to any I have ever seeen.

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  8. Lovely group of ponies and thanks for finding out the additional information.
    they do look very hardy and they need to be in our weather!

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  9. An interesting post Margaret and thanks for finding out the additional information. The photos are lovely as are the ponies :) Have a good weekend.

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  10. The horses and ponies are just wonderful. I love the curly nature of the mane on the little ones. Great photographs as always. I'm glad this ancient breed is being conserved and used in such an appropriate setting!

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  11. Hello, thanks for their id's Margaret! The fillies and foals are adorable. I love their pretty color. Beautiful horses and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post today. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  12. I enjoyed all the additional information about these ponies. It's a breed I'd never heard of. Your photos are terrific.

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  13. Seems like its the best of both worlds there. Home for these ponies and they tackle wetland concerns.

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  14. I was going to use the word gorgeous! They really are amazing and it is so interesting to learn more about them! Love those babies...and the names! Hugs!

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  15. The foals are gorgeous.
    Lovely set of photos. Have a wonderful weekend :)

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  16. Beautiful! The second photo is my favorite.
    Have a great week-end!

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  17. Magnificent shots of the beautiful horses love the mother and her foal ~

    Happy Weekend to you ~ ^_^

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  18. Thank you for the pony identification. These are new to me. They are great looking. Glad you found out about them. Great photos. The mares look friendly.

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  19. They are so beautiful. The babies are so cute. Have a great weekend!

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  20. Gorgeous ponies on this brilliant photos.
    Have a nice weekend and good vibrations.

    LG Eva

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  21. Hi Margaret, it is such a pleasure to see these photos and to learn about their breed. Thank you :)

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  22. Fantastic shots of horses.

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  23. I want one for the back yard--- to heck with the neighbors! Great post.

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  24. Oh my! Those foals are so sweet.They almost make a horse lover out of me. :)

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  25. What sweet babies and mamas too. I hope you do get to photograph the other horses too. Good of you to do a research and find out about them.
    MB

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  26. It's lovely to have the additional information about the ponies and foals, really interesting. Have a great week!
    Wren x

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  27. Takes me back to the days of riding Shetland ponies at Mrs. Rachel's on Sunday afternoons. Thanks for sharing these sweet photos.

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  28. These are delightful Margaret.

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  29. Oh, Margaret! What beautiful horses.

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  30. Aww, the foals are adorable! Have a great week ahead, Margaret.

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  31. Aw. So adorable!

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  32. they are beautiful animals. And such cute foals :) Thanks for sharing them

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