Fell Ponies.

The afternoon was beautiful with a nice autumnal sun so I went out to the common near Mungrisdale. There have been ponies on this part of the common as long as I can remember. There was a rather tragic break a few years ago.

A man was running ponies on the common and had allowed them to increase considerably in number. For reasons best known to themselves the powers that be took them away from him on the pretext of animals welfare. This puzzled me as to my eye (and it isn't an inexperienced eye having taught about livestock for 30 years) I couldn't see any animal which wasn't healthy. The upshot of it all was the gentleman was so heart broken he committed suicide not long after.

I see ponies are now back but in much smaller numbers. I leaves you wondering why the problem in the first place.