What a lovely photo of the ponies and the dunes. Wonderful to see and to know they also serve a purpose to keep the dunes. What a great place to wander and recuperate.
There is so much to see and do in this part of the Netherlands that this dune area gets surprising little visitors. The beach and nearby forest are more popular.
Awesome photo Alexander! And, what an unique pony meeting!!
Lovely ponies who are supporting a great biodiversity purpose . . . on Schouwen-Duivenland. (Including the Highland cattle and Shetland pony herd, quite a family)
The Exmoor is a rare breed, there are only some 800 ponies globally and less than 40 Exmoors in North America.(Currently)
Take a tour into these remarkable ponies lives with this Wikipedia article. This article gives a vast description and history!
Those beautiful dunes & beautiful ponies! What a gorgeous photo they make!
I didn’t realize the ecological value the ponies bring to the dunes. Very interesting & the pleasure they add to your walk when you happen upon them. But why only ladies? Seems a bit sexist, doesn’t it? :)
It is ladies-only to keep control of the number. Too many horses lead to too much grazing, and too little leads to too much growth on areas that should be sandy. This resembles best the original environment when there were still many rabbits, but manufactured diseases whipped them out. Pollution has also made the grounds too fertile.
What a lovely photo of the ponies and the dunes. Wonderful to see and to know they also serve a purpose to keep the dunes. What a great place to wander and recuperate.
There is so much to see and do in this part of the Netherlands that this dune area gets surprising little visitors. The beach and nearby forest are more popular.
What a beautiful, physically healing and soulfully calming walk. You are a very blessed person.
Thank you, Dawna, and yes I am lucky to live here
Awesome photo Alexander! And, what an unique pony meeting!!
Lovely ponies who are supporting a great biodiversity purpose . . . on Schouwen-Duivenland. (Including the Highland cattle and Shetland pony herd, quite a family)
The Exmoor is a rare breed, there are only some 800 ponies globally and less than 40 Exmoors in North America.(Currently)
Take a tour into these remarkable ponies lives with this Wikipedia article. This article gives a vast description and history!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exmoor_pony
Thank you!
Thank you, interesting article!
Thanks for sharing that article. Wonder if there are any here in the US too since they are in Canada.
Hi Lilly, there are about 40 in the US (Data must be verified) . Here is a link to try, American Exmoor Pony Registry at: http://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/exmoor/
Those beautiful dunes & beautiful ponies! What a gorgeous photo they make!
I didn’t realize the ecological value the ponies bring to the dunes. Very interesting & the pleasure they add to your walk when you happen upon them. But why only ladies? Seems a bit sexist, doesn’t it? :)
It is ladies-only to keep control of the number. Too many horses lead to too much grazing, and too little leads to too much growth on areas that should be sandy. This resembles best the original environment when there were still many rabbits, but manufactured diseases whipped them out. Pollution has also made the grounds too fertile.
Boys would disrupt the peace, I guess ;-)
:-)
I should have known better…
Good to see that you are up and about enjoying your walks!
How interesting that they were introduced to help retain the ecological balance of the dunes.
What a great way to achieve this. And the Highland Cattle are an added bonus - at least they would be for me. They are just too cute.
What a stunning pictures as well. Can't believe that you live within walking distance of this little pond. That's amazing. Thank you for sharing.
It is so close to the entrance that the ponies are hardly ever there, this was a lucky encounter.