New Dartmoor Ponies join Wimpole Estate to help create thriving wood pasture habitat
The National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire has welcomed five Dartmoor ponies to its parkland, marking the start of a new chapter in the estate’s ongoing work to restore nature and biodiversity. The ponies, three mares and two geldings, are settling into their new surroundings, grazing across four interlinked fields of newly created wood pasture.
Over the past five years, the Wimpole team has planted thousands of trees across areas of former non-productive arable land to re-establish traditional parkland habitats. The introduction of the ponies will play a vital role in managing this developing landscape. By grazing naturally among the young trees, the ponies will help control thistles and other vigorous plants, creating the right conditions for wildflowers and grasses to thrive beneath the scattered trees.
“The Dartmoors are here as part of our conservation grazing programme,” explains Dave Hassall, Farm and Countryside Manager at Wimpole Estate. “They’re hardy, gentle grazers, ideal for this kind of habitat work. We’ve already seen how their grazing helps reduce weeds and encourages a richer mix of grasses and wildflowers. Within minutes of arriving, one of them was happily munching on a thistle, which is exactly what we were hoping for!”
Why Dartmoor ponies are ideal for conservation grazing
The Dartmoor pony, a native rare breed, is well suited to the demands of conservation grazing. Unlike cattle, which can damage young tree guards, or sheep, which tend to graze too selectively, the ponies’ steady browsing helps maintain a balanced vegetation structure. Once their work has prepared the ground and they have moved on to another part of the estate, they will be followed by grazing cattle, which will continue to support wildlife while also contributing to food production.
Three of the new arrivals have come directly from Dartmoor, having lived wild until quite recently. For now, they are getting to know one another, forming a herd, and gradually becoming accustomed to their new home and caretakers. In the coming months, the Wimpole countryside team will undertake gentle training with the ponies, enough to allow for safe handling, veterinary care, and future movement between grazing areas, but otherwise, the ponies will be left to live as naturally as possible.
Visitors may spot them grooming one another or exploring the pastures, but they are not domesticated animals and should not be approached or fed.
Supporting nature, heritage and farming at Wimpole
“They’re working animals with a real purpose,” adds Dave. “Our aim is to let them live quietly and naturally while helping us restore this landscape. Over time, their presence will help the grassland become more diverse and resilient, better for wildlife and more beautiful for everyone who visits.
“We have chosen Dartmoor ponies, as Wimpole Estate is a rare breeds centre, and we wanted to give one of our native rare breeds a role in countryside management here.
“The Dartmoor ponies are smaller than other rare breeds, for example New Forest or Fell ponies, so are less likely to poach our soft Cambridgeshire clay soil with their hooves over the winter months. Dartmoor ponies have been used successfully in conservation grazing herds across other National Trust properties for many years, so we’ve drawn on those experiences to help shape our own venture into conservation grazing with a pony herd.”
The arrival of the Dartmoor ponies marks another step in Wimpole Estate’s wider vision to balance productive farming with thriving nature. As the ponies settle in, their steady grazing will help shape a richer, more biodiverse landscape for years to come, ensuring Wimpole remains a living example of how people, heritage, and wildlife can flourish together.
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