Pony trap

8:00am Wednesday 27th August 2008

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ILLEGAL scrub ponies currently roaming Blaenavon’s World Heritage Site are to be rounded up and re-homed.

There are approximately 40 animals grazing illegally around the area and now Torfaen council is planning to remove the animals in order to restore grazing rights to commoners.

Steven Rogers, planning officer for the Forgotten Landscapes project, explained the decision to remove the ponies was also made to ensure the welfare of the animals, which are often left to graze all year round.

Public safety is another issue following an incident in which a young boy needed hospital treatment after being bitten by a scrub pony stallion in what Mr Rogers described as a “vicious attack”.

The gather will be conducted by the Bransby charity, which rescues and cares for horses, ponies and donkeys. It is due to take place in October, weather permitting.

Mr Rogers said efforts have been made to trace owners of the animals but with little success. The problem has been ongoing for a number of years and it is not an easy one to solve.

“The ponies will be taken back to the home of the charity and if they are not claimed within a set period of time they will be retrained and found new homes,” he said.

“We are planning the gather in October as many of the horses will have had foals, to ensure the welfare of the animals.”

Hundreds of people have commoner rights to graze horses in the area, but Mr Rogers explained, they are prevented from doing so by the risk of their purebred Welsh Mountain ponies breeding with the scrub ponies.

The need to remove the horses was identified as a result of commoners working with Torfaen council, Monmouthshire council, Brecon Beacons National Park and Blaenavon World Heritage Centre.

The gather is part of the Forgotten Landscapes Project, funded by the Assembly, which aims to help conserve and restore the historic character of the built and natural landscape features around Blaenavon.