Pony power

Five new ponies have arrived to graze the 'tir gofal' or heritage land on 'my' patch of the coast. This is rough pasture which is managed in a traditional fashion in order to maintain it as a habitat for wildlife. Sheep would crop too closely and cattle would damage the surface but horses are discriminating eaters that tread lightly and leave the grassland fit for the wide diversity of flowering plants that will appear later in the year. Even their droppings host larvae that are a valuable source of food for many birds.

Although horses were replaced as an everyday means of transport a hundred years ago, our language is still full of references to them. We speak of being in harness, or saddled, or bridling. We should avoid changing horses in mid-stream, putting the cart before the horse or looking a gift horse in the mouth. We horse around and eat or work like horses. We still use the term horse power to measure the power of engines, a unit that was devised back in 1702 by engineer Thomas Savery.

These ponies are a power in the land. All power to the ponies!