Rare wild ponies that roam the Eryri mountains are being put at risk by well-meaning animal lovers, a furious farmer has claimed. Piles of carrots being left at a beauty spot are being routinely picked up by people worried about the ponies’ welfare.
Gareth Wyn Jones, the UK’s biggest online farming influencer, warned that carrots were like “heroin” for Carneddau ponies, potentially causing serious illness or death. As the ponies have evolved to live off spartan mountain grass, experts believe their digestive systems cannot cope with foods that contain even moderate levels of sugar.
Equine owners have long given their horses and ponies the odd carrot as a treat. But excess quantities put them at risk of developing colic – causing abdominal pain – and laminitis, an inflammation of hoofs. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox.
Given their semi-feral status, Gareth said the Carneddau ponies should not be given carrots or any other foods they can’t forage for themselves. Yet people have been leaving carrots for years at places like Aber mountain gate and the Sychnant Pass, Conwy. As well as potential digestive issues, carrots carry the risk of choking.
The latest carrot dumps, on successive days, were discovered by Gwernengan lake, near the Sychnant Pass car park. The area is popular with pony lovers because of its ease of access and the possibility of close encounters with the charismatic ponies.
In a video posted online, Gareth begged people to leave them alone. As spokesperson for the Carneddau Pony Society, a group of farmers that oversees their welfare, he said: “This could cause so much destruction for the Carneddau Ponies – the unique, rare, semi-feral ponies that run wild on the Caereddau mountain range.
“They don’t need carrots. Carrots is like feeding them heroin. They could choke on them and their stomachs are not used to them. Carrots are full of sugar, something they can’t digest – it will cause them major, major problems.” Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community
In an online video, Gareth Wyn Jones wagged a carrot in admonishment
(Image: Gareth Wyn Jones)
Gareth continued: “You might think you are doing a good thing but, please, do not feed the Caerneddau Ponies anything. Leave them alone. They don’t want or need your help. If you have spare veg, give it to someone else – give it to a foodbank, just don’t give it to the Caerneddau ponies.”
Online opinion about feeding carrots differs among equine owners. While some are happy to give them – not always in moderation – others are more circumspect. In terms of the Caerneddau ponies, there was almost universal agreement they should be left alone.
“They have evolved to live in extreme conditions,” said one woman. “There’s no sugar in the grass in winter, so carrots can severely upset their ability to process this unnatural sugar surge.”
Another woman pointed to other potential problems posed by the practice. “The high sugar content is very addictive to the ponies and taking carrots up there encourages the ponies to hang around near traffic and people looking for them. The ponies can put themselves in danger of being seriously hurt or worse.”
Carrots left out for wild Carneddau ponies
(Image: Gareth Wyn Jones)
Motorists heading up the Sychnant Pass are warned to watch out for wandering ponies and sheep
(Image: Hadyn Iball/North Wales Live)
The ponies have lived on the Welsh mountains for thousands of years and are genetically distinct from other mountain pony breeds. Once used as pit ponies, numbers have fallen with the decline of quarrying activities and now just 220 breeding mares remain, centred on the Carneddau range.
Gareth said that “no one should be feeding other people’s animals”. It’s an assertion that chimes with equine owners who must often deal the aftermath of inappropriate feeding – everything from potato peelings and even Skittles chewy sweets. Last year a Gwynedd breeder of one of the world’s rarest horses found a prized brood mare and her unborn foal lying dead in his field.
One horse owner said it was a regular problem. “Our fields backed onto people’s gardens and you wouldn’t believe what they would lob over – vegetable peelings, whole apples, cauliflowers,” she said. “My niece once collected everything up and threw them back!”
Another owner added: “People don’t understand the damage they can do feeding ponies…. they would be horrified if we walked in their lounge and fed their cat, dog or hamster!”
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