Protecting and Promoting Scotland's Ancient Hebridean Ponies
The Eriskay Pony Society was delighted to be part of the Horsescotland presentation at the Royal Highland Show taking part in panel discussions on the Sunday. EPS Chair, Nigel McWilliam spoke about the importance of responsible breeding and the need to make good genetic matches. He described how the Society’s use of the SPARKS programme, developed by Dr Andy Dell, has increased the Effective Population Size of the breed and helped slow down genetic drift.
It has been decided to split the annual Performance Award for 2025 into two categories, one for ridden and the other for in-hand, to better reflect what members and their ponies get up to.
A number of people have ponies too young to ride, or their owners are no longer riding, but who would still like to get them out and about and enjoy in-hand work such as agility, Trec and showing. This has the additional benefit of getting the breed seen and better known.
The points system as stated on the website will be used but entrants should clearly indicate if the event was ridden or in-hand. If you do anything with your Eriskay, please put in an entry, even if the type of event is not on the list as points will be allocated.
As this is the first time the competition has been split into two separate categories, the closing date for entries has been extended until the 28th of February and both trophies will be presented at the AGM in Auchterarder on 18th April.
Return your entries on the form, which you can download from the website under Performance Award, by email to info@eriskaypony.org
The Eriskay Pony Society is delighted to announce that they have recently joined horsescotland as a full member, becoming the first breed society to do so.
Horsescotland is the national organisation for all equestrian sports and activity in Scotland and has the vision of empowering Scotland to be a leading, inclusive nation for horse sports and activities. Its key outcomes for Scottish equestrianism are to increase the overall levels of participation and equestrian activity in Scotland, enable Scottish riders and equines to excel on the world stage and to support horsescotland member bodies to flourish by working collaboratively.
horsescotland is a partner of sportscotland (the national sports agency) and seeks to enable equestrian sport and the equestrian sector in Scotland to develop and excel through the highest levels of participation in the sport and the highest levels of growth for the country’s equestrian industry. horsescotland’s mission is clearly focused upon connecting the Scottish equestrian community, and collaborating with partner organisations and government, to enable people, horses and places to prosper.
Steve McMinn, Chair of the Eriskay Pony Society said ‘’We are delighted to have joined horsescotland and look forward to working with them to increase awareness and appreciation of the Eriskay pony with other equine enthusiasts. Whilst we have the support of many, including the Scottish Government, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and BHS Scotland, there are still some who refuse to recognise the Eriskay as a breed and allow it to compete in Native Mountain and Moorland classes, so the additional support from horsescotland is very welcome. horsescotland’s vision of increasing participation in equine activity fits well with our mission to get the Eriskay pony out there and better known, showcasing what an excellent working pony it can be in many disciplines such as dressage, driving, Trec or just hacking out.’’
THE ERISKAY PONY SOCIETY 