Eriskay Pony Society

The Eriskay Pony Society is very pleased to announce that they will be holding an online breeding conference at the end of October to provide advice and support to all those interested in saving this critically rare native pony.

The society recently had a number of conversations with the Rare Breed Survival Trust discussing how best to preserve and promote the ponies as well as looking at ways to improve the genetic knowledge of the breed.  It was clearly identified that it was important to try and increase the numbers of foals being born each year and, whilst the use of the SPARKS programme to identify appropriate pairings was an important step forward, it was acknowledged that many owners did not intend to breed from their ponies and that the subsequent loss of genetic material was of great concern. 

It was felt that one of the issues stopping owners from breeding may be uncertainty and concern regarding the whole process, including the birth and ongoing care of a foal, and therefore the society should look at ways of providing this information.  As a result it was decided to hold an online breeding conference covering these topics with the opportunity for attendees to have their questions answered.

This conference had now been arranged and will be held on Thursday 28^th October starting at 7pm.  It is being held via Zoom and is FREE to attend.  The program is as follows:

19.00             Intro by conference Chairman and Welcome by EPS Hon President, Professor Derek Knottenbelt.

19.05             Reasons you should breed.   (Christopher Price, CEO, RBST)

19.20             Are AI and other assisted reproductive technologies relevant to breeding native ponies?    (Jim Dukes.  Dukes Equine Vets)

19.35             Tales from an experienced breeder.  (Mary and Donald McGillivray)

19.50             Support available from EPS.    (Ruth McMinn,  EPS Secretary)

20.00             Q&A with all panellists.

20.30             Close.

If you would like to attend, please email info@eriskaypony.org and you will be sent the meeting link.  If you cannot join us on the evening, you can still ask your questions in advance by email.  All questions will be answered, either on the night or by follow up email.  Please try and join us for this informative event.

The Scottish Smallholders Festival is being held at Forfar Mart on Saturday 23rd October 2021 and will, as usual, have an equine showcase featuring many of our native breeds. The Eriskay Pony Society will have a stand with information boards, advice, a chance to catch up and, of course, a pony.

The Festival aims to have many breeds as possible of pigs, sheep, goats, alpacas and cattle on display, as well as the equines, along with their owners and breed societies, so smallholders and aspiring smallholders can make the right choice of livestock to suit their situation. Visitors will also be able to have a look down the poultry lines to see the different breeds of birds available.

The seminar programme follows a theme this year and talks will be focused on sustainability on the smallholding. There will be an exciting and varied range of seminars and talks that run throughout the day when you can hear about all aspects of sustainable farming from dung beetles to heat pumps, and measurement to green grants.

The Festival Trade Exhibition will showcase the best suppliers and services for smallholders and small scale producers, including equipment, machinery, renewable energy generation, food production, grassland management and livestock husbandry as well as fibre produce and skills development. You will also be able to learn about crook and stick making as well as bees and honey, and talk to farm based organisations.

The Festival aims to inform, educate and inspire, and to give you the opportunity to access information and advice from experienced practitioners that will support and encourage you in your future smallholding ventures. It is an event not to be missed. More information can be found on their website https://ssgf.uk/

The number of Eriskays being born remains very low and the Eriskay Pony Society (EPS) is working with the Rare Breed Survival Trust (RBST) to establish a genomic profile to help develop a better understanding of the breed. This will allow owners to take a more strategic approach to breeding whilst also continuing to make use of the SPARKS system that identifies suitable matches. As the understanding of all breeds, diseases and the importance of genetics in choosing suitable mates improves, the Society, along with the RBST and leading academics, will use the Eriskay pony DNA profile to help work on increasing the numbers of animals being bred in an appropriate and sustainable manner whilst identifying potential obstacles and barriers. .

As part of the Society’s commitment to preserving and promoting the breed, this work will help compile a much more comprehensive DNA profile for Eriskay ponies than ever before. It won’t cost owners anything as the Society has secured funding to pay for the analysis and the results will help make it easier for the Society to support owners and ponies in future. While those who have bred from ponies in the past will be familiar with taking a hair sample, samples from non breeding ponies have never been collected before. That has changed and now a complete DNA profile from every living Eriskay pony is being sought, no matter whether it’s been done before, the pony’s age, sex or the breeding intentions.

This DNA testing project is completely funded by the Society, courtesy of a generous grant from the Horserace Betting Levy Board. If you are an Eriskay pony owner we would encourage you to take part and you can request your FREE sample kit, which includes return postage, by emailing info@eriskaypony.org