Fell Pony Podcast

On todays show I’m talking with a man who’s journey from very humble beginnings has taken him to the pinnacle of horse culture. You may know him from the image of him standing on the Long Walk at Windsor castle  with Carltonlima Emma paying his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth So I would like to introduce my guest Terry Pendry who for the last 28 years served as head groom to the Queen and was awarded the title of Military Knight. This podcast was recorded in May 2023. Being made a military Knight • Riding a cow as a farmers boy and riding bareback • The importance of breeding native ponies Becoming an apprentice jockey aged 15 • Joining the Blues and Royals • Basic Training • Trooping the Colour with Centennial • Stabling 200 horses for the Golden Jubilee • Breeding at Hampton Court • Irish Draught Horses for chargers and the Canadian Mounted Police • Getting horses used to traffic • Meeting the Duke of Edinburgh’s Fells and finding a fell for Queen Elizabeth II • Meeting Tommy Capstick and Carltonlima Emma • The Queens funeral procession • Becoming stud groom at Windsor castle • Starting ponies at 3 years old • Driving ponies and the Bowmans • Hampton Court breeding and grading program • Horses for courses and breeding for temperament • Queens favourite horses • Being invited to work as the groom by Queen Elizabeth • Mary Longsden and the Queens birthday parade • Grey ponies •

Bringing Silage down in a black cart with a Shire/Dales cross Greenholme sixpence Pauls yard and the grazing regime Getting ponies fit for showing and attracting the judges eye The sport of carriage driving and driving Fells The Duke of Edinburgh’s team of Fell ponies The 3 phases of a Carriagedriving competition Col. Sir John Miller Welsh cob Flying Comet Call the herd home Making the best of your pony for showing Hunter horses and looking the part Horse of The Year, Olympia and the Fell Pony Breed show Mares v geldings Fred Todd master horseman Grooming for Anne Varley pony tandem The role of a groom NW driving club in the 1980s What makes a good driving pony The importance of dressage in a 3 day event Fools breed horses for wise men to buy Choosing a stallion Deep bodied ponies for long legged jockeys Duke of Edinburgh award for carriage driving 3 quick questions

The Townend Legacy, Carrock and Haltcliffe semi-feral herds on Caldbeck Common The early days of Eddie Wilsons father to the current 6th generation of breeders. The Townend type The show season and the Royal Show Stockmanship Ring-craft and show preparation and catching the judges eye Judging Stock judging The future

Charlie describes the Roandale stud and farm and the rarer colours of Dales that they breed. Gina was brought up in Kirkby Lonsdale with working Gallowa’s. Charlie started his working life working machines in forestry but took a turn when he went on a course to learn snigging (extracting timber with horses). Learning the ropes with George Read and getting a pony broken to pulling timber. Starting a breeding herd of Dales ponies and Wharfedale Prince Regent and their bay-roan strain. The roan strain in Fell ponies. Movement rather than action - a ground-covering and economical trot. The differences between Fell and Dales The history of the Dales pony The war horse The formation of the Dales Pony Improvement Society F.I.S Foal Immunodeficiency Syndrome [https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=APwXEdcUCqdqWyyMTH9m1Kk4jwiOmJP3vg:1684679249656&q=Foal+Immunodeficiency+Syndrome&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwimuvGhz4b_AhWaS0EAHSl3CrEQkeECKAB6BAgIEAE] Hardiness and the future of the breed 60 Dales ponies join The Presidents Ride to Barnard castle Keeping ponies in work

To begin with Walter talks about travelling with donkeys as a young boy, and how he got into breeding the Hades Hill Fell ponies in the 1950’s. The late 1940s and early 50’s saw the demise of the working pony but Walter started breeding ponies when everyone else was getting tractors The subject of the fate of the semi-feral herds is something that came up time and time again. Here he is with children at Settlebeck School in 2012 talking about the problems that need addressing. The children at Settlebeck wanted to know what’s the most important quality of a Fell pony? What is it about keeping Fell  ponies that you like the most. Walter was passionate about ponies living out on common land and open fell. But what are the advantages? Since the late 1970’s Walter had driven a bow top waggon with a couple of Fell pair of Fell ponies from his farm outside Rochdale to Appleby Fair - one in the shafts and a sideliner and this journey was probably the thing he looked forward to most every year. Here he is describing what it feels like to make the journey horse drawn.