Scroll down to see:
Why Not to Buy a Pony * Training and Handling at Willowtrail Farm * Transportation
Buying a Fell Pony
When you buy a pony from me, you are buying more than a hairy animal with four hooves. Each pony that passes through my life enters my heart and takes a bit of it with them when they leave. I feel a great responsibility to place my sale ponies in homes that are a good match for their temperament, conformation, and expected use. I stay in contact with my buyers; many of them have become friends. I will not sell a pony into a breeding situation unless I feel it will contribute well to the breed.
I believe that every pony has an innate personality and that there can be personality conflicts with humans. Having experienced this myself, I endeavor to make good matches between pony and buyer and therefore do not sell ponies before they are born.
Fell Ponies mature slowly and should not, in my opinion, be ridden before four years of age; Fell Pony Society ridden classes only allow ponies four years old and up. Fells are typically not put into regular hard work until after seven years of age. Waiting this long ensures them a long and active life. Some ponies are ridden and driven well into their twenties.
Training and Handling at Willowtrail Farm
Many people appreciate that my ponies are accustomed to the everyday things in life, from leading and tying to hoof handling and trailer loading, things that some other Fell Ponies on the market may not have. I have produced several videos that demonstrate the types of training my ponies receive. Click on a video title to watch:
Foals
Two-Year-Olds
Three-Year-Olds
Four-Year-Olds
Mature Ponies
OH Torrin (ground work, ridden)
Lily's Million Transitions (ground work, ridden)
Papa's Manners (ground work)
Playing with Robin (ground work)
Lily Parelli Audition (ground work)
Apollo Side-Passing (ground work)
Shelley's Reward (ridden)
Silver Belle (mothering, ground work, ridden)
Spectrum
Fell Ponies for Sale
It’s important to me that my youngstock have good manners before they go to a new home. To see what that looks like, I produced a video of how I prepare them (click here).
Marie delights another visitor!
Willowtrail Marie - SOLD!
2023 black filly, white left hind heel
Sire: Kinniside Asi
Dam: Willowtrail Spring Maiden
Just an hour after her birth, Marie began impressing me with her curiosity. After she was up on her feet, she began investigating her surroundings with the precision of a scientist, I thought. Marie Curie came to mind, and I knew I had landed on the new filly’s name. Asi’s dam is Bowthorne Marie, so my Marie’s name is a nod to her granddam. And on the ranch where we live in the Black Hills of South Dakota, there are numerous historic uranium mines, a sideways nod to Marie Curie who discovered radium, another radioactive element.
Marie’s curiosity has made her fun to work with on the various foal handling activities I practice on my youngstock. She approaches me whenever she sees me with a ‘what are we going to do’ attitude, so it’s hard not to engage with her somehow!
To see a video of Marie that collects all my photos of her up to five months of age, click here. And to see a video about her introduction to walking through water, click here. To find out more about Marie, you can do that by clicking here!
Why Not to Buy a Pony
Click here to read this (somewhat) tongue-in-cheek blog post. Hint: Fell Ponies are addictive; it's hard to own just one!
Transportation
If you are buying or selling an equine and need to have them moved, you might be interested in my articles on preparing an equine for travel. Click here for "Hoof Trimming and Other Travel Preparations" and request "Pre-Travel Nutritional Preparations" by filling out the form at right.
If you are considering importing, request my write-up on my most recent experience in the March 2014 issue of Fell Pony News from Willowtrail Farm (fill out the form at right.)
