Bill Potter breeds the Greenholme ponies on Birkbeck Common.
Having been bred and reared in the harsh conditions of Shap, they are tremendously hardy and will do well in any situation. Some of the mares have never been handled and live in feral conditions, trusting to their instincts in hard weather; In a recent wildness survey, the Greenholme ponies came in the top 5% of wild equines in Europe
Bill Potter Photo: Milton Howarth
Photo: Milton Howarth
I made this short film with Bill Potter in 2010 as part of the series Endangered Species: Fell Pony Breeders.
Back then I wrote "The films document a traditional way of breeding and managing fell ponies that is endangered by the changing patterns of farming, landscape and society."
Photo: Milton Howarth
Photo: Milton Howarth