The first time I saw Welsh Mountain Ponies was during a visit to Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas at the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons. As I surveyed the medieval ruins I heard a shepherd high on the valley side calling to his dogs that were herding sheep. When I looked at the scene through my lens I could see the shepherd was riding a white pony - an unusual sight in the UK. On our recent walk to the highest point in Herefordshire we came across a group of these semi-wild ponies foraging in the grasses near the mountain summit. They took little notice of us, not even moving away very much. As I took this photograph on a day of benign weather I reflected on the harshness of their life in the winter months.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: iPhone
