Forests From Farms

The first group of 6 breeding Konik ponies was introduced in 2003, and a further group of five plus two young males (‘bachelors’), not yet old enough or experienced enough to form a breeding group of their own, were introduced to neighbouring fields in 2004. Following the introduction of the ponies, a group of 9 Highland cattle (one male with eight females) was introduced to the Fen from the Isle of Mull, in 2005.

Currently (this was in 2011), the herds of cattle and horses have 155 ha to graze, at a flexible population density of roughly one animal for every 1.5 ha. So this is 3 times as much as OVP. At present, the expansion of the reserve is one step ahead of population growth. 

Supplementary feeding is not carried out as a matter of course, although fodder would be provided in prolonged severe weather where the animals are unable to find enough forage for themselves. So far, there has been no need to do this as there has been plenty of available grazing, even during the winter months. The animals also build up substantial fat reserves over the summer, which they are able to utilise in the winter. Routine forms of management, such as foot trimming and worming, are not undertaken, although both of these are carefully monitored. Worm burdens in the cattle and horses are monitored every two months, with staff collecting fresh faecal samples and analysing them in-house. If an individual is in poor health and this can be related to a high worm burden, that animal is treated with a non-ivermectin based wormer (only one animal has needed worming in the past seven years). 

The cattle have exhibited consistently low worm counts since the start of the study, whilst the ponies show a great deal of seasonal and individual fluctuation. 

Monitoring of welfare There are moral and legal welfare obligations that need to be met when keeping any animal, no matter how robust and independent they are. With a system like that at Wicken, monitoring the animals is an important part of meeting these obligations. There is a four tier system of welfare check carried out, varying in intensity and detail recorded. These range from daily checks by local volunteers, who use the site regularly and are happy to do a head count or fence check on their walk round, to formal written reports produced annually by a veterinarian, commenting on the herds’ current condition, welfare issues experienced over the past year and making recommendations for the next year. Despite the innate toughness of both the ponies and cattle, illness and injury does sometimes occur. At this point, a very careful balance has to be struck, assessing the benefits of treatment against the stress of intervention to an animal that is largely unhandled and unused to close contact with people. Experience has shown that Á Koniks are adept at utilising all the resources available to them. Here, a pony digs for plant roots. Carol Laidlaw/National Trust È A group of Highland cows settle down to cud. The strongest bonds in cattle groups are those found between mothers and daughters, with several generations often staying together. Carol Laidlaw/National Trust Spring 2011 Conservation Land Management  The Wicken Fen Vision: grazing an evolving landscape these animals shrug off most illness and injury without intervention, usually requiring only careful monitoring after discussion with the vet.

In the quarry Gerhausen / Beiningen of the HeidelbergCement AG, near Blaubeuren, there are currently living  27 Taurus cattle and 13 Konik horses. Each animal has 5.7 ha to its disposition. This is almost 4 times as much as in the OVP.

Although the conic horses and the taurus cattle live independently within their grazing land, they are not entirely left to their own devices. A farmer looks regularly after the animals to detect any problems, such as serious injury, and to be able to intervene if necessary. As a rule, the animals are looking for their own food, because the pasture areas are sufficiently large. Only in severe winters they are occasionally fed. This prevents animals from starving as they might under natural conditions.

Size of the area 250 000 ha 

70 horses at the moment. It is not necessary to calculate the area per horse as it is huge! Interesting to note is that the horses after a couple of losses in the beginning, are not killed by wolves anymore. Please watch the short film below; it is very interesting. 

NB The total number of Konik horses worldwide is nearly 4,000 and half of them live in the Netherlands.