News
The Duchess of Cornwall visits The Exmoor Pony Centre
Press Release 10/06/09
 There were huge sighs of relief all round on Tuesday, as the Duchess Of Cornwall finally made her planned visit to the Moorland Mousie Trust headquarters at The Exmoor Pony Centre. The Duchess was visiting in her capacity of Royal Patron, a role which she was quite obviously relishing as she met most of the Centre’s equine residents, accompanied by volunteers, staff and supporters.
The Charity’s founder, Valerie Sherwin said “It was a wonderful afternoon. The sun shone on us, and the ponies put their best feet forward. The Duchess had a lovely relaxed manner and everyone went away feeling that she had shown a real interest in the role they played in making the Trust such a success. Needless to say the stars of the afternoon were the ponies, and we made sure that they had a prominent role to play in the proceedings.”
The Duchess took time to speak to volunteers, staff, and supporters about the roles they all play in the success of The Charity. The Exmoor Pony Centre has now been open for three years, and has welcomed several thousand visitors. There is also a very successful adopt-a-pony scheme with over 3,500 subscribers, and the Duchess was able to talk to Diana Lunn about her role as voluntary adoption co-ordinator. She also watched Staff member Linzi Green demonstrating the techniques used by The Trust to handle the young ponies when they arrive at the Centre from the Moor. Most of the ponies owned by The Moorland Mousie Trust are surplus ponies off the Moor who would otherwise have gone for slaughter.
“The Duchess also took great interest in The Music Room, which is phase two of the project here at the Centre. We desperately need to find the funding to turn it into a heritage and interpretation centre for the Exmoor pony. It will be a wonderful addition to what we already have, and will mean that we can entertain more visitors, and particularly more specialised group visits. She was very keen to help all she can with moving the project forward”
Healing Hands at The Exmoor Pony Centre Press Release 02/03/09
Following a very successful visit to The Exmoor Pony Centre last Autumn, Surrey based Reiki Master/Teacher, Christine Marshall, will be returning this year, when a limited number of places will be available for those interested in learning more about this ancient healing technique. The course is in two parts and is aimed at anyone with an interest in complementary therapies and equine wellbeing.
For those who have no previous experience, Christine will be holding a Reiki 1 course at Twitchen Farm, Challacombe on Wednesday May 20th. This will enable those who enrol then to go on to the Healing 4 Horses course on Wednesday 16th September at The Moorland Mousie Trust’s Exmoor Pony Centre, where students will be able to channel their healing energy, and practice their newly-acquired hands-on skills on the equine residents. For the ponies, it’s a win-win situation – not only do they get the benefits of the healing, but Christine has very generously offered to donate a percentage of the cost of the course to The Moorland Mousie Trust, as well as giving free training for the staff. For the students, there’s an extra morning’s practical session free of charge, for those who wish to stay over, on 17th.
Christine, who is also a qualified masseuse and reflexologist, says “Reiki is particularly helpful for horses who have suffered trauma in the past, or who have an emotional or behavioural problem. It can also be helpful to horses suffering from physical ailments. It was a great opportunity for me to come and utilise my skills at The Centre last Autumn. The Trust had a very busy time with a record numbers of ponies. It takes a great deal of time, patience, and gentle perseverance by the staff and volunteers for the foals to dispel their initial trauma of human touch and being separated from their mothers. They show a variety of emotions, from fear and anxiety, to anger and, in some cases, depression. Reiki is a non-invasive therapy and horses really love it, many becoming relaxed and sleepy during the treatment, which can only be good in the case of these little ones”.
The Trust’s Valerie Sherwin says of Christine’s visit and the forthcoming courses, “We welcome all interest in the ponies here at the Centre, whether it’s mainstream or, as in Christine’s case, something more alternative. We were fascinated during Christine’s last visit – some of the foals became instantly very calm, and most of them fell asleep during the treatment. The results were so marked that both staff and volunteers became interested in learning the technique, so that we might be able to use it at the Centre in the future. I know that Christine has had several enquiries from her home patch about this particular course, due in no small measure to the interest in our ponies, but I’m sure that there will be a lot of interest in this from horse and pony lovers in the Exmoor area too. ”
The price for each course is £120. Places will be limited in order to ensure that Christine can give her students plenty of individual attention and practical work. For more information contact: Christine Marshall, Healing 4 Horses – website: www.reflexologyreiki.co.uk, e-mail: marshallchrisa@gmail.com, telephone: 01306 713128 or Moorland Mousie Trust, Exmoor Pony Centre – website: www.moorlandmousietrust.org.uk, e-mail: info@exmoorponycentre.org.uk, telephone: 01398 323093
Moorland Mousie Trust and Exmoor Pony Centre AGM
Monday 2nd March 1.30pm at Exmoor House, Dulverton
BBC Countryfile visit The Exmoor Pony Centre
 Well, what a suprise! It was Tuesday, 26th August when two friendly chaps from Countryfile came to visit us and invite us to take part in filming. A week later and there we were with John Craven happily chatting about the work of The Moorland Mousie Trust, demonstrating foal handling and watching our grazing ponies at Simonsbath. Quite an achievement in under four hours work! You can watch the programme again, or if you missed it, on BBC iplayer until Sunday 14th September 2008. We are all very pleased at the Centre to have featured on such a prominent programme and we hope this will increase our profile and help get the word out about how fantastic Exmoor ponies are!
The Moorland Mousie Trust receives Royal Patronage!
Press Release
'A small, Exmoor Pony based charity, The Moorland Mousie Trust received its highest accolade to date recently when Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall accepted their invitation to become Patron.
This honour is the culmination of eight years of hard work for the organisation’s founder and chief executive, Mrs Valerie Sherwin, who is thrilled to have their work recognised by such a high-profile figure. Mrs Sherwin said: “I was surprised and delighted to think that Her Royal Highness feels that our small charity is worthy of her patronage, we are very honoured and look forward to being able to welcome her to Exmoor one day. Her Royal Highness apparently has fond memories of the Moorland
Mousie Books as a child and is a keen horsewoman”.
The name of the charity came from the “Moorland Mousie” books, written in the 1920’s which tell the story of the life of an Exmoor Pony. The books also had an educational aspect to them, as they taught children how to look after their ponies through the various episodes of his life, very much like the Anna Sewell Black Beauty story.
The Moorland Mousie Trust was founded in 2000 by Mrs Sherwin, who lives on Exmoor, and Sue Wingate, an equestrian artist from Surrey. They were joined later that year by Juliet Rogers from Northumberland, now Chairman of the Trust. The Trust was established in order to help stop the decline in sales of Exmoor pony foals. Juliet says, “We all felt that it was so sad that a British rare breed suffered from a lack of prestige and sales. These ponies are a special part of our heritage and thanks to the establishment of The Exmoor Pony Centre, which is now the base for The Moorland Mousie Trust, more people are learning about the ponies who otherwise may not have done so”.
This is the second big milestone in the charity’s short lifespan. Exmoor National Park Authority recognised the importance of the work by awarding £69,000 to the project through its Sustainable Development fund, and Defra also gave £34,000 towards the establishment of the Exmoor Pony Centre via the Rural Enterprise Scheme. Juliet said: “These two awards, alongside several smaller grants and donations have all helped to raise the profile of these unique British treasures. Phase one of the project, the Centre is now up and running and is proving to be a success. We have visitors on a daily basis, and the profile of the breed is being raised all the time. I hope that the Patronage from Her Royal Highness will help to build on our success and also move us on to the next phase to establish an education centre in a disused building known as The Music Room”.
Golden Horseshoe Pleasure Ride
Thank you to everybody who took part and visited the staff and volunteers at this years Golden Horseshoe event. The weather was fantastic, ponies and riders all had a good time. Sponsorship monies are still coming in however we are pleased to announce that we have already topped last years total. The ride is important to the Charity for fundraising but also to show the capabilities and fun that can be had on Exmoor ponies. Watch this space for more photos.
Lots of fun had by all at the popular 'craft afternoons'
Volunteers needed
If you are interested in helping the Moorland Mousie Trust with its work including that at the Exmoor Pony Centre please visit the recruitment web page for more information.
Easter Fun Day - Fabulous!
Thank you to everyone who kept faith and visited the Centre on our Fun Day, 23rd March 2008, despite the overnight frosting of snow. It was a fantastic day which helped to raise much needed funds for The Moorland Mousie Trust. Staff, volunteers and visitors all had a great time. Special thanks to adopters who came to visit their adopted ponies and also to our dedicated volunteers who helped set up the event and assisted on the day. We look forward to what is sure to be an annual event!
Santa at the Exmoor Pony Centre
December 2007 was a great month at the Centre and thank you to everyone who helped us during the Christmas period. The Santa's Grotto was a great attraction and made many happy judging by the smiling faces.
 
Sadie and Jenny preparing for Santa's arrival
Grand Draw Winners
The 'Grand Draw' raised desperately needed funds that will go towards the hard work of The Moorland Mousie Trust and The Exmoor Pony Centre. Thank you to all of the kind prize donators, the supporters who turned up to view the draw, and of course everyone who bought a ticket. Your generosity will help the charity to continue to promote and conserve the Exmoor pony.
The draw took place on Thursday 14th November. Supporters, staff and volunteers gathered to view the draw, some even taking a starring role by picking winning tickets which were then announced by Valerie Sherwin, founder of The Moorland Mousie Trust. Photographs were taken by Mike Sherwin and results were recorded by Linzi Green. The results are as follows:
White Horse Inn, Exford 2 nights B&B : Ticket 01689 R. Harries
£100 Gift Voucher: Ticket 04718 V. Collins
Mounted Mike Sherwin Photo: Ticket 10542 C. Davies
Woods Bistro Meal Voucher: Ticket 03834 P.Hall
Reserves: Ticket 05766 R. Boundy
Reserves : Ticket 05146 J. Ablett
Amanda Sareen picking a winning ticket,
announed by Valerie Sherwin
Foal Handling a great success
Once again the Centre welcomed Sarah Weston to run the course 'Handling the Young Exmoor Pony'. As expected Sarah impressed staff, volunteers, participants and spectators alike with her skills and intuitive handling techniques. The Centre took on 22 colt foals, all of whom had training and progressed fantastically. Some of these foals have made their journey's to foster homes or to our base in Northumberland. As some of you may know Barney was a big hit last year and he has already found a willing successor, Peanut! Peanut is calm, quiet and cute as well as being very friendly and inquisitive. So please make a trip to the Centre to visit him, his remaining friends and to support the work we do.
For more details about the 2008 course or to know more about foal sponsorship or fostering please contact the Centre.
Birthday Celebrations. 26th July 2007
We have just celebrated our first birthday. We had a lovely afternoon tea party on the actual day, 26th July, where we had the chance to thank so many of our supporters, and we were also very lucky to receive a most welcome cheque for £2,000 from The Exmoor Trust. Amongst the guests were visitors from the Exmoor area and further afield. Johnny and Julie Kingdom put in an appearance, which caused great excitement with the children who were here having their taster session. Here are some of the photos from our parties:
  
  
  
 
The Golden Horseshoe Sponsored Ride.
Congratulations to all who took part, depsite the miserable weather. The rain never stopped until the last hour. Ten of our ponies took part, partnered by volunteers and staff. At present the total raised is in excess of £1200. We were quite surprised at the number of people who took part, not just Exmoor ponies, many having driven some distance to be there. Special mention must be made of one of our regular supporters, Helena Ahier and her Gelderlander "Hopeful" who became an honorary Exmoor for the day. They travelled from Oxfordshire, in a hired horsebox, and due to an accident the previous day, found themselves being used as emergency transport, along with supporters Lindy Mitchell and Harry Crawford. Helen and Hopeful raised an amazing £317. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part and raised money for us, and a very big thank you to Barbara Wigley and The Golden Horseshoe organisers for choosing our charity to benefit from the event.
Pictured above left to right:Margaret Aureback and Katie, Lousie and Rufus, Jenny Deane and Tuppence, Lisa Chawner and Ossian, Anne Ansell and Dylan, Verity Lunn and Abbi, Laura Goodfellow and Mouse, Eleanor Lunn and Tom, Leigh Crossman and Bertie and Rosie and Rama.
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