The Fell Pony Society
News

Important notices are generally posted for a short while on the front page. We include information from other U.K. societies where it is of interest to Fell pony owners.

Archived News >>>

Temporary arrangements for FPS Stallion Licensing

Council have made a decision regarding FPS Stallion Licensing in view of the current restrictions due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19).

• It has been agreed that owners of colts should apply to the Society in the normal way, providing the name and registration number of the colt and the name and address of the vet who will carry out the inspection when restrictions have been lifted, together with the appropriate fee. (See Fees.)
• On receipt of the above by the FPS Office, a Temporary Restricted Stallion Licence will be issued, together with 5 Stallion Service slips, allowing the owner to cover a maximum of 5 mares, to be owned by the colt’s owner only. The colt must not be used until the owner is in receipt of the Temporary Restricted Stallion Licence.
• The DNA & FIS paperwork and sample kits will not be issued to the owner and vet until restrictions have been lifted.

Once restrictions are lifted the owner must have the colt inspected by a vet as soon as is reasonably possible but no later than 31 December 2020 and, if it passes the inspection, samples must be taken by the vet at the same time for DNA typing and FIS testing.

At the time of veterinary inspection:

• If the colt passes the veterinary inspection and it is recommended that a licence should be issued, then the passport together with the Temporary Restricted Stallion Licence should be forwarded to the FPS office. On receipt of a satisfactory DNA report and confirmation of FIS testing, a Full Stallion Licence will be issued by the Society and, if time allows, normal covering can be resumed.
• If the colt does not pass the veterinary inspection, samples for DNA / FIS should not be taken and the sample kit packets should be returned intact to the Society for a refund. Any resulting foals from the mares covered under the Temporary Restricted Stallion Licence arrangement will be registered in Section X.

Please note this is a temporary arrangement to allow breeding to continue during these extraordinary circumstances, and the rules must be strictly adhered to. 7 April 2020

British Equestrian Federation - Vaccinations update

All competitive disciplines under the BEF umbrella currently operate a requirement for an annual booster every 12 months after an initial course of two injections and the first booster injection. This will remain the case throughout 2020, which means that any horse who goes beyond their annual renewal date will be required to start again. The initial vaccination intervals for primary and booster vaccinations will also remain in place as normal. More >>>

Animal Health Trust imminent closure

The Animal Health Trust has been facing dire financial constraints for some time, and now with the economic implications of Covid-19, it is facing imminent closure.

It has been in existence for more than 75 years, and during that time, it has changed the lives of generations of horses, dogs, cats and their owners. It has been a massive support to the work of the FPS, notably with its DNA testing and FIS testing services.

Full statement on the AHT web site

They say that the best way you can help them is by helping to spread the word about why they are such a vital resource to animal welfare. Please help them tell their story by sharing this information on social media, in the hope that a wealthy individual, corporate or person of influence sees it and can help them. 28 March 2020

MIDLANDS WEST FELL PONY SUPPORT GROUP SHOW UPDATE

Unfortunately, due to current situation with the coronavirus, it is with great regret and sadness that MWSG will be postponing the Midlands West Fell Pony Support Group - Festival of Fells Show on the 3rd May 2020. At this stage, they are currently looking at running the show in August/September 2020. Once a date has been agreed with the venue they will be communicating the new date out to you all. They would like to thank everyone for their support and hope to see you all very soon. 24 March 2020

Annual General Meeting postponed

It is with regret that due to the current situation with Coronavirus (Covid-19) Council have agreed to postpone the FPS AGM scheduled for Saturday 4 April. Members will be notified in due course of the re-scheduled date. 19 March 2020

Stallion Show cancelled

Sadly due to the current situation with Coronavirus (Covid-19) Council have agreed to cancel (or possibly postpone) the FPS Stallion & Colt Show scheduled for Saturday 9 May. At this point in time the FPS Breed Show will go ahead on Sunday 2 August. 19 March 2020

Combined Native Pony Roadshow postponed

Due to public health concerns: these roadshows have been postponed until the autumn.

The Breed societies involved and organisers are in complete agreement that both roadshows will be postponed until the Autumn. These were organised for the enjoyment of our members/judges and enthusiasts - but let’s enjoy and socialise another time. A provisional date for the Southern event is 18th October 2020. We will post updates as we receive them.

NORTHERN EVENT: postponed.
UNICORN CENTRE, Stanton Way, Hemlington, Middlesborough, TS8 9LX.

SOUTHERN EVENT: postponed.
UNICORN TRUST, Granary Cottage, Netherswell, Stow on the Wold, Cheltenham, GL54 1JZ.

Practical 30-minute sessions on each breed: Breed type, way of going in-hand and under saddle.

These are free events for judges, members and enthusiasts, but places must be pre-booked.

Poster info >>> 25 January 2020

RBST Agriculture Bill Briefing 2019

From Christopher Price, RBST CEO:

For the last 40 years the conservation of our native livestock and equines has been entirely thanks to the hard work of a few dedicated tenacious individuals. But the new Agriculture Bill will change all that. In future they will have some help from the Government.

This is something RBST has been pressing for for many months.

The aim of the Bill is to shift agricultural policy towards paying farmers for the various public benefits they provide, rather than paying them for simply owning land, as is the case with the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), the current scheme for supporting farmers.

This only applies in England. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will be making their own decision, though RBST will be encouraging them to adopt a similar approach to England.

Most of the public benefits mentioned in the Agriculture Bill are environmental, such as improving water and soil quality or to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will be making their own decision, though RBST will be encouraging them to adopt a similar approach to England.
Most of the public benefits mentioned in the Agriculture Bill are environmental, such as improving water and soil quality or to mitigate and adapt to climate change. However, the list also allows the Government to pay for:

‘conserving native livestock, native equines or genetic resources relating to any
such animal’

The explanatory notes to the Bill give an indication of the sort of things the money could be spent on:

‘These measures could, for example, be used to incentivise farmers to invest in rearing rare and native breeds or species, because these genetic resources may offer a way to sustainably increase food production and/or improve our capacity to adapt to climate change or the emergence of new animal or plant diseases by providing a breadth of genetic traits. These powers could also be used to incentivise existing gene banks to safeguard UK native and rare breed genetics or to provide on farm measures to manage disease risks amongst populations of rare breed livestock.’

Full Briefing on RBST blog >>>

Full Briefing as a printable file >>> 22 January 2020

Deadlines for Breeders

· The current Equine Identification regulations require the applications for foal passports to arrive with the Society within 6 months of birth or 30 November whichever is the later. However in addition to the above, FPS regulations require applications to be received by no later than 31 December (irrespective of age) or the application will be treated as late and will require late registration fees and confirmation of the sire and dam by DNA. Double fees may also apply if applications are received during December.

· Service Books / notifications of coverings online must be notified by 31 December in the year of covering; if not, any resulting foal will have to be DNA typed to confirm the sire prior to registration.

When completing stallion service certificates please complete all the details fully, including full name and registration number of stallion and mare and full dates of covering to include at least month and year. Month on its own with no year is unacceptable. 20 November 2019