THE Commoners' Council letter of August 21 regarding the ponies on Dartmoor makes some fair points but as a representative of many of those involved daily with the lives of those ponies, the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust has some comments to add: The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) is a registered charity made up of volunteers from the general public and pony keepers who are members of the trust's Recognised Pony Keeper Scheme. The DPHT represents all parts of Dartmoor and farmers/keepers from all types of backgrounds, some from generations of hill farmers, all bringing new ideas and opportunities. Our work is aimed at preserving the traditional Dartmoor pony in its native Dartmoor and ensuring that we do not witness the disappearance of the genetic lines, history and heritage of one of our significant native breeds. As we approach drift (round up) time and the appearance of many emotive photos of foals needing to be found homes, once again the complexity of the problems of lack of controlled breeding and lack of markets come to the fore. It is true that the Commoners' Council has helped to organise extra drifts to remove poor quality or unowned/ unclaimed stock from the moor — vital to do so especially with colts. In the past too many have been unclaimed, stayed out and added to the problem of indiscriminate breeding. Also some farmers have not taken a responsible view to control the number of foals bred to match the number of available outlets. Regarding the drifts: foals, geldings, stallions and mares should be regularly checked anyway by their owners as is their legal responsibility. But drifts bring a concerted effort to manage stock, share resources and should ensure only the fittest and appropriate stock are returned to the common. Stallions help manage herds but recent research has yet again confirmed the role of the matriarch mare to keep control and manage movement within the herd's lear / home turf. Stallions protect and keep other stallions away. Research is clear about roles of mares, stallions and alternative methods of reducing unwanted stock. We don't need debates and trials. It is what is practical, affordable and meets sensible welfare requirements now that must form the basis of a solution. It is accepted that breeding is essential to ensure healthy herds with a supply of replacement fillies to maintain foundation stock. However, what is not agreed by anyone is allowing hundreds of foals to be born every year and then destroyed due to a lack of market for them. This has crashed what was once a healthy and respected pony market. The Commoners' Council has the statutory right to bring everyone together with a plan that must be implemented. By not addressing the key issues with appropriate, strong and swift action, an ongoing battle between the breeders whose views differ strongly, has continued and the council has not grasped its responsibilities. It seems bizarre that the Commoners' Council pony working group has — yet again — been unable to find time to meet before the end of September 2014, providing little if no time to organise an action plan in time for the drifts and for the foals that are already on the way for spring and summer 2015. The council has, however, recently written to commoners advising pony breeders that they may keep up to five stallions each on the commons. It was agreed right back in 2013 at the Pony Action Group (representatives from all pony interest groups including the Commoners' Council) that when the research carried out by Robyn Petrie-Richie was available it would form a structure to carry pony management on the moor into the future. PAG set the Commoners' Council the task of acting upon it when it comes out; it will be vital that it does. Natural England also has a very large role to play in the plight of the ponies on Dartmoor. But that's another complex aspect for perhaps another time. As one of our pony keepers wrote to us after seeing the Commoners' Council letter in the paper: 'The pony keepers need to put themselves in a position to ride out the storm. Old Devon farmers foresaw the demise of ponies from the Hill; let's not make it a self fulfilling prophecy'. The Commoners' Council needs to take a clear and strong lead – it has the power to bring pony keepers together to find a joint solution and commit to change; caring and promising is not enough. Judy Fawcett Chairman Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust