Penllech Ponies on Lower Eppynt

from Hill Ponies of Wales News Spring 2023

Welsh Mountain Ponies The importance of the hill Dr Donna Davys

The first foundation Penllech mares were registered by my late grandfather Austin Cadwgan Jones of Penllech Farm Maesmynis, which is where I write this article from. These were foaled in 1944, their sire being the premium stallion Duhonw Emperor. They originated from a herd left to him by his grandfather James Jones of neighbouring Cwm-Bwch farm, which had grazed the Eppynt common for many decades before.

Cwm-Bwch, which we still farm, was where the Jones family originally moved to in 1905 after spending 10 years in London running a dairy shop. At Cwm-Bwch several draft type stallions were kept, where it is said up to 100 hill mares would visit each year from neighbouring farms in order to breed sought-after pit-ponies.

1950’s and with much anguish to my grandfather 25 mares had to be sold, the remaining were moved to the adjoining Lower Eppynt common which is not military owned.

Numbers built up again between the 50’s and early 70’s, with many fillies sold through the Cwm Owen sales held at the Griffin Inn on Lower Eppynt, where to this day Penllech mares graze outside. Colt foals being sold the day before at the Llanafan sales.

Austin’s other grandfather, Cadwgan Powell, at nearby Neuadd Blaenduhonw farm also grazed mares on the Eppynt and was registering them using the Honw prefix prior to the first world war.

Penllech ponies originally grazed the part of the Eppynt which was acquired by the military as a training range in 1940. After years of MOD rules banning ponies grazing on the Eppynt being flouted, the military cracked down in the early

Like many other breeders of hill ponies, from the 1980’s onwards numbers were allowed to dwindle. Having fond early memories of gathering the hill with my grandfather and selling foals at the old market in Brecon, it was decided to bolster the herd with the purchase of young mares from the Hafdre stud in 2012. These were bred to Rhydgwillim Micky and the premium stallions Afan Cloudy and Dolderwydd Mascot, producing the majority of Penllech hill mares today. Special thanks have to be given to Roger Davies (Hafdre), Dennis Price (Afan) and the late Reggie Bowen (Rhydgwillim) for parting with both valuable bloodlines and knowledge, which has been influential in shaping the current herd.

The present-day herd is kept on the open hill all year round. During the winter supplementary energy/mineral blocks are offered to the mares, these are placed in feed troughs located in the gathering pen. This makes gathering much easier and helps keep the mares to our patch of the hill. Twice a year the herd is walked down off the hill to Penllech farm. Firstly, to microchip foals and collect DNA samples, and then later to wean, halter break and socialise the foals. Those not being retained are sold throughout the autumn and winter, with some of the colts kept on to be sold as gelded three-year olds.

It is of great pleasure to observe the ponies in their natural habitat, noting how they choose different parts of the hill depending on the weather, or where the best forage is. Before the cattlegrid was installed, it was not unknown for my grandfather needing to retrieve mares that fancied a winter down in Builth Wells on the Groe!

Looking to the future, I have recently started venturing into the showring with Penllech ponies, and like to dream I may have some success in the years to come.