Take a look at the four rare breed ponies that call Hardcastle Crags home

The Exmoor ponies, called Dolce, Quaver, Dorito and Pom, have been used to graze fields to encourage diverse plant life to thrive, including grassland flowers and rare fungi.

Using these ponies also helps to reduce carbon usage. As they trample plants like bracken and brambles, this means rangers don’t have to use petrol powered machinery to cut the plants back.

Countryside Manager for the National Trust, Reuben Hawkwood, said: “In the past, the fields close to Hollins Hall at Hardcastle Crags were grazed by sheep.

"When the tenant decided to scale back their stock numbers, it gave us an opportunity to introduce animals that could benefit our conservation grazing. The ponies eat plants that would have previously become unmanageable with just sheep in the field.

"They’re already having an impact on how we look after the land and are benefiting wildlife too.”

The fields around Hardcastle Crags are home to incredibly rare fungi, such as waxcaps. Some of the species in the fields have only been sighted once or twice in the UK before, and many are on the red data list for at risk species.

National Trust Grassland Fungi Project Officer, Steve Hindle said: “The grazing has already had an impact on reducing some of the vegetation, which we hope will in turn benefit our rare fungi that grow in these fields.”

As well as being monitored by National Trust rangers, volunteers check the ponies every day to ensure they are well with good access to water and grazing.

Bev Speak, one of the volunteers who checks on the ponies, said “I wanted to get involved with this project to give something back – I’ve got two rescue ponies of my own and it’s been lovely to see these four settle in to their home at Hardcastle Crags. They’re still wild animals though, and we make sure we never fuss them or give them treats. Dolce is the matriarch and the leader – she’s usually the most confident, but they’ve all got their distinct personalities.”

It's hoped the ponies will stay on fields around Hardcastle Crags for the foreseeable future.