Ponies arrive on Landport Bottom Nature Reserve

The ponies have settled into their enclosure in the Pond Field and have enjoyed meeting some of their local neighbours.

Members of Lewes Town Council’s Building and Amenities Committee gathered in the pony field to see how they were getting on.

The ponies are part of an exciting new trial aimed at enhancing biodiversity and preserving the unique chalk grassland habitat of Landport Bottom Nature Reserve.

Chalk grasslands, one of the UK’s most biodiverse habitats, host a wide variety of rare plants and wildlife. Traditional grazing methods, such as the use of sheep and ponies, have been proven to be both sustainable and effective in managing such habitats.

The ponies’ welfare

Just like the ponies of the New Forest they don’t need shelters like domestic ponies and horses. The ponies are owned by a local breeder and they have previously been grazed on Cuckmere Haven and in Alfriston so are very used to being outside and in the open in all weathers.

For their safety and your own please don't touch the animals - although owned and cared for by a local person, they are unpredictable and best treated as wild. Please don’t feed them; there is plenty of natural food and it’s best that they don’t come to rely on people’s attention. They may look friendly but they can bite and kick.

Keep your distance! Remember, too, that these animals are not tame - the gentlest looking pony can also kick and bite and children are particularly vulnerable to them.

Please be careful of the electric fence around the ponies’ enclosure, which is currently in the top part of the field

To avoid disturbing the ground nesting birds, visitors to Landport Bottom Nature Reserve are reminded to keep to the main tracks and if you have a dog, keep it on the tracks too. Dogs should be on a lead when in the enclosure with the ponies.

Why ponies?

By utilising ponies as a natural grazing method, the council aims to restore Landport Bottom’s grassland to its former ecological richness, supporting a wider range of wildlife and improving the area for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.

Ponies are ideal for grazing chalk grasslands due to their selective eating habits, which help to control aggressive plant species while allowing more delicate wildflowers to thrive. Sheep are usually used for grazing and may be back on Landport Bottom later in the year when there is less risk of disturbing the flowers.

Wild horses and ponies can play a leading role in rewilding due to their selective grazing of tougher grasses. Horses and ponies love coarser grasses and herbs. As a bulk grazer, they will break up tussocky grasslands to form sward mosaics with characteristic, and species-rich, short-sward lawns. This fosters and maintains diverse communities of grasses and wildflowers.

By wallowing in dry, sandy soil, horses create a habitat that numerous warmth-loving, basking and burrow-nesting insects require, including pollinating bees and wasps.

Lewes Town Council welcome feedback from residents and visitors during the trial period. Feedback can be submitted via email or social media.