Day 4: Photographs

Dartmoor Hill Ponies

On Tuesday night we had a visit from Charlotte of  'The Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony' to discuss the plight of Dartmoor Hill ponies. Dartmoor ponies symbolise the Dartmoor spirit, but sadly they are no longer an agricultural animal that generates profit for the farmer. Out of every 750 foals that are born each year on Dartmoor, 400 of them end up being shot. One way to give those foals a better life is to give them at least 3 years of happiness roaming the moors, and then to sell them on for meat consumption. This brings the farmer money and gives the foals more of a life. The hope is that people will gradually accept eating pony meat, just like pigs and cows. The pony meat is high in protein and Omega 3 while low in fat. It is also very tasty, which makes it a good food option. I believe this is a sustainable way of keeping Dartmoor Hill Ponies on the moors, and I respect Charlotte's passion for finding an initially hard to swallow solution, which may possibly be the only viable solution to ensure the survival of Dartmoor Hill Ponies. Like Stephen Hawkins said, "We are very very small in this Universe, but we are capable of doing big things."

Lydia

Day 3: Photographs

Agricultural Engineering

Today, we were looking at the theme of agricultural machinery and how this helps farmers to do their job. This was a very enjoyable experience involving learning how to turn lambs in order inspect them using our just our hands. We then moved onto larger ewes to compare the difficulty doing the same with a larger sheep. This was then made easier with the help of a rolling cage. (a.k.a the Sheep-Twist-o-Matic 2000). The rolling cage involved separating a sheep from the herd and clamping it with a rib-cage like contraption that secured the sheep in position allowing it to be rotated with the pull of a lever.

We then moved on to learning about farm machinery, such as the tractor and a telehandler. We talked about the tractor's tyre design (including pressures), types of axle, hydraulics and fuel. The telehandler had three different methods of steering and a hydraulic boom that extended 6 metres. We then finished with a practical demonstration of a straw shredder.

Alex

Day 2: Photographs

Ovine parasitology

This morning we headed over to Broadford Farm to learn about worming sheep. After having a brief conversation in the barn, we headed out to start the hands-on work. We walked up through the fields (collecting sheep poo on the way for an experiment) and started to herd the sheep. After a lot of running around the fields (especially from Theo), we got the sheep out of the fields and into the yard.

However, some managed to escape down the hill. Eventually, we got most of the sheep into the barn.

After this, we were split into two groups. One group went and gave worming medicine to the ewe's, while the other looked into the technical side; counting the number of eggs in the poo collected earlier.

To worm the sheep, the ewes entered a 'race' were they were held still and we took turns to use the syringe to enter the medicine in the sheep's mouths. After we got through all the ewes, having all experienced the different jobs in the process. Then the groups got to meet the orphaned lambs.

The other group, at this time, were experimenting and testing on the fresh poo we had collected. We mixed it up with water and put the 'solution' in a microscope slide, to be able to see developing worm eggs. This taught us about why we were worming the sheep.

Alice

Arrival at Shallowford Farm

We arrived at Shallowford around 3pm and were met by Timber (the resident dog), Debbie and the Shallowford team. We had a quick tour of the farm and then were taken to our rooms. After which, we took a walk (with various detours to look at flowers and plants) to the neighbouring farm. Will (the farmer) met us by the cows and talked about silage and the costs involved with keeping the cattle inside over winter. We then walked back. Next, we got geared-up and mucked out the animals. Back inside for shepherds pie and sticky toffee pudding, then a mathematical problem about straw.

Theo