Newsletter No 68 Fforest Uchaf Farm. Maindy Road, (Maendy) Penycoedcae, Pontypridd. R.C.T, Wales. UK. CF37 1PS
Tel; 01443 480327 info@pitponies.co.uk www.pitponies.co.uk www.sponsorapony.co.uk www.visitpitponies.co.uk Open to visitors; May/Oct=Sunday 11am – 4pm. Weekdays 10am – 2pm. Closed Saturdays Nov/April= by appointment, Adults £4:00 OAP/Children £2:00 or £10:00 per car. Groups/Schools/Clubs by appointment. Special needs visitors please telephone to discuss your needs.
NB All visitors it is always advisable to telephone 01443 480327 or 07798584735 before you visit.
PROVIDING TENDER LOVING CARE TO NEEDY HORSES & PONIES
Lady has improved tremendously since she came to us. She is a little stiff in her old age but is out happily grazing with the herd. Despite her size she is a bit of a “flower” and can usually be found with the little ponies who are company but no threat to her. Below is a picture of Lady now. Picture was taken August 18 the by some kind visitors. As you can see she has filled out well. She has a lovely nature. She gets very hungry and is a bit dangerous to feed if you’re not aware.
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Beauty has lately taken to coming down and waiting to be let into a stable and that’s fine. She doesn’t like the hot sun and insects that abound in summer. She likes to just stand quietly in a stable or the chicken shed with lots of hens for company. Perhaps they catch & eat the pesky flies. Trouble is she does not want to go back out. She has a feed and just stands quietly in the stable. Funny thing is she trots on up to the stable but when you get her out she appears to struggle to walk. However if you take your eyes off her she trots straight back into the stable like a young thing. She is looking very well and happy in herself. Dylan (her very best friend.) has finally got used to her coming in and goes off to graze whilst she is away but keeps a watchful eye open for her to come back.
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Beauty came to us in 1999 from the son of the Bush colliery owner.
After the colliery closed they used her to recover machinery & scrap from several collieries. He then kept her and bred a foal from her. His daughter used to ride her out but had become bored with her as she wouldn’t trot or canter. She is a traditional chunky section D Welsh Cob. Neither Beauty or her foals were very fashionable to sell then and she came to us. She is pictured here with an old coal tram as a publicity photograph. The riders in the tram are Max Boyce comedian & singer seated, Peter Hands the Chairman of the Rhondda Tourist Association right and Johnathan Jones the Chairman of the Welsh Tourist Board at the time. The picture was taken in black & white by a press photographer at the Rhondda golf course with the Valley laid out behind them. Beauty also helped out with a TV history programme. Here they are attaching a replica sled to the replica
harness they had made. The called her Blackthorn (apparently a traditional name for a farm horse in the 1600’s) for the TV cameras.
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The west end show War Horse came to Wales on tour this summer. We asked to be able to collect for the Pit Ponies who were such a large part of the UK war effort but were denied the opportunity. We looked a little into the relationship between Pit Ponies and the War effort but could find little information or pictures. We did come across some details of the Tram Roads in the Rhondda. The first coal mines used horses to transport their coal down the valley to the canal at Pontypridd. A one Dr Griffith built the first tram road to move coal to the canal and on to Cardiff. From 17971808 the annual coal tonnage shipped from Cardiff rose from 9718 to 148019 tons. All this coal was moved in wagons on rails (Trams) pulled by horses. Walter Coffin extended Dr Griffiths tram-road on to Dinas the site of the first deep mine in the Rhondda. In 1810 the tram-road was started and Horses could move the coal the miles from Dinas to the Canal in Pontypridd. On the return journey people could ride in the trams with their shopping etc. back up the valley The picture above from 1890 shows 3 horses pulling 10 trams of coal (as best as I can count on this grainy image). The gradient was down-hill so assisted the horses and hopefully the brakeman was alert and kept control of the journey. Apparently the trams were constructed of Iron and carried 45 -50cwt and four horses in a team could handle 12-15 trams with ease. During the life of the tram-road many extensions and branches were added.
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We now have a range of white & hand decorated genuine horse shoes especially suitable as wedding gifts at ÂŁ9.99 each plus P&P of ÂŁ2.25. A very unusual gift and traditional symbol of good luck. If you have any ideas for special events where a Lucky Horseshoe would be appropriate to you. Please let us know. Pictured here, Big Markie leans over the fence to get some salt & mineral lick whilst one of the littlies Sapphire gets a cheeky lick and lightening watches on waiting his chance. All the Horses and Ponies have access to the licks placed around the Farm. Your Grand Bonfire Night Prize Draw tickets are enclosed. Please do your best to sell them to your friends & family for the Ponies. Thank you.
Used Postage Stamps have proved to be a useful part of our income. We have managed to recruit many collectors but still need more. If you can spread the word for us the Ponies would appreciate it. Please be careful when posting them that you pack them securely and put the correct postage on them. Well done all who are sending & collecting for the Ponies. Please send them to the centre address is on page 1. Thank you.
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National Small Charity Week 16th till 21st June 2014.
Raised £6,200.10 for all the small Charities involved. We managed to raise £493.33 for the ponies. Please keep your eyes & ears open for lots for 2015. If you or anyone you know has contact with celebrities please let us know. Sandra & Inese are already busy writing to agents & celebs for 2015. It’s a soul destroying job as the rejections and being ignored come thick & fast. Well done girls!
Betty Van De Mortel from Rochester New York USA wrote,
“I was born in Kettering, Northants in 1923. The Americans came over in droves during the war especially to the midlands where there were 8 wartime airfields flying heavy bombers nearby. Every night truck-loads of soldiers came into the town and we girls were happy to see them. My husband to be was in the Army in the medics, an orphan who lucked out to be attached to a bakery unit so fresh bread every morning. I wasn’t able to come over to the states until 1946, all the married girls were brought over by sea at government expense. I finally got a plane, it took 17 hours and we were married on December 22nd. We had 66 years together, he died last January. I had a wonderful friend, companion & lover, how lucky I was. I hope this donation in his memory will help a little in your good work.”
A little Taste of Wales. Traditional Welsh Llangloffan Cheese & Apple Cake. Ingredients. 12oz Bramley apples, peeled, cored & diced. 2oz. Caster sugar. 6oz Self raising flour. ½ Teaspoon full of baking powder & a pinch of salt. 1oz. Shelled Hazelnuts. 2oz. Sultanas. 1 Large egg (beaten). 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. 6oz.Lllangloffan cheese a Cheshire type cheese (thickly sliced). Method. Preheat the oven to 180c / 350 f Gas mark 4. Grease a 7” round loose bottomed tin. Mix together the apples, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt., nuts & sultanas. Beat the egg & oil together and stir into the dry ingredients. Soon ½ the ingredients into the bottom of the tin, arrange the cheese slices on top, spoon over the rest of the ingredients and level the surface. Cook. For 30 – 40 minutes or until firm & golden. Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Serve. With fruit, yoghurt, vanilla ice cream or just by itself. Bon appetite!
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Gunner passed away peacefully at the Centre. His special friends Gail & family found him wandering in their street and although not knowing what to do with him decided to help him. He came to the Centre in 1998 (was it really that long ago? Angela’s hair tells a tale it’s no longer brown but has gone a lovely silver). We fed him up, cared for his overgrown feet and called the Vet to treat the abscess on his neck caused she thought by an air gun pellet. He was a very sweet but mischievous little pony and will be sadly missed here. He would often lead the littlies into mischief and the electric fence was certainly no barrier to Gunner. A sad good-bye.
Puzzle fast asleep and Megan keeping watch. The fillies have been encouraging Puzzle to do what’s natural. We have had to separate him and put him in a little field with a couple of buddies well away from the opposite sex. When the weather cools and the flies are gone we can get him sorted.
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Donations have recently been received in memory of; Albert & Emily Emmett, Yvonne C Lawson, Mr Sadler, Mr Wolodymyr Wasylyshyn, Mrs Jennifer Bunn,
Mrs Turner recently re-cycled (scrapped) her trusty old car and sent the ponies the proceeds. As she is part of our Gift Aid scheme we will get a bit more from the Tax man in the spring. Our Give-a-car scheme is still running and one call to them mentioning the pit ponies will get it all going. Mrs Turner chose to use her local scrap yard and did it all herself. Well done Mrs T! If you have an old banger or know someone with one to arrange free collection, call 0207 736 4242
Mr W E Bentley paid £20 into the Ponies Bank account from the contents of his home loose change jar. Well done!
An Oldie (only 88) sent a wonderful anonymous donation with his/her best wishes recently. It paid for a lorry load of hay in late winter that was needed as the weeks of cold & rain held the grass back from growing. Well done the oldie’s.
Mrs Watterson sent in the proceeds of her Leicestershire Methodists Ladies collection. Fantastic you girls!
Jake looking magnificent. Star doing her mountain goat impression. Lukie with Dylan behind.
Lady touched the hearts of many of you and us.
Several people sent extra donations
especially for her. Thank you all.
Mrs Gill sent her Premium Bonds winnings + for the Ponies. Nice one! Pyle Community Council sent a donation and asked for any details we could offer with regards to Pit Ponies and Pits in the Pyle area. We can’t find much perhaps one or two of you can help?
Rhys sent his Gran into Inter-aid Charity Shop in Crwys Road, Cardiff especially to make a £5 donation from his pocket money to help the ponies. Brilliant!
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