Why These Rare Horse Breeds Are On The Brink Of Extinction

Anna Louise speaks to Tracy Wathen-Jones from the rare breeds survival trust (RBST). They discuss the uncomfortable reality facing our native breeds (from the Shire to the Exmoor pony to the critically rare Eriskay). Nostalgia will not save these animals. We need to look at the biology. We look at the genetic freezer and why we are relying on semen from the 1960s as an insurance policy. we examine the lost language of handling a shire (and why it is so different to a warmblood). and we ask the hard question about utility: if these horses don't have a job, do they have a future? if we lose the genetics, we lose the history. but if we lose the skills, we lose the ability to bring them back. Special thanks to the following photographers and societies for the images used in the intro: Jennifer Feleris, John Green, Katrina Bell, Frances Ellis, Louise Blundell, Deborah White, El Dunlop, David Stewart, and the Eriskay Pony Breed Society. Learn more about our UK Native Horse Breeds on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust website: https://www.rbst.org.uk/pages/categor... The questions we didn't ask on air. We were really curious about the practical side of the "wild" ponies we see on conservation sites. How do you actually get a farrier to a horse that isn't headcollar trained? If you are a supporter, we asked Tracy exactly that. https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk/t... 0:00 why are so many breeds at risk? 2:14 why the horse lost its job (the history) 5:40 how equine therapy is saving native breeds 8:25 the "cult following" of rare breeds 12:36 losing the skills: the danger of losing the "old boys" 15:15 the "watch list": how we decide which breeds are at risk 19:20 the genetic bottleneck: breeding with a limited gene pool 22:36 the genetic freezer: our insurance policy against extinction 25:15 can you breed from 60-year-old semen? 28:48 the eriskay pony: why it is so unique (and rare) 32:15 the "sullie" effect: how one foal hit the national headlines 36:28 why the shire horse is facing extinction 41:38 the danger of handling a heavy horse (it's not a warmblood) 45:50 what will save them? (conservation grazing as a business) 51:20 the list of horses we have already lost forever 55:10 what can the average rider do to help?