Caerphilly County Borough Council has rebutted claims that ponies and horses grazing on Gelligaer Common could be destroyed.
The charity Welsh Horse and Pony Aid expressed concerns that some of the 500 ponies and colts on the common could be destroyed to make way for grazing.
The charity want the ponies, many dumped by their owners, to remain on the common as a tourist attraction.
A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesperson said they are aware of rumours that ponies were to be destroyed but have “no knowledge of and certainly no involvement in such activity”.
They said: “We are aware of the issue with ponies on Gelligaer Common and have been in touch with the local Commoners Association and other organisations to support them in exploring various ways forward.”
Ron Jones, chairman of the Gelligaer and Merthyr Commons Association, said: “We are co-operating with the local authority to reduce the number of ponies on the mountain but we are certainly not unnecessarily disposing of them.
“The commons are overgrazed with ponies so they need to be brought under control.
“Any ponies who are found sick or bad are examined by a vet and if they are beyond repair, they are destroyed but it’s got to be done in a legal way.
“These are what we call mongrel ponies and the majority of them have been abandoned, but they certainly have no right to be on the commons.”
Is the Clue to a `cull` in the statement of the Commoners Association,? someone is telling lies.
“Ron Jones, chairman of the Gelligaer and Merthyr Commons Association,
said: “We are co-operating with the local authority to reduce the number
of ponies on the mountain but we are certainly not unnecessarily
disposing of them.”.
Clearly they ARE proposing to dispose of Horses and Ponies, but In Jones`s words, “NOT UNNECESSARILY” , That addmission is relative, and belies what the Council are denying, He also confirms this is being done in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council, so who istelling the TRUTH??????.
It is no wonder the Charity are concerned when such acrobatic statements are being issued, particularly when it comes to the matter of the `Death Penalty` on horses and ponies. One would hope that the Council would get a grip, issue clear statements, if only the interest of good public relations and no other reason.
I agree! The article is wrong as the council are refuting claims the ponies could be destroyed. If anything, this article confirms the belief is the ponies are on the land illegally and will be destroyed.
Is the Clue to a `cull` in the statement of the Commoners Association,? someone is telling lies.
“Ron Jones, chairman of the Gelligaer and Merthyr Commons Association,
said: “We are co-operating with the local authority to reduce the number
of ponies on the mountain but we are certainly not unnecessarily
disposing of them.”.
Clearly they ARE proposing to dispose of Horses and Ponies, but In Jones`s words, “NOT UNNECESSARILY” , That addmission is relative, and belies what the Council are denying, He also confirms this is being done in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council, so who istelling the TRUTH??????.
It is no wonder the Charity are concerned when such acrobatic statements are being issued, particularly when it comes to the matter of the `Death Penalty` on horses and ponies. One would hope that the Council would get a grip, issue clear statements, if only the interest of good public relations and no other reason.
I agree! The article is wrong as the council are refuting claims the ponies could be destroyed. If anything, this article confirms the belief is the ponies are on the land illegally and will be destroyed.
The reality is there are NOT 500 ponies overgrazing the common.Indeed there are not even 500 ponies on there -nothing like that number as well he should know! So what has happened to the hundreds missing Ron ? Who has removed all the ponies missing and what exactly has happened to all of them ? We often count the ponies with this seasons foals added to date there are currently approx 200 ponies on Gelligaer common.Various grazing Stock owned by some with grazing rights are left on all year round including sheep and cattle -so the land is never rested.Ponies have been on our Welsh mountains since pre-roman times and need saving for us the the Welsh people and the wider public but not left to needlessly suffer with no shelter or left needlessly hunger in their times of need.I note Ron Jones states any ponies needing help if beyond repair are humanely destroyed yet we have found a pony hit by a 4×4 left on with a broken leg to suffer needlessly for days! Once reported to us we had to call a vet out urgently called to assist the poor pony just left to suffer needlessly! Sadly once examined by a qualified equine vet she needed to be humanely put to sleep out of compassion.We paid the bill ourselves to end her sadly needless suffering .There are many more instances where our little charity Welsh Horse and Pony Aid have had to step in to help the ponies some actually known to be owned by some of the commoners themselves even ! Several times over the last months we have had to bring vets in ourselves as a local welsh charity having seen ponies needing help but not receiving any.We have even had to feed the hungry ponies ourselves thro the winter and spring daily again as someone had to the poor souls thanks to our kind volunteers and local people.Perhaps Ron Jones would like to explain why we see many hungry stock of various types out looking for food each winter and see various animals who need assistance? What precisely does his various comments mean specifically? in what ways specifically are they working with the local authority to reduce the numbers? i also not the comment “certainly not un-necessarily disposing of them”! and I agree it implies they are or will dispose of some! why the secrecy Ron? what are you avoiding telling us the public.There is no term mongrel regarding ponies! And ponies have every right to be on welsh mountains they were there long before the grazing association and even many of the current farmers way back in time for centuries they are our welsh heritage and belong to us all the people of Wales and loved by so many from around the world.
For too long they have been left to suffer needlessly its certainly time for change and long overdue respect and compassion – we the people -members of the public wont be fobbed off any more .Many of us actually live in the area from all walks of life and are sick and tired of seeing our lovely ponies exploited and treated with such disrespect.Its simply not good enough making innocent sadly often exploited ponies who cannot speak for themselves the scapecoats fby some for over grazed commons to have them disposed of to benefit those with vested interests.Hands off disposing of ponies with no accountability or transparency its time to respect them and our Welsh heritage and their environment and ecology.Time for change and to make Gelligaer commons a better place for the ponies to live managed properly with respect and kindness compassion and pride for everyone to enjoy and be proud of for too long Welsh ponies have suffered needlessly in silence exploited by some needlessly out of self interest! The ponies deserve so much better and so do we the welsh people who care- they are a part of our welsh heritage and need to remain so treated. Full transparency openness and honesty is the starting point its 2015 and we and our Welsh Ponies need to be treated properly not fobbed off with vague comments as if fools
The reality is there are NOT 500 ponies overgrazing the common.Indeed there are not even 500 ponies on there -nothing like that number as well he should know! So what has happened to the hundreds missing Ron ? Who has removed all the ponies missing and what exactly has happened to all of them ? We often count the ponies with this seasons foals added to date there are currently approx 200 ponies on Gelligaer common.Various grazing Stock owned by some with grazing rights are left on all year round including sheep and cattle -so the land is never rested.Ponies have been on our Welsh mountains since pre-roman times and need saving for us the the Welsh people and the wider public but not left to needlessly suffer with no shelter or left needlessly hunger in their times of need.I note Ron Jones states any ponies needing help if beyond repair are humanely destroyed yet we have found a pony hit by a 4×4 left on with a broken leg to suffer needlessly for days! Once reported to us we had to call a vet out urgently called to assist the poor pony just left to suffer needlessly! Sadly once examined by a qualified equine vet she needed to be humanely put to sleep out of compassion.We paid the bill ourselves to end her sadly needless suffering .There are many more instances where our little charity Welsh Horse and Pony Aid have had to step in to help the ponies some actually known to be owned by some of the commoners themselves even ! Several times over the last months we have had to bring vets in ourselves as a local welsh charity having seen ponies needing help but not receiving any.We have even had to feed the hungry ponies ourselves thro the winter and spring daily again as someone had to the poor souls thanks to our kind volunteers and local people.Perhaps Ron Jones would like to explain why we see many hungry stock of various types out looking for food each winter and see various animals who need assistance? What precisely does his various comments mean specifically? in what ways specifically are they working with the local authority to reduce the numbers? i also not the comment “certainly not un-necessarily disposing of them”! and I agree it implies they are or will dispose of some! why the secrecy Ron? what are you avoiding telling us the public.There is no term mongrel regarding ponies! And ponies have every right to be on welsh mountains they were there long before the grazing association and even many of the current farmers way back in time for centuries they are our welsh heritage and belong to us all the people of Wales and loved by so many from around the world.
For too long they have been left to suffer needlessly its certainly time for change and long overdue respect and compassion – we the people -members of the public wont be fobbed off any more .Many of us actually live in the area from all walks of life and are sick and tired of seeing our lovely ponies exploited and treated with such disrespect.Its simply not good enough making innocent sadly often exploited ponies who cannot speak for themselves the scapecoats fby some for over grazed commons to have them disposed of to benefit those with vested interests.Hands off disposing of ponies with no accountability or transparency its time to respect them and our Welsh heritage and their environment and ecology.Time for change and to make Gelligaer commons a better place for the ponies to live managed properly with respect and kindness compassion and pride for everyone to enjoy and be proud of for too long Welsh ponies have suffered needlessly in silence exploited by some needlessly out of self interest! The ponies deserve so much better and so do we the welsh people who care- they are a part of our welsh heritage and need to remain so treated. Full transparency openness and honesty is the starting point its 2015 and we and our Welsh Ponies need to be treated properly not fobbed off with vague comments as if to avoid the full story
You need to get your facts right as well. There are no where near 500 ponies up on the common. There is so much back handedness going on. These ponies don’t stand a chance.
You need to get your facts right as well. There are no where near 500 ponies up on the common. There is so much back handedness going on. These ponies don’t stand a chance.
Who is this man Ron Jones anyway, and, has anone checked his substance
and credentials and of those who SAY they have commoners rights. As I undersand it it is advisable to establish a `Commoners Council`, has one been set up? if not why not?
Such a `Council` made up of land owners, those with commoners rights, and voluntary members would have the weight of law behind it, whereas, it appears those making these decisions to kill healthy horses does not, Does Ron Jones and his faceless supporters `maintain` this land, if so, has anyone ever held them to account for what appears to be misuse of their `rights`, if they actually have any, particulaly to dictate the slaughter of horses and ponies.
The Borough Council of course has limited power in such cases, it does however have he responsibility to ensure that those claiming Commoners rights, and acting like some Majesty over these creatures, do not do so illegally. Has anyone from Caerphilly CBC ever checked the legal rights being exercised by Ron and his friends, including those officers of the Council, who also appear to be telling lies, and, or, turning a blind eye to what could be spurrious claims by the Commoners.
Someone should get a grip of this situation in our wider community, I do not want to see healthy horses and ponies slaughtered in the name of mangement of second rate common land.
Who is this man Ron Jones anyway, and, has anyone checked his substance
and credentials and of those who SAY they have commoners rights. As I undersand it it is advisable to establish a `Commoners Council`, has one been set up? if not why not? and why are Caerphilly Council, a civic Authority, supporting these actions by Jones and his colleagues, could it be anything to do with reducing costs for the Council and allowing them to abdicate their legal responsibilities in matters of Animal welfare in the Borough?.
Such a `Council` made up of land owners, those with commoners rights, and voluntary members would have the weight of law behind it, whereas, it appears those making these decisions to kill healthy horses does not, Does Ron Jones and his faceless supporters `maintain` this land, if so, has anyone ever held them to account for what appears to be misuse of their `rights`, if they actually have any, particulaly to dictate the slaughter of horses and ponies.
The Borough Council of course has limited power in such cases, it does however have the responsibility to ensure that those claiming Commoners rights, and acting like some Majesty over these creatures, do not do so illegally. Has anyone from Caerphilly CBC ever checked the legal rights being exercised by Ron and his friends, including those officers of the Council, who also appear to be telling lies, and, or, turning a blind eye to what could be spurrious claims by the Commoners.
Someone should get a grip of this situation in our wider community, I do not want to see healthy horses and ponies slaughtered in the name of mangement of second rate common land, by, people who have not been held to account as having the right to do so.
‘bad’? ‘mongrel’? Does this bloke actually know anything about horses and ponies? And as for ‘beyond repair’ for goodness sake, it’s an animal with feelings, not an old car!!
‘bad’? ‘mongrel’? Does this bloke actually know anything about horses and ponies? And as for ‘beyond repair’ for goodness sake, it’s an animal with feelings, not an old car!!
The charity welsh horse and pony aid made no such comment that some of the 500 ponies and colts! could be destroyed we have always disputed these grossly over exaggerated figures in the first place! but why let the real facts stand in the way of a good yarn!
The charity welsh horse and pony aid made no such comment that some of the 500 ponies and colts! could be destroyed we have always disputed these grossly over exaggerated figures in the first place! but why let the real facts stand in the way of a good yarn!