Tippbarlake Exmoor Pony Herd

25/10/2026

October at Tippbarlake 🍂❤️

Today we’re celebrating someone very special. Happy Birthday to the wonderful Terry Dale! 🎂🥳

Terry is usually out helping Nigel on the farm, lending a hand with the daily jobs and everything that needs doing here at Barton. Whether it’s working with the ponies, helping around the farm or simply being there when he’s needed, Terry is a much-loved and very important part of Tippbarlake.

The little Exmoor face in this picture is a lovely example of just how much Terry does for our ponies. He’s worked so patiently with this youngster, helping them become happy, confident and ready for whatever comes next.

Terry has such a wonderfully calm and gentle way with the ponies. He never rushes them, giving each one the time and reassurance they need to learn to trust people and take those first important steps towards being handled.

That patience and kindness are such a special gift, and we’re incredibly lucky to have Terry as part of the Tippbarlake family.

Happy Birthday, Terry! Thank you for everything you do for us, for the farm and for the ponies—we all love you very much. ❤️

📸 Photo by the birthday boy himself, Terry Dale!

25/10/2026

23/10/2026

And back out they go! 💚🐴

The first of the Tippbarlake Exmoor Pony Herd to head back onto Brendon Common after Sunday's gathering.

Checks complete, it's time to return to where they belong, roaming free on the moor.

No hanging about, they know exactly where they're going! 🤎💚

23/10/2026

22/10/2026

Keeping ponies and people safe 🐴

As the Tippbarlake Gathering continues to grow in popularity, we recognise that we need to adapt and improve how we manage the event.

It's wonderful that so many people want to come and experience the gathering, and we're incredibly grateful for that interest. But with increasing numbers comes an even greater responsibility to keep everyone safe, particularly the ponies and the people working with them.

There are things we can learn from this year's event, and we'll be working hard to make improvements for next year.

Unfortunately, there were a couple of incidents that we feel need addressing.

Some individuals chose to ignore advice and instructions from those managing the gathering, putting themselves, others and potentially the ponies at risk.

The ponies are free-living animals, not performers, and their behaviour cannot always be predicted. Our experienced riders and quad bike teams work together to guide them safely, often responding in seconds to changes in the herd's behaviour.

Putting yourself in a dangerous position to capture photographs or footage for the sake of a few 'clicks' is simply unacceptable. No photograph or video is worth compromising anyone's safety or the welfare of the ponies.

More upsettingly, there were incidents of grown men shouting at some of our very young helpers.

We want to be absolutely clear: this behaviour will not be tolerated. Anyone who treats our helpers in this way will not be welcome at future Tippbarlake gatherings.

Our young helpers are an important part of this tradition. They give their time, work hard and are learning from generations of experience. They deserve encouragement, respect and the opportunity to be involved without being subjected to intimidating or aggressive behaviour from adults.

We are enormously proud of them, and we will always stand behind them.

We want people to continue enjoying and experiencing this extraordinary tradition, and we remain committed to making that possible. We'll be reviewing what worked well, what didn't and what needs to change to ensure future gatherings can be enjoyed as safely and responsibly as possible.

Finally, thank you to the overwhelming majority of visitors who listened, respected the guidance and helped make the day such a success. Your cooperation and support are genuinely appreciated. ❤️

Photo credit: Sarah Hailstone - Exmoor with Jack

21/10/2026

❤️ An astounding £1,569.71 raised so far! ❤️

We are absolutely blown away by everyone’s kindness and generosity!

Sunday’s Tippbarlake Exmoor Pony Herd Gathering has raised an incredible £1,569.71 for Devon Air Ambulance, and donations are still coming in! 🚁❤️

What an amazing amount for such a vital charity, and what a wonderful reminder of just how generous our community is.

A heartfelt thank you to every single person who donated, supported us and helped make the day so special.

A huge shout out to our helpers Alice & Stan that worked so hard during the day collecting donations, they rocked.

We really are overwhelmed by your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ❤️🐴

And with donations still coming in, we’re not quite finished totting up the final total yet!

If you would like to donate to this great cause, you can do so here: https://www.daat.org/support-us/donate/

📸 Photo credit: Sarah Hailstone - exmoorwithjack, with one of our absolute favourite images from the day. Thank you, Sarah, for capturing such a special moment! ❤️

21/10/2026

On Sunday the Tippbarlake herd, around a hundred Exmoor ponies that live freely on Brendon Common, were gathered in for their annual inspection, a tradition that has gone on here for decades.

The Floyd family, who look after the herd, bring the ponies in once a year to make sure every one of them is healthy and well cared for. This year they asked those who came to watch to give what they could to the Devon Air Ambulance, and anyone who lives or works on the here knows just how much we depend on that service when things go wrong.

They have grazed Exmoor and are good at keeping the coarser grasses in check and the habitat in good order, which is precisely why I campaigned on Natural England’s grazing rules and why more than 8,000 of you signed the petition. We want herds like this on the moor for generations to come.

My thanks to Geoff Baylis for kindly letting me share his wonderful photograph. Link to his gallery below