Ponies on the Scattald Again

We check the herd in Sandness every day.  They are a seven miles down the road.  It is a nice drive and one I have done often – my daughters went to primary school in Sandness and I used to drive them to and from school.  I bought us an old Land Rover Defender for the job.  Any weathers and we were all safe.

Anywho, en route we spied three hill ponies.

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I haven’t seen them recently and I think they have just been put out for the winter.

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The wind was blowing through their manes and tails and the Autumn light made them look very special.

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These are not unloved wild ponies.

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They all belong to someone who has rights to put Shetland ponies on the scattald (common grazing or open hill).

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It is a long-standing law – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crofting

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This is their scattald – they can roam for miles but they don’t actually.

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They tend to stay around an area of a couple of square miles.

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They share the hill with sheep.  The sheep have to be the Shetland breed and they have similar behaviour – they have their own routes and areas that they stick to.

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I did try and talk to the scattald ponies, but they didn’t know me and ran away.

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And as I drove home,  the last of the sun (I use the term loosely) was going behind Foula.

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Shetland is a beautiful place and today I feel particularly blessed that I live here.

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