At the start of the Easter weekend, a gate was left open by visitors to the reserve which resulted in the curious four leaving the safety of the site and trotting five miles along local roads before being rescued by a local farmer to the north of the National Trust’s Wallington Estate.

Leaving the gate open not only put the ponies at risk but motorists and walkers too as they made their way along the local roads. Used to living out in open spaces and not used to open roads with cars driving amongst them, there could have been fatalities all round had they bolted into drivers or members of the public.

This incident has prompted the wildlife charity to issue its annual plea for visitors, to all its 60+ reserves, to ensure gates are closed behind them at all times, rubbish is taken home and especially items such as bottles and disposable barbecues that could cause a fire.

Duncan Hutt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Director of Conservation says:

“How many times do we have to ask people to act responsibly on our reserves? It’s simple - close gates, don’t trample down fences to access cordoned off areas and take rubbish home. Every year we ask people and every year people ignore us.

“In this instance, the ponies were discovered safely at Wallington and looked after by a local farmer who we are very grateful to, but the outcome could have been totally different. Returning them to the reserve safely took a considerable amount of time and effort which distracted us from our other conservation work on the site.”

Part of the Flexigraze conservation grazing scheme, the four ponies have free rein over the 600 acre site as part of the Trust’s management plan for the area. They are perfect conservation grazers as their hooves churn up the ground creating open areas for seeds to germinate, thereby allowing plants to grow, which will, in turn, attract a variety of bees and birds.

The ponies have been provided by the Moorland Mousie Trust in Exmoor.