Banksgate Fell Ponies - Welcome

Banksgate Fell Ponies was founded by Tony and Elyned Ashcroft at Banksgate Farm, North Stainmore, 3 miles east of Brough in Cumbria, England in 1999.

Banksgate lies within the home range of the fell pony breed between 1000 and 1300 feet above sea level in a bleak area of the North Pennines. The area is notorious for its harsh climate and receives regular lashings of bad weather from the prevailing westerly winds and also the infamous Helm wind from the north east.

Summers are short and winters long with grass growth starting late and finishing early. Our ponies live out all the year round in these conditions and although managed carefully and given extra hay and shelter in the hard winter months, they are allowed to live as naturally as possible.

Banksgate is now the only fell pony stud on Stainmore. However the area is steeped in fell pony tradition. Early stud book records show many entries for ponies bred in the area in the past.

Outstanding amongst these is the famous Blooming Heather who was bred here in the late 1800s and who appears in more pedigrees than any other fell pony stallion. In the previous century the legendary stallion Lingcropper was mysteriously found wandering on Stainmore, saddled and bridled but riderless possibly having lost his mount in a border rising.