The Gathering

The Gathering documents the annual round up of semi-feral wild Carneddau mountain ponies (a rare and endangered breed). The annual event organised by the Carneddau Pony Society along with local hill farmers and volunteers.  The ponies are gathered off the mountain once a year for a health check, the cutting of their tails and to manage the herds numbers. This is the only human intervention in the ponies lives all year. They are the least interfered with wild pony in the UK and the most genetically unique as they are the last living relative of the Przewalski’s ancient horse. The old, sick and some of the young colts are re-homed for conservation grazing projects or as riding ponies. The ponies are at risk of disappearing from the mountains as they are not a protected rare breed due to various political bureaucratic factors, making their future increasingly precarious. With numbers of around 200 left on the mountains despite the efforts of local farmers who manage and preserve the population receiving no financial gain. These native ponies help to maintain and conserve the current habitat of Carneddau mountain range and are of ecological and cultural importance. The camera closely follows the event and considers the relationship between the landscape, people and ponies and its own role within the dynamics of care and control of the event.