A South West pony charity has opened its doors to the public to encourage people to give its threatened animals a home.
The Moorland Mousie Trust, a charity dedicated to protecting the future of the endangered Exmoor pony, welcomed visitors to its foals open day in Dulverton, Somerset, to learn about the lives of the Exmoor foals and ensure they have a future.
The day included demonstrations on foal handling, where officers showed people the techniques used to train ponies and how staff help the animals to get used to human contact.
About 60 people attended the event on Saturday.
Linzi Green, pony officer at the charity, said: "Considering the cold temperatures, we were very pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of people who were there.
"We wanted to show people the work we do in the winter, which is often unseen by members of the public.
"As a charity we rely on people to consider fostering or sponsoring a foal. We're very short on funds this year, and so we're more reliant than ever on support."
The Moorland Mousie Trust started life in 2006 as a specially adapted building for handling the young ponies coming into the charity's care. It now also acts as an education and promotional base where visitors can have hands-on contact with the ponies and ride them.
