THE Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust is making its reserve at Bellever Forest a ‘no go zone’ for riders in a bid to stop a vicious new strain of strangles spreading to its herd of pure-bred ponies.

It is putting a firewall around the 450-hectare site it leases from Forestry England at Bellever to try and protect its herd of 27 ponies from contracting the strain known to be in neighbouring herds.

The site is very popular with visitors but with ponies at Haytor and Widecombe already infected, the trust is urging the public to stay away from its ponies and horse riders to stay out of the Bellever reserve altogether until further notice..

CEO Dru Butterfield said: ‘The neighbouring newtake to the land we lease has contracted strangles, this strain is particularly nasty.

‘We are devastated that our herd, which we go to such extreme measures to care for, are now almost certain to contract this terrible infection.

‘We urge the public to avoid any contact with our ponies and to please enjoy them from a distance. ‘If you are a horse owner we would ask you to avoid Bellever until we provide an all-clear notice.’

The DPHT is working closely with veterinary experts and the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society in the hope it can prevent more ponies suffering.

If you see a pony with a snotty nose, coughing or with abscesses, the trust urges you to please keep away but report the incident to Dartmoor livestock protection officer Karla McKechnie on 07873 587561.