Treat-seeking Quantock Hills ponies dangerous when fed

The ponies head to the Quantock Common car park for food

Wild ponies on Somerset's Quantock Hills have become aggressive and dangerous while competing for treats left by tourists, it has been warned.

The Quantock Pony Breeder group has urged people not to feed them after a pony kicked and broke a woman's leg.

Breeder Richard Waterman said: "When you feed them they're competing for that food and anything can happen."

Warning signs have been put up regarding recent biting and kicking incidents.

'Easy food'

Mr Waterman said: "It's nice for people to come up and take a picnic, we don't want them to stop doing that, but they must not leave food around and they definitely must not feed them by hand.

"Just the fact of leaving the food around draws the ponies back into this area where there's a road across the hill - and that in itself causes a problem with vehicles driving and incidents where you get the odd pony run over."

As a result of being fed the ponies have become more bold, reaching through car windows to sniff out food.

Car parks around the Quantocks have become a regular feeding spots for 50 or so ponies, which are wild and generally unused to human contact.

"They seem to know they can come back here to find food and find it easy," added Mr Waterman.

The warning is being supported by the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) office and the Quantock Pony Commoners Association.

Tourists are being asked to take food home with them instead of trying to feed the wild ponies