Living Heritage Podcast Ep191: Newfoundland Ponies with Libby Carew

 

Libby Carew (center) with volunteers at the Newfoundland Pony Heritage Pasture in Cupids, NL.

Libby Carew is a board member of the Newfoundland Pony Society. Libby first encountered Newfoundland ponies as a child while visiting her grandmother on the Southern Shore. In this episode, we talk about the history of the Newfoundland pony, why they are an important part of the province’s heritage, and the Newfoundland Pony Society’s hope to build a pasture where residents and tourists can visit these beautiful animals.

Volunteer Nima pets a Newfoundland pony in the pasture.

 

This episode is part of a special series about the Baccalieu Trail region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Join us as we explore the hidden gems of the Baccalieu Trail- from stories of phantom ship sightings to local art and history.

 

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Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum
professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the
community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.
Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Traditional Newfoundland Rug Hooking Workshop

Traditional Newfoundland Rug Hooking Workshop

with Vickie Walsh
Celebrate The Newfoundland Pony
Join us for a day of Rug Hooking

Make a mat of a NL Pony to hang on your wall using the original designs by Liz Chafe of Cappahayden

Learn the craft of hooking mats the traditional way!!! Learn about the Newfoundland Pony during lunch with an informal talk and slideshow by Liz Chafe A series of workshops will be held on the Southern Shore during the months of MARCH, APRIL AND MAY !!!!!

Call: 709 691 4459
sewfarout@hotmail.com

Price for full day workshop 10am to 5pm is $120.00.
Rug Hooking materials included plus an original NL Pony Art Rock OR print.
Location on the Southern Shore to be announced when dates are confirmed.
Call to SIGN UP NOW !!!!

SEW FAR OUT Sewing And Alterations

VICKIE WALSH 709 691- 4459
sewfarout@hotmail.com
Traditional Rug Hooking, Quilting & Craft Workshops

Days of the Bulldozer

One thing you can count on during wintertime in Newfoundland is that everyone starts talking about the local snow plows. Whether you are happy with their work on your street, or have a dozen things to complain about, we all know that we are better off with them than without. I recently had a chat with Lloyd Smith of Heart's Content about how they used to deal with snow on the roads before the days of the plow. Our conversation was inspired by a photograph he showed me from 1959 of a bulldozer pushing snow off the roads. To see this photo and hear Lloyd's recollections of getting around during the winter when he was young, watch the video below. After that, hear him talk about how the town would use a horse and dray to deal with all the potholes that would appear once the snow had fully melted.


 
 

Fingers crossed that we don't get another huge snowfall anytime soon. In the meantime, let's all thank the local snow plowers who are doing a great deal of hard work this year. -Lisa

Ponies, Perogies, Skateboarding and more

ICH Update for January 2013

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador is conducting a needs assessment survey to measure the type and amount of ICH related training needed in the province; work continues on the Foundation's documentation of the Heart's Content Registered Heritage District; intern Joelle Carey starts work on a project identifying living Newfoundland Ponies; new ICH intern Christina Robarts works with Memorial University Department of Folklore professor Dr. Mariya Lesiv on "Newfiki" - celebration of eastern-European cultures in Newfoundland; the Rooms announces a scrapbooking workshop; and Nicole Penney presents on a collection of skateboard videos which will become part of the province's inventory of intangible cultural heritage.

Contributors: Nicole Penney, Lisa Wilson, Joelle Carey, and Christina Robarts
Download the PDF

ICH Conference in Flanders

Recently, ICH Development Officer Dale Jarvis was invited to take part in an ICH conference in Mechelen, Flanders. The topic was participative methods for inventorying or documenting elements of ICH, and the conference included presentations from Joanne Orr - Museums Galleries Scotland (Scotland), Paulo Ferreira da Costa - Institute for Museums and Conservation (Portugal), Hans van der Linden - Agency for Arts and Heritage Flanders (Belgium), Jorijn Neyrinck & Ellen Janssens - tapis plein – Center of Expertise for heritage participation and intangible cultural heritage (Belgium), Eva Van Hoye & Kim Van Belleghem - Heritage units Mechelen & TERF (Belgium), and Marc Jacobs - FARO. Flemish interface for cultural heritage; VUB - Free University Brussels – Heritage Studies and Ethnology (Belgium).

Download Dale's presentation on ICH inventory work in PDF

Did you know? A Little Tidbit About Heritage Animals

 "The Newfoundland Pony has long been a proud part of Newfoundland's culture and history. These ponies interbred for over three centuries until the Newfoundland Pony that developed was perfectly suited to the rough Newfoundland environment." 

Did you know?

The Newfoundland Pony was the first and only animal to be given status as a heritage animal by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. In December of 1996, the province passed new legislation that calls for the protection of heritage animal such as the pony.This protection is seen through the support and breeding of animals that have been an important part of the province's history. For more information on the designation of the Newfoundland Pony please see the Heritage Animals site hosted by the Department of Natural Resources. 
-Lisa

The Cappahayden Pony Refuge

The Newfoundland Pony is an important part of Newfoundland's history and some people even refer to them as a "heritage animal." It is thought that without their labor, it wouldn't have been possible for settlers to stay on this island. Ponies did a great deal of our brunt work for many decades--they are hearty animals that could withstand difficult conditions, such as poor weather, bad grazing, and food scarcity. Traditionally ponies would be used for hauling fish, pulling lumber from the woods, turning soil in the fields, pulling stumps from the ground, and of course, for transportation. They helped the people of Newfoundland subsist on this land up until the 1960s and 70s when they were almost completely replaced with motorized vehicles. During that transitional era pony populations saw a major decline. When once there were 10,000 ponies, the population fell to around 50. Nowadays, some people recognize all of the work that the pony did to help us, and are working to protect the ponies we still have. This is done through breeding programs and by ensuring that ponies have good homes.

Liz Chafe of The Goulds has been working with ponies since she was a young girl. She now owns and operates a pony refuge in Cappahayden with her husband Peter. It is a great deal of work for them to house these animals. Right now they have 11 ponies, 1 cow, and a dog. This past weekend, myself along with HFNL staff member Dale Jarvis and volunteer Joelle Carey went to see Liz at the pony refuge to see how we could help with the workload. Joelle was particularly interested in visiting the farm because she will be working as an intern with the Newfoundland Pony Society starting in January. It was a good albeit rainy day, and we got a sense of what kind of work it takes to care for these animals. We hope to go back again soon with as many volunteers as we can wrangle.
-Lisa

Joelle (L) and Dale (R) hanging out at the pony refuge.

Liz Chafe talking to Dale and Joelle about her Newfoundland ponies (while she prepares pony feed).