Creating a large-scale piece of land art in the form of a pony, we seek to build on the ancient tradition of chalk horses in the south of England, at the same time raising awareness of Cumbria’s native Fell pony and the plight of the last semi-feral herds in the north of England.

We have named our pony after Epona, the goddess of fertility and protector of horses. Epona will be a symbol of hope and freedom at the gateway to the English lakes. Our hope for the future of the semi-feral herds and the freedom of the wild ponies of the North of England.

With the help of the 9th Earl of Lonsdale William Lowther, we have identified a site for the horse figure on Blease Fell, situated on the south west flank of the Howgills overlooking the M6 above Tebay Gorge.

William Lowther’s great uncle Hugh Lowther, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale (known as The Yellow Earl) was a founding member of the Fell Pony Committee which became the Fell Pony Society in 1922. Hugh Lowther became the President of the Fell Pony Society and was well known for his interest in Fells as pack ponies.

There is already a precedent for horse figures in the Howgills. In the book “Brigantia” by Guy Ragland Phillips there is reference to a mysterious black horse figure on Bush Howe in the Howgill Fells, although there is very little information available about this.