A FARM on Portland will provide a new home for a critically endangered breed of pony.

Staff at Fancy’s Farm will welcome two Eriksay ponies to the site later this week, after answering a plea for help from Ferne Animal Sanctuary, in Somerset.

Quintus and Quiver, both 15-years-old, were in the care of the sanctuary after their owner fell ill.

Plans were in place to send them to another site but this was lost to a housing development.

An appeal was put out by the sanctuary to find the two ponies a home – a call that eventually reached Portland.

Nikki Haddock, head of equine at Ferne Animal Sanctuary, said: “We are delighted that Quiver and Quintus have found a permanent home on Portland and we are happy that Quiver will be helping to preserve the very rare Eriskay breed.

“Portland is quite similar to their native habitat, so we are sure they will be very happy there. We are confident that Su and her team at Fancy’s Farm will take the greatest care of them both.”

The two ponies have never been separated and belong to a species thought to be rarer than the Giant Panda.

There are less than 300 registered Eriksay pony breeding females in the UK, according to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Su Illsley, from Fancy’s Farm, said: “It all started with a lady on our Facebook group who put a link to a website where it said these ponies needed a home.

“They looked quite sweet, so I thought, ‘We’ll have a look’. It was something we could possibly do.

“I did a little bit of research first about the ponies, looking at care they needed.”

Following a discussion with Nikki, Su went up to visit both ponies before a home check was carried out on Fancy’s Farm last month.

Su said: “I got my point across that they do need to be preserved.

“Once she’s here and settled, we will look for a suitable male to breed her with.

“There are some not too far away. There are no others in Dorset as far as we know.

“We can breed from her as long as it is in accordance with the Eriskay Pony Society, which it will be.

“The ponies will be used for conservation grazing around Portland in conjunction with Dorset Wildlife Trust and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.”

Both ponies are expected to arrive on Friday afternoon.