Maintaining a Highland tradition

Featured in:
November 2019

The fulfilment of a longheld ambition, Lincolnshire based photographer Matt Limb OBE’s new book documents his time spent with ghillie Eric Starke, who works with Highland Ponies in remote areas of Scotland.

Joining Eric and his team as they prepared to bring Red Deer Stags off the hill in Glen Prosen, Matt captures the rugged and picturesque highland surroundings and Eric’s sure-footed and reliable ponies, Mia and Cally.

Following the arduous task from beginning to end, Limb’s images, reproduced in large scale in Highland Ponies in Glen Prosen, show Eric continuing in an age old tradition, from taking the stag to guiding the pony across terrain marked by small outcrops and boulder fields prohibitive to many modern 4×4 vehicles.

Matt says: “The images are not set up, posed or contrived in any way whatsoever, as I wanted to capture and record what I fear may be one of a dwindling number of Highland ghillies working their ponies in a traditional manner.”

Matt’s photography has appeared in numerous magazines, books and newspapers both nationally and internationally.



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