The Dartmoor Pony

It is at this time of year with the annual pony ‘Drift’ taking place on Dartmoor in late September that the subject of ‘The Dartmoor Pony’  or ‘Ponies on Dartmoor’ rears its often controversial head.  Whilst out walking on Dartmoor many varieties of size, shape and colouration can be seen so we thought we’d investigate what the difference is between a hill pony and a true Dartmoor Pony.  

Tony Brewington of the Dartmoor Pony Society has kindly answered many of our questions:

The Pedigree Dartmoor Pony

The Dartmoor Pony is the native pony breed of the county of Devon in the South West of England.  The ponies have been recorded living on the wild and inhospitable moors of Dartmoor since the Middle Ages.  They have the metabolism to prosper in the tough and uncompromising conditions they have to contend with.  The ponies have an exceptional temperament and breeders have long realised their potential as children's ponies with the ability to make wonderful companions, give endless fun and if required compete and succeed in all spheres of competition.

The Dartmoor Pony Society represents the Pedigree Dartmoor Pony.  There are many ponies living on Dartmoor, all sizes and colours, most of unknown breeding.  The true to type Dartmoor Pony with known breeding is recognized as a rare breed (on the ‘Endangered’ list) by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and is typical of the ponies seen in the show ring at county shows throughout the United Kingdom.  Their height should not exceed 12.2hh and their colours are bay, brown,black,grey, chestnut and roan.  Piebalds and Skewbalds are not allowed and excessive white marking are discouraged.

If you want a pony for your children to ride or you wish to show it at whatever level you aspire to, be it your local show, county show or to qualify for The Horse of the Year Show at Olympia, it is the Pedigree Dartmoor Pony that you require. It is a very good looking riding pony, sturdily built yet with quality.

Part-Bred Dartmoor Ponies

The Dartmoor Pony Society (DPS) runs a part-bred register.  The Society can, as a Passport Issuing Authority, issue passports or alternatively if the pony is registered elsewhere, and already has a Passport, overstamp the Passport.

The breeding requirements of a Part-Bred Dartmoor Pony include at least 12.5% Dartmoor blood and to be sired by a licensed registered stallion.  One parent, grandparent or great grandparent must be a fully registered Dartmoor Pony.  Height at maturity must not exceed 14.2 hh.  The Part-Bred Dartmoor is an excellent follow on for children who have outgrown a Pure-Bred Dartmoor.

Heritage Ponies

Heritage Ponies are unregistered but ‘true to type’ ponies that have been given Heritage Trust List (HTL) status.  They remain unregistered unless they enter (if approved and meeting certain criteria), the Dartmoor Pony Society/Duchy of Cornwall Upgrading Scheme.   HTL status was granted several years ago to The Dartmoor Heritage Trust to allow farmers on Dartmoor to obtain payments to assist them to retain their unregistered but true to type herds on the Moor.  To achieve HTL status, each pony has to be inspected as true to type by two DPS A-Panel Judges.  A number subsequently go on through further inspections to become Supplementary Registered ponies.

Dartmoor Hill Ponies

There are Dartmoor ponies and ponies that live on Dartmoor.  These hill ponies are defined as "ponies that live on Dartmoor".  They have no breed standard and are of little value.  In days gone by they would have been bred for meat for human consumption abroad.  It is these ponies one hears all the adverse publicity about each Autumn when the unwanted foals reach the markets.  They are not true Dartmoor ponies!

Dartmoor Pony Society Moorland Scheme

In the 1980's Mr. John Coaker, a Dartmoor farmer and Duchy tenant felt something should and could be done about preserving the pedigree pony on the Moorland to help the Moorland farmers improve their stock.

In conjunction with the then Duchy of Cornwall land steward the idea of an upgrading scheme was formed. 

The Duchy of Cornwall agreed to allow several of their tenant farmers to use some of their land on which to run the upgrading scheme and in 1988 the Dartmoor Pony Society Moorland Scheme began.  To begin with it involved just a few ponies, but it gradually grew in number and the scheme is still run today in conjunction with the Duchy of Cornwall. 

Ponies were then, and still are now, inspected by two Dartmoor Pony Society A-Panel Judges - the criteria being they must be bred on Dartmoor and be owned by a member of the Dartmoor Pony Society with a holding number within the National Park.  These are ponies of true Dartmoor type and whole coloured but have never been registered in the Society's Stud Book before for various reasons.  Once inspected, they come into what is called a ‘Newtake’ (an enclosed area of land on the Moor) where they run with a licensed fully pedigree stallion for the summer.  The progeny is inspected the following year, again by two Dartmoor Pony Society A-Panel Judges, when ponies are collected at Drift time.  If passed as suitable they move up a grade.  Ponies are micro chipped by the veterinary surgeon in attendance and paperwork for Passports completed before they are taken back to the owners farms for winter.

These days up to two Newtakes, each with a pedigree stallion, take a maximum of fifteen mares each.  Recently a Newtake has been opened for farmers to put in mares they wish to keep empty, away from a stallion, thus preventing overbreeding in the present economic climate.  This has proved extremely popular since it began with 24 barren mares in 2012.

The Scheme has been in existence now for 25 years and been a great success, improving the pony on the Moor by using good quality stallions.  Many of the ponies born in the Newtakes as part of the upgrading scheme, have gone on to successful careers in the show ring and under saddle.  However the main aim of the scheme has been achieved - improving the true to type Dartmoor on the Moor.  Those who first thought of the idea should be congratulated on their forward thinking.

The Dartmoor Pony Society

The primary role of the Society is to maintain the Stud Book which holds records tracing back the pedigrees of the registered Dartmoor Pony for over 100 years.  The original records were held in the Polo Pony Stud Book, and then in the stud books of the National Pony Society.  Finally thirty-eight years ago the Dartmoor Pony Society took over maintaining the Stud Book and issues in hard copy form all the foal registrations, transfers, exports and re-entries into the Stallion and gelding sections each year. 

The Society has approximately 600 members and is run by a Council of 12 members elected by the membership. Launched at the 2008 Breed Show was The Dartmoor Society Supporters Group.  For further information see "Latest News" or "Contacts Page on the DPS Website www.dartmoorponysociety.com