Dartmoor Pony-Critically Endangered
History best described from the Dartmoor Pony website based in the UK---
Dartmoor ponies have a rich history of living and working on the moor.
Archeological investigation in the 1970's has shown that domesticated ponies were found on Dartmoor as early as 1500 BC! The first written record dates back as far as AD 1012, and refers to wild horses in Ashburton on the southern edge of Dartmoor.
In medieval times Dartmoor Ponies were used for carrying heavy loads of tin across the moor, so they had to be sturdy and strong.
Over the period between 1789 - 1832 the breed suffered an infusion of Shetland Pony blood as breeders were trying to create smaller ponies for use in the mines, but fortunately in1898 came the first attempts to define and register the breed.
In order to improve quality, the Dartmoor Pony received an influx of Arab blood from the stallion Dwarka, foaled in 1922, and his son, called The Leat.
The first attempt to define and register the breed was in 1898, when the ponies were entered into a studbook started by the Polo Pony Society. In 1924, the breed society was founded, and a studbook finally opened.
Both World Wars were devastating for the breed, with only a small number of ponies registered, but with perseverance and passion the local people began to increase breeding and in sections so that by the 1950’s numbers were becoming healthy once more.
The Breed Standard of the Dartmoor Pony – taken from Dartmoor Pony Society website at www.dartmoorponysociety.com
Height: Not Exceeding 127 cm. (12.2hh.)
Colour: Bay, brown, black, grey, chestnut, roan. Piebalds and Skewbalds are not allowed. Excessive white markings should be discouraged.
Neck & Head: The head should be small with large kindly eyes and small alert ears. It should be well set on a good neck of medium length. The throat and jaws should be fine and showing no signs of coarseness or throatiness. Stallions to have a moderate crest.
Shoulders: Good shoulders are most important. They should be well laid back and sloping, but not too fine at the withers.
Body: Of medium length and strong, well ribbed up with a good depth of girth giving plenty of heart room.
Loin & Hindquarters: Strong and well covered with muscle. The hind quarters should be of medium length and neither level nor steeply sloping. The tail is well set up.
Limbs: The hocks should be well let down with plenty of length from hip to hock, clean cut and with plenty of bone below the hock. They should have a strong second thigh. They should not be 'sickled' or 'cow-hocked'.
The forelegs should not be tied in at the knee. The fore-arm should be muscular and relatively long and the knee fairly large and flat at the front.
The cannons should be short with ample good, flat, flinty bone. The pasterns should be sloping but not too long. The feet should be hard and well-shaped.
Movement: Low and straight coming from the shoulder with good hock action but without exaggeration.
General: The mane and tail should be full and flowing. The Dartmoor is a very good looking riding pony, sturdily built yet with quality.
Dartmoor ponies have a rich history of living and working on the moor.
Archeological investigation in the 1970's has shown that domesticated ponies were found on Dartmoor as early as 1500 BC! The first written record dates back as far as AD 1012, and refers to wild horses in Ashburton on the southern edge of Dartmoor.
In medieval times Dartmoor Ponies were used for carrying heavy loads of tin across the moor, so they had to be sturdy and strong.
Over the period between 1789 - 1832 the breed suffered an infusion of Shetland Pony blood as breeders were trying to create smaller ponies for use in the mines, but fortunately in1898 came the first attempts to define and register the breed.
In order to improve quality, the Dartmoor Pony received an influx of Arab blood from the stallion Dwarka, foaled in 1922, and his son, called The Leat.
The first attempt to define and register the breed was in 1898, when the ponies were entered into a studbook started by the Polo Pony Society. In 1924, the breed society was founded, and a studbook finally opened.
Both World Wars were devastating for the breed, with only a small number of ponies registered, but with perseverance and passion the local people began to increase breeding and in sections so that by the 1950’s numbers were becoming healthy once more.
The Breed Standard of the Dartmoor Pony – taken from Dartmoor Pony Society website at www.dartmoorponysociety.com
Height: Not Exceeding 127 cm. (12.2hh.)
Colour: Bay, brown, black, grey, chestnut, roan. Piebalds and Skewbalds are not allowed. Excessive white markings should be discouraged.
Neck & Head: The head should be small with large kindly eyes and small alert ears. It should be well set on a good neck of medium length. The throat and jaws should be fine and showing no signs of coarseness or throatiness. Stallions to have a moderate crest.
Shoulders: Good shoulders are most important. They should be well laid back and sloping, but not too fine at the withers.
Body: Of medium length and strong, well ribbed up with a good depth of girth giving plenty of heart room.
Loin & Hindquarters: Strong and well covered with muscle. The hind quarters should be of medium length and neither level nor steeply sloping. The tail is well set up.
Limbs: The hocks should be well let down with plenty of length from hip to hock, clean cut and with plenty of bone below the hock. They should have a strong second thigh. They should not be 'sickled' or 'cow-hocked'.
The forelegs should not be tied in at the knee. The fore-arm should be muscular and relatively long and the knee fairly large and flat at the front.
The cannons should be short with ample good, flat, flinty bone. The pasterns should be sloping but not too long. The feet should be hard and well-shaped.
Movement: Low and straight coming from the shoulder with good hock action but without exaggeration.
General: The mane and tail should be full and flowing. The Dartmoor is a very good looking riding pony, sturdily built yet with quality.