Dartmoor Ponies have roamed the moor for many centuries. One of the earliest recorded references to these ponies is in the will of a Saxon Bishop, Awlfwold of Crediton, who died in 1012.
Dartmoor ponies stand an average of twelve hands (48") at the withers. They are dark in color, mostly bay, brown or black with an occasional gray or chestnut. White markings, if any, are very small.
Dartmoor ponies are in high demand as children's ponies and as show ponies. They have excellent dispositions, are sweet-tempered, willing, and naturally athletic.
Dartmoor Ponies can be used for many purposes. They break well to harness and make intelligent driving ponies.
Over the years, the quality and number of pure Dartmoor ponies on the moorland declined. Since the moor is "common land" there were no restrictions as to what could be turned out.
When pony classes began in the early 1920s, breeders began crossing Welsh and Dartmoor ponies with small Thoroughbreds and Arabians.
Dartmoor Ponies have roamed the moor for many centuries.
During the reign of Henry I (1100-1135), when Dartmoor was a royal forest, a stallion was taken from the ...
As with many other animals, the devastation of World War I in the early 20th century caused the number of Dartmoor Ponies to dwindle.
The Dartmoor Pony has inhabited the moorland of Southern Devon for many years and is related to the Exmoor Pony. Dartmoor Ponies were used to carry tin from the mines and left to roam free on the moors following the closure of the mines.
Breeding of a good riding and sporting pony began in earnest in the 1920′s and started by crossing Welsh and Dartmoor ponies with the blood of small Thoroughbred and Arabian animals.
This lovely breed takes its name from the area Dartmoor where it comes from and also from the river that runs through it called the river Dart. Over the years the Dartmoor ponies were used for tin mining in local quarries and by the prison wardens ...
In captivity, the Dartmoor Pony is gentle if trained when young and often is used as a mount for young riders. Dartmoor Ponies have a reputation as handsome, compact ponies which perform well in field and at show.
 See also: Ponies, Pony, Dartmoor, Dartmoor Pony, Stallion
  
|
RSS
