Breed of the Month:
Dartmoor Pony
January 2013 22
Maximum Height: 12.2 hands
Colors: Bay, Black & Brown are pre-
ffered, but any color is possible ex-
cept pinto, and excessive white
marks are discouraged.
Conformation: Small, well set-on
head with small, alert ears; strong,
medium length neck, not too heavy;
stallions have moderate crest; str-
ong back and loins; strong, muscular
hindquarters with full, high-set tail
and hard, well-shaped feet.
History & Information:
The Dartmoor Pony has lived in
southwestern England for centuries and is used for a variety of disciplines. Because of the extreme weather conditions experienced on the moors, the Dartmoor is a particularly hardy breed with excellent stamina. Over the c centuries it has been used as a w working animal by local tin i miners and quarry workers. It is kept i in a semi-feral state. Despite this, u numbers have declined from an s estimated 25,800 in the 1930s to a about 5,000 today. Only around 800 p ponies were known to be grazing the m moor in the spring of 2004.
- -Compiled by Bridget Decker