Dartmoor Ponies - A Future Under Threat?

The Dartmoor ponies are part of everyone's idea of Dartmoor and are as much a part of a holiday in Devon or a visit to the moor as the swirling mists and the granite tors. Whether you are local to the area or just visiting it would seem strange not to see the ponies on the moor. And yet this is a very real possibility.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust has recognised the huge decline in pony numbers on Dartmoor. The unregistered Moorland and Dartmoor Hill pony numbers are currently at a critical level despite the fact that they make excellent 'all round' ponies. They also play an important part in conserving the landscape. Nature has designed them to be very efficient grazing animals and they keep the growth of vegetation under control, preventing coarse growth (even gorse) from taking over and blocking access to the moor.

New markets for these ponies as conservation grazers and riding ponies are being actively promoted but, unfortunately, due to ongoing low market prices and the introduction of pony passports (the administration fee is often more than the pony is worth) many Dartmoor farmers have decided to stop keeping them and so the decline continues.