PONIES ON DARTMOOR
Ponies have lived on Dartmoor since prehistoric times. While they roam freely on the moor, they belong to different pony keepers. However, they have not usually been handled so appear to be 'wild'.
The owners round up all the ponies every year in the autumn at the annual pony 'drift'. They then decide which ponies to keep on the moor and which to sell. The foals are usually weaned from their mothers at this time.
The ponies are very hardy and thrive on Dartmoor despite the harsh weather and poor vegetation. In fact, by grazing the moorland they play a vital role in maintaining a variety of habitats and supporting wildlife. They also keep the gorse under control.
Because of their calm temperament, strength and surefootedness, they have been used for many different purposes over the years. These include bearing heavy loads, shepherding, working in the mines and even carrying the postman to deliver the mail. With proper training, all the ponies make fantastic driving or children's riding ponies.
Download our information leaflet: Preserving the Dartmoor Pony
Different types of ponies on the moor
The Dartmoor Pony Drift takes place at numerous locations around Dartmoor, including several from the commons of Widecombe on the east and west sides of the valley. The ponies are rounded-up. sorted by owner and taken to various holding pens. On market day those selected for sale are taken to the market and auctioned. The remainder are returned to the moor. We took an amateur video of the Drift in 2005 from the eastern commons of Widecombe.
A Pony History
The first documentation relating to The Dartmoor Pony appears in 1012, in the will of Bishop Aelfwold of Crediton. Between the 12th and 15th century the ponies were used extensively to carry tin off the moor to the stannary towns, but when the tin mining boom came to an end the ponies were left to roam the moor, although some continued to be used on the farms. Whilst they were small, fast and agile, they were not large enough to be considered for military use.
In 1535 Henry VIII directed that any person who kept their mares with 'any stoned horse under the stature of 14 handfuls' were to be liable to a fine of 40 shillings and furthermore, all occupiers of land, 'to the extent of one mile in compass' were to keep 'two mares apt and able to bear foals of the altitude and height of 13 handfuls at least upon pain of 40s. So the quest for the larger weight bearing horse began, although, in certain remote and wild areas such as Dartmoor, little attention was paid to this legislation, and the little hardy Dartmoor ponies continued in general use on the land. In the last half of the 18th Century, the Industrial Revolution afforded new employment for the ponies - mainly in the coal mines closely followed , especially in the later 19th century, by demands on the sporting front for Polo, a game imported by British cavalry soldiers returning home from India.
In 1893 The National Pony Society was formed, (the first of its kind), and for some years this was known as 'The Polo Pony Society'. This was closely followed in 1899 by The Mountain And Moorland sections opened in The Polo Pony Stud Book. and it was agreed to accept the Dartmoor registrations with a local committee appointed to select suitable ponies.
In 1925 The Dartmoor Pony Society was formed and from here the Dartmoor pony breed has grown to its present day standard. For those interested in more detail, there are a number of excellent books, including 'The History of The Dartmoor Pony' by Joseph Palmer.
