The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust is a new registered charity which has been launched to preserve the Unregistered Dartmoor Pony breed on the moor. The 'vulnerable' native ponies, are currently at a critical level. This is the only place in the world where you will find this breed running 'wild and free'. Once gone they will be gone forever.

Why are we running a scheme to preserve the Dartmoor Pony gene pool?

Members of the Dartmoor Pony Society became increasingly concerned at the decline in un-registered Dartmoor Ponies on the commons of Dartmoor. The registered/pedigree breed has been classified as vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), which is only two steps away from extinction. They have also recognised that the unregistered/non pedigree Dartmoor that roams the moor is at a critical level. One of the core objectives of the RBST is the conservation of native breeds, of which the Dartmoor is one of them.

Robert Terry, Executive Director for RBTS explains: 'The DPHT seeks to preserve the Dartmoor pony type which is indigenous to the moor and is the accepted source of the registered Dartmoor pony. Therefore those unregistered ponies will carry some of the original genes and possess a gene pool which must contribute to today. This is very important.'

He added that the unregistered is a 'refreshing of the blood into the registered pony. It is DPHT's goal to add genes to the registered that the unregistered carry. We acknowledge the work that they are doing to try and preserve the unregistered population and we applaud this. It is very valuable and contributes to the overall population.'