Native Breeds of Horses and Ponies

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Permalink Reply by Freak Face on September 25, 2009 at 7:28pm

The Exmoor Pony...

Appearance... Exmoor Ponies main distinction is their mealy nose, they also have mealy rings around their eyes. Coat colour is usually bay or brown, but they can be dun, they have no white markings and blend in very well against their native landscape. They stand up to 12.3hh (129.5cm) and are very strong, capable of carrying adults. The Exmoor has a wide forehead with large toad eyes, thick neck, deep chest, well laid shoulders, broad back and short, clean legs. They have neat hard feet suited to coping with rough terrain and their paces are straight and smooth, without exaggerated action. Of pony appearance, the exmoor is hard and strong with a symmetrical outline and alert presence. Exmoor ponies have waterproof coats and a snow chute on the tail to withstand bad weather, theses primitive features suggest very little change since the Stone Age. The Exmoor has developed in response to its environment and because it has lived and evolved in such a relatively small area over such a long period, it is one of the purest examples of Equus in existence today. In recent tines every moorbred Exmoor has been branded with it's individual and herd numbers and a 4-point star.

Character... Exmoor ponies are extremely hardy able to withstand harsh climates, growing their winter coat in two layers, the hairs next to the skin are fine and form a layer of insulation; the outer hairs are courser and greasy providing waterproof protection. The tail is neatly set in and the fan of short hairs near the root of the tail is called a snow chute. The mane, forelock and tail are thick, fully haired and shed water efficiently. This system is highly effective, in harsh weather snow collects on top of their coats to be shaken off periodically, they lose so little body heat the snow doesn't even melt. They have in effect, thermal underwear and a raincoat on. In winter they consume large quantities of rough material which provides them with warmth. The Exmoor Pony does in fact present a wonderful example of efficiency in the business of finding and digesting food, and all around the country small groups of Exmoor ponies are being pressed into ecological service by grazing open spaces in such a way as to maintain the natural balance of the indigenous flora. Having adapted to survive a harsh climate the Exmoor has evolved incisors that meet cleanly and have a most effect bite, this even endures into old age. As a result the ponies do not damage plants as readily as other breeds and they neatly graze around many plants allowing them to flourish. Exmoor ponies are very charming, intelligent and alert, they make excellent children's ponies, who are delightful to ride and are generally kind. The long low stride of the Exmoor gives them easy movement over rough terrain, providing a well balanced ride. Other characteristics include good stamina with straight smooth action. Exmoor's are one of the strongest equines, relative to height, and they are capable of carrying upto 12 stone in weight. They are used in harness and, when crossed with Thoroughbreds make excellent hunters.

Rarity... The Exmoor Pony is a very rare breed, a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust list. Figures now stand at approximately 1200. This figure however should be put into context. Of this 1200 a mere 463 ponies are in breeding and of that number 80+ are stallions. They produce approx. 130 foals a year. Put into context, this still makes the Exmoor Pony rarer than the Giant Panda, a little known fact. Strangely enough and whilst they are recognised by the Rare Breed Survival Trust, world-wide there are organisations who do not even know of their existence. In 1946 only about 50 Exmoor Ponies remained and only 6 pure-bred filly foals were registered for the whole of Exmoor. Thanks to the efforts of Mary Etherington and a few other dedicated breeders, the numbers gradually grew and have continued to increase steadily.

History... The Exmoor pony is one of the world's oldest breeds, and the ancestor to all the native ponies of England. They have lived unchanged on the moorland, since ancient times. First domesticated by the Celts, from the Doomsday Book onwards their is little written evidence of the Exmoor Pony, but records from the 1500's onwards reveal that the equine population of the moor varied in numbers rising to as many as a 1000 at times. The moors, part of the Royal Forest were controlled by wardens who ran native stallions there, it is known that non Exmoor mares were sometimes allowed to roam with these herds too. In 1818 the Crown sold the Royal Forest to John Knight, the outgoing warden Sir Thomas Acland, fortunately took 30 of the ponies and founded the Acland Herd (known as the Anchor Herd), whose descendants still roam the Winsford Hill. John Knight tried unsuccessfully to "improve" the breed by introducing the Arab Stallion Katerfelto. The resulting stock lost the hardy characteristics needed to survive Exmoor’s harsh winters, and this line eventually died out leaving no lasting influence. The Exmoor Pony Society was founded in 1921 at The Lion Inn, Dulverton by breeders concerned that Exmoor ponies were being sacrificed to fashion or improvements, their aim was to protect the herds. Several years were spent with highly experienced breeders inspecting ponies for acceptance into the Stud Book as foundation stock. In the 1930s there was something of a boom time for the ponies, they became very popular mounts for children, due in no small part to the success of Moorland Mousie - the story of the life of an Exmoor Pony. During the war, due to absent owners, moorland gates left open and trigger happy troops (who were inclined to use Exmoor Ponies for target practice) the herds had a very rough time. Food rationing incited butchers to look to the ponies once again as a source of food, and the majority of the ponies on Winsford Hill were lost. Frank Green, the owner of the Acland Herd, tried in vain to trace them but barely a dozen ponies survived the tragedy. As if all this were not enough, the war years were followed by one of the most severe winters ever recorded. It was only thanks to a dedicated few that some ponies survived the war, yet ironically they did their bit for the war effort, helping to form the home guard unit. Issued with cavalry equipment the Exmoor Mounties were a common sight in an inhospitable terrain. The number of ponies dropped alarmingly, in 1946, there remained as few as 50 and only 6 pure-bred filly foals were registered for the whole of Exmoor.

Feral ponies... There are 150 mares "living free" on Exmoor. Annually, in autumn the mares and foals are driven down to the farms where the foals are examined by the society's inspectors and hot branded (a barbaric practice condoned by the RSPCA). The Exmoor National Park Autority have established two herds on Exmoor to ensure that the ponies remain in their natural environment for visitors to enjoy. Although owned the Exmoor Ponies are wild in the sense that they live on the moor throughout the year and forage for their own food. Exmoor ponies are free living in the following locations on Exmoor:-
Dunkery
Deerpark
Blackpitts
Codsend Moor
Withypool Common
Porlock Common
Warren Farm

Where is Exmoor?... Exmoor is situated in the south west of Britain. It is an area of high moorland, with enclosed farms. This provides a varied diet of moor grasses, rushes, heather and gorse.

Permalink Reply by s <3 on October 18, 2009 at 3:55pm

Permalink Reply by s <3 on October 18, 2009 at 2:55pm

Gypsy Vanners are world wide, but we have more than our share of them in England. They are wonderful horses, every years there is a festival called Appleby Hose Fair where these beautiful creatures are brought to be sold or just shown off by their keepers.