Dartmoor Pony for sale

The origins of the Dartmoor pony are somewhat obscure, but it is believed that they are descendants of an ancient class of European horse bought by people migrating from the continent well before the Norman Invasion.

The Dartmoor pony may be deemed as "wild" breed, in that they mainly live without the aid of man. You will find that the majority actually have owners, but they remain untamed. The Dartmoor pony can be located in Devon, England near the vicinity of the Dart River. Due to the fact, a high percentage of the population of Dartmoor ponies live and breed in their native state without the intervention of man, only the most hearty and fit survive.

However once domesticated, the Dartmoor pony can be registered. There are a number of qualifications prior to registration, these include, it must not exceed 12.2 hands in height and the predominant colours are bay, black and brown. The oddly coloured horses, such as piebald and skewbald may not be registered.

The main characteristics of a Dartmoor pony are its small head, extremely small ears and its alert looking eyes. The back, shoulders and hind quarters are muscular with a lavish and overflowing tail and mane.

The Dartmoor pony is gentle and obedient if trained when young and due to its small and compact size they are often used as a mount for young riders. In addition to this their reputations as being handsome and graceful ponies means that they often perform well in field or at show.

You may find that a pony on Dartmoor is not necessarily a Dartmoor pony and their purity has for some time been threatened by being crossbred with the Arab, Shetland and Thorughbred. However, many private breeders now try to separate the Dartmoor pony in a bid to maintain its integrity and purity.