Miniature Pony History, Breeding and Foaling

Dartmoor Pony - Dartmoor Ponies in the UK

The Dartmoor National Park in southwestern England is home to thousands of semi-wild miniature ponies. Every year over ten million visitors flock to the moors to see the wonderful miniature horses running free. At roadside stops, the semi-domesticated ponies will come up, begging for snacks.

Dartmoor ponies range in size from riding sized to those under 28 inches tall. Many resemble the American miniature horses, with the notable exception that none have the dwarf characteristics associated with USA miniature horse breeding programs.

Dartmoor Pony History

The Dartmoor Pony Society notes that the Dartmoor ponies have been present on the moors for nearly one thousand years:

"Though there have been few references through the centuries to the ponies in old writings the earliest is said to have been in about the 11th century."

According to other scholars, the earliest reference to the Dartmoor Pony appeared in 1012 in the Will of a Saxon Bishop, Aelfwold of Crediton.

Dartmoor Ponies and Equine Dwarfism

Many of the smaller miniature ponies at Dartmoor are well-within the height requirements of the USA Miniature Horse Registries, yet miniature pony breeders claim that dwarfism, dystocia and abortions are as low as large-breed horses. Click here to read about in incidence of pony dwarfism, abortion and foaling dystocia.

Miniature Pony steaks for France

Every year, weanlings are swept from the Moor and auctioned. According to the official Dartmoor National Park web site, many of the ponies produced were unwanted and sold to the dining pleasure of French dinner tables:

"Many people will be familiar with the sad images of unwanted and unsaleable Dartmoor ponies in the last few years being offered at pony auctions around the moor and often selling for just a few £'s if they could find a buyer at all. Nobody wanted them, they were unhandled and taken straight from their mothers and considered of no worth."

According to an article by the BBC, the miniature horses face a grim fate each fall, many going into recipes:

"A drop in demand for the ponies from riders and meat traders has seen prices fall from £40 several years ago to as low as £2." "One farmer, Neil Cole, said: "People with a lot of ponies are just shooting them or giving them the big hit. There's literally nothing else we can do with the Dartmoor ponies. "

Dartmoor Ponies as a Breed

The Dartmoor Pony is an official miniaturized horse breed and registered in the UK Rare Breed Trust. There are several breed societies and registries associated with Dartmoor ponies.