The Dartmoor Pony
For more information on the Dartmoor pony or where to get yours! Please contact
www.dpht.co.uk or
http://www.dptc.org.uk or
http://www.positivehorsemanship.co.ukThe Dartmoor Pony is an attractive pony, very gentle nature and ideal as a child's first riding mount. Dartmoor ponies have provided children and families with wonderful experiences due to their versatility and adaptability to riders of all ages. It is not unusual for the same pony to patiently carry a toddler on lead line, be used by an older child for 4H or Pony Club and then happily work in harness taking the parents for a Sunday drive. Below are some of the top reasons Dartmoors should be increasingly more popular:
1) The pony averages around 12 hands thus making it easy for a child to groom, saddle and mount themselves.
2) They move with a low, smooth stride making their riders feel they are on a much larger mount.
3) They are not easily excitable like their cousins, easy to train and posses a gentle & kind heart like the family Labrador.
4) In the showring, the Dartmoor has competed with outstanding success against other breeds in jumping, cross-country and dressage proving that it is a breed to be reckoned with in competition.
5) When used as a harness pony, they can hold their own against much larger equines displaying toughness & courage allied with their calmness.
Globally, there are very few Dartmoor ponies as compared to their cousins. Breeding societies worldwide are working hard at retaining quality and increasing their numbers so they may provide reliable and sensible ponies to fill the increase in demand. Typically, once a Dartmoor Pony makes it into a family, they are rarely sold. When the children outgrow them as riding mounts, they go on as harness ponies or are passed on to relatives to teach their young ones the love of riding and caring for a pony.
Dartmoors are the best possible foundation stock for breeding larger children's ponies. The Dartmoor contributes both its disposition and plenty of bone for a small warmblood type of pony who possesses versatility, strength, and most importantly their good nature.
The Standard of the Dartmoor Pony
Height: Not exceeding 12.2 hands (127cm) (50")
Color: Bay, black, brown, chestnut, gray, and roan. Piebald and skewbald are not allowed. Excessive white markings are discouraged. (Colors in Italics are the more dominant colors)
Head and Neck: The head should be small with large kindly eyes and small alert ears. It should be well set on a good neck of medium length. The throat and jaws should be fine and showing no signs of coarseness or throatiness. Stallions have a moderate crest.
Shoulders: Good shoulders are most important. They should be well laid back and sloping but not too fine at the withers.
Body: Of medium length and strong, well-ribbed up and with a good depth of girth giving plenty of heart room.
Loin and Hindquarters: Strong and well covered with muscle. The hindquarters should be of medium length and neither level nor steeply sloping. The tail should be well set up.
Limbs: The hocks should be well let down with plenty of length from hip to hock, clean cut and with plenty of bone below the hock. They should have a strong second thigh. They should not be 'sickled' or 'cow-hocked'.
The fore legs should not be tied in at the elbows. The forearm should be muscular and relatively long and the knee fairly large and flat on the front. The cannons should be short with ample good, flat, flinty bone. The pasterns should be sloping but not too long. The feet should be hard and well shaped.
Movement: Low and straight coming from the shoulder with good hock action but without exaggeration.
General: the mane and tail should be full and natural. The Dartmoor is a very good-looking riding pony, sturdily built yet with quality