About The Breed

History

The native pony breed of the county of Devon in the South West of England. The ponies have been recorded living on the wild and unhospitable moors of Dartmoor since the Middle Ages. The ponies have the metabolism to prosper in the tough and uncompromising conditions they have to contend with. The ponies have an exceptional temperament and breeders have long realized their potential as children's ponies with the ability to make wonderful companions, give endless fun, and if required compete and succeed in all spheres of competition.

The Dartmoor Pony Society

The primary role of the Society is to maintain the Stud Book which holds records tracing back the pedigrees of the registered Dartmoor Pony for over 100 years. The original records were held in the Polo Pony Stud Book, and then in the stud books of the National Pony Society. Finally thirty years ago the Dartmoor Pony Society took over maintaining the Stud Book and issues in hard copy form all the foal registrations, transfers and re-entries into the Stallion and gelding sections each year. A very interesting publication for all those interested in the Dartmoor Pony.

The Society has approximately 700 members and is run by a Council comprising of 12 members elected by the membership. Day to day matters are handled by the Chairman and administered by the Secretary and Treasurer, both honorary posts.

The office run by the Hon. Secretary handles all membership and registration matters. In addition the Office runs the sales list, publishes the stud book, and prints and circulates to members news letters etc. It also administers grants very generously given by the Horse Race Betting Levy Board to the Society's members.

Launched at the 2008 Breed Show was The Dartmoor Society Supporters Group, for further information see "Latest News" or "Contacts Page"

The Pedigree Dartmoor Pony

The Dartmoor Pony Society represents the Pedigree Dartmoor Pony. There are many ponies living on Dartmoor, all sizes and colours, most of unknown breeding. The true to type Dartmoor Pony with known breeding is recognized as a rare breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and is typical of the ponies seen in the show ring at County Shows throughout the United Kingdom. If you require a pony for your children to ride or you wish to show it at whatever level you aspire to, be it your local show, County Show or to qualify for The Year of Horse Show or Olympia, it is the Pedigree Dartmoor Pony that you require.

The Breed Standard of the Dartmoor Pony

Height:

Not Exceeding 127 cm. (12.2hh.)

Colour:

Bay, brown, black, grey, chestnut, roan. Piebalds and Skewbalds are not allowed. Excessive white markings should be discouraged*.

Neck & Head:

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 to 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 with a good depth of girth giving plenty of heart room.

Loin & Hindquarters:

Strong and well covered with muscle. The hind quarters should be of medium length and neither level nor steeply sloping. The tail is 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 forelegs should not be tied in at the knee. The fore-arm should be muscular and relatively long and the knee fairly large and flat at 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 flowing. The Dartmoor is a very good looking riding pony, sturdily built yet with quality.

* Italics show amendment
Updated 06.04.2008.

Premium and Super Premium Stallions

The Dartmoor Pony Society has a grading system for stallions. Stallions become Premium or Super Premium through the progeny they have sired winning at the Society's star shows. Only the first win (excluding foal classes) count so for instance Allendale Flauros has sired 33 colts or fillies each out of a different mare and each colt of filly winning a minimum of one Star Show. The Listing for 2011 is as follows:

*Denotes a stallion who has either had no registered progeny in the last two years or is not at public stud

Premium or Super Premium Stallions who have been exported and which the Office has been notified as standing at public stud. Please contact the Office for further details.

Standing in FRANCE

Super Premium:

Senruf Gladiator

The Drift 2010

Upgrading Scheme

The Dartmoor Pony Society in conjunction with the Duchy of Cornwall runs an upgrading scheme on Dartmoor.

Approved non registered mares are selected to run in Newtakes (Enclosed areas of land) on Duchy of Cornwall tenant's farms on Dartmoor. They run with a registered licenced Pure Bred Dartmoor stallion.

From 2011 the scheme will consist of four stages:

Stage 1. The approved mares are given the status of Supplementary Register (SR)

Stage 2. The progeny if approved become Supplementary Register 1 (SR1)

An SR1 mare may return to a Newtake to run with a registered licensed Pure Bred dartmoor stallion.

Stage 3. The progeny of an SR1 if approved become Supplementary Register 2 (SR2)

An SR2 mare may return to a Newtake to run with a registered licenced Pure Bred dartmoor stallion.

Stage 4. The progeny of an SR2 mare becomes fully registered which entitles it to be entered into the main body of the Dartmoor Pony Society's Stud Book.

Heritage Ponies

These ponies are unregistered true to type ponies who have been given Heritage Trust List (HTL) status. They remain unregistered unless they enter, if approved and meet certain criteria, the Dartmoor Pony Society/Duchy of Cornwall Upgrading Scheme.

HTL status was granted several years ago to The Dartmoor Heritage Trust, a charity not connected with the Dartmoor Pony Society, to allow farmers on Dartmoor to obtain payments to assist them to retain their unregistered but true to type herds on the Moor.

ARCHIVE MATERIAL

Compiled by the Dartmoor Pony Society's archivist, Miss Caroline Belam

DARTMOOR PONY CHAMPIONSHIP BREED SHOW DAYS, DATES & VENUES:

With grateful thanks to Trisha Roberts & the late Ann Jones for most of the data gathering.

Summary statistics 1931 - 2010: 71 shows in total

DAY
42 on Tuesday, 16 on Wednesday, 10 on Saturday, 3 on Monday

VENUE
29 held on the Moor, 10 on Moor's borders, 32 off the Moor, 21 at Bicton, 15 at Prince Hall, 14 at Brimpts

MONTH
70 in August, 1 in September

DATES
8 shows held on 13th [but never on a Friday], 6 on each of the 8th & 9th, 5 on the 10th, 4 on 11th, 14th & 22nd
No show has been held on the 2nd, 23rd or 31st nor on Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
27 shows held Aug 1st - 10th; 27 shows held 11th - 21st; 17 shows Aug 22nd - 1st Sep.

The Breed Show is by no means "fixed" in terms of date & venue & a number of questions are raised. Does anyone know why were the first nine shows on a Saturday? To avoid local market days? So those who worked during the week could attend? This seems an unlikely consideration then. I am proud to have known someone who showed in the first show in 1931. All memories of earlier shows gratefully received.