All Exmoor ponies are brown, bay, or dun, with a 'mealy' nose (it's called this because it looks as though they have dipped their noses in a bucket of wholemeal flour) and pale markings around their eyes, and on their bellies, flanks and legs. This is because the ponies born today are very similar to those born thousands of years ago. They have not been mixed with other types of horses and ponies, so no other colours or shapes are possible.
Exmoor Ponies
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
A very hardy British native pony with characteristics including a mealy muzzle, dark 'toad' eyes and a coat which is fine in the summer but two-layered and thick in the winter.
Around 140 of these hardy ponies live in free-living herds on the moorland throughout the year with the National Park Authority owning 3 of these herds. They help to manage the moorland vegetation through their constant grazing. Exmoor Ponies are happy to eat coarse plants such as gorse which helps control its spread across the moor.
The Exmoor Pony is the nearest breed we have to the original wild horses of Europe and is now extremely rare in a worldwide context. They are being increasingly used to graze sites important for wildlife across the country which is helping to conserve and increase their own numbers.
Exmoor Pony Herd
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
Part of the magic of Exmoor
lies in the beautiful Ponies that colonise across the national park.
Exmoor ponies are a hardy breed who have for centuries survived in a
harsh and sometimes treacherous landscape. These fascinating, half-wild
creatures have gentle looks and a willing nature, they are descended
from wild horses domesticated by the Celts of pre-Roman times and are
now conserved as a 'rare breed'.
Ponies of Exmoor
The Exmoor pony is the oldest and most primitive of the British native
ponies, as well as the purest, and some herds still roam free in the
moors of southwest England.
Exmoor Ponies
Exmoor Ponies that live on the moor are generally kept to breed strong, healthy ponies for the future. Others are used for riding, driving, jumping, dressage, trekking and riding for the disabled. Because they are so strong they can carry adults or children and can keep going all day if they have to. This strength and their small size means that they can haul logs in woodland which tractors and larger horses can't reach. And often now they are used in important areas of countryside because they eat plants that otherwise would spread and destroy wildlife habitat.
Breed Characteristics
The Exmoor is extremely hardy, resistant
to many equine diseases, with great powers of endurance. The small,
sturdy breed has ample bone, and can carry heavy burdens in relation
to its build. It is very sure-footed, and has strong legs and feet
with a smooth stride. The head is large, with small ears. The ponies’ eyes
are surrounded by a ring of light colored hair, and have a toad-eye
appearance due to the fleshy rims that are used to divert water.
Exmoor Ponies - Mother and foal
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
In the cold, wet winters the Exmoor grows
a double coat, with a soft, wooly undercoat and a longer, oily, water-repellant
outer coat. The ponies also have unique hair patterns, including an “ice
tail,” where the hair splays outward toward the dock, channeling
the water away from the belly.
Exmoor Ponies
The ponies have a primitive appearance. They
are usually bay, but can be any shade of brown, and they have mealy (oatmeal-colored)
markings around the eyes and muzzle. They usually only stand 11.1 to
12.3 hh, with the height limit for mares being 12.2 hh and the height
limit for stallions and geldings being 12.3 hh.
Exmoor Ponies
Breed History
The Exmoor is thought to be directly descended from the
ponies that migrated from North America across the prehistoric land bridge
. There has been very little crossbreeding, making the Exmoor the purest
of the native pony breeds. The earliest crossing was with Celtic ponies,
who bred with the native ponies of the region in 1000 BC. Only the hardiest
of animals survived.
Exmoor was once a Royal Forest and hunting ground, and
was sold off in 1818. Sir Richard Acland, the last warden of Exmoor,
took thirty ponies and established the famous Anchor herd, which still
exists to this day. Local farmers also bought ponies at the dispersal
sale, keeping the bloodlines pure.
Some farmers tried crossing the pony with other breeds,
but the offspring were not hardy enough to survive the harsh moor, and
these herds died out early this century.
Exmoor Ponies on Cothelstone Hill
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
The Exmoor Pony Society was formed in 1921, aiming to preserve
the purebred Exmoor.
World War II was disastrous for the ponies. The moor became
a training ground, and the breed was nearly killed off, with only 50
ponies surviving the war. However, local people were able to rescue and
reestablish herds. Exmoor numbers remained low until the early 1980s,
when a publicity campaign drew outside attention to the rarity of the
breed.
The Exmoor Today
The Exmoor is bred throughout Britain, although the total
breeding population is less than 500. Some ponies still roam on the moor,
and are privately owned. Every October they are rounded up and the foals
are inspected and registered with the Exmoor Pony Society. They are branded
with a star and herd number on the near shoulder, and the pony’s
number on the left hindquarter. Colts considered below standard are gelded.
Exmoor Ponies - mare and two foals
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
Those that are not wild are used for a variety of activities,
including showing, jumping, long-distance riding, and driving
The Exmoor Pony is considered to be a race
of wild horse rather than a separate species. It is classified
as an endangered breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
Exmoor is home to this unique, rugged pony. The Exmoor
is a very hardy British native pony about 12 hands in height. Its colour
is brown, bay or dun with black points and mealy muzzle. No white markings
are accepted. Other characteristics include toad eyes, good bone, a weatherproof
coat and a snow chute on the tail. These primitive features suggest very
little change since the Old Stone Age. Caves in the nearby Mendip Hills
have revealed horse bones identical to modern Exmoor ponies from 12,000
years b.p. . Every Exmoor is branded with its individual and herd numbers
and a 4-point star. Ponies from the original Acland herd have an Anchor brand instead of a herd number. Around 140 Exmoor ponies are still free-living
on the moor. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust have listed the Exmoor as
'endangered'.
Exmoor Ponies
Habitat
Exmoor is situated in the south-west of Britain, spanning the borders
of Somerset and Devon, its northern boundary being the high cliffs of
the Bristol Channel. It is an area of high moorland (highest point Dunkery
Beacon, 520m.), divided by steep wooded valleys and interspersed with
enclosed farms. This provides a varied diet of moor grasses, rushes,
heather and gorse.
Origins
The first wild ponies came to Britain between 100,000 and 200,000 years
ago, walking across a swampy plain that was later to become the English
Channel. They became widespread throughout Britain and were very successful,
living alongside Mammoths and preyed upon by saber-toothed tigers,
wolves and bears. Their presence in Britain ebbed and flowed with the
advances and retreats of many ice ages.
Exmoor Pony on Cothelstone Hill
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
These equine colonisers provided an important resource
for Stone Age hunters when they came to Britain; hunting reduced numbers
significantly. Climate changes in the Mesolithic period brought a drastic
change with trees covering lowland areas. The open grazing habitat of
the ponies became available only on the mountains and hills of Britain,
and the pony populations consequently became restricted to these.
When the English Channel formed (5,000 - 8,000 years ago)
this equine population became isolated on the British Isles with no possible
further contact with continental populations in the future other than
through man’s interference. The British Hill Pony continued to
be an attractive prey for hunters, and some scientists theorize that
they were hunted to extinction and re-introduced by Celts. Other scientists
believe they remained in reduced numbers on the isolated uplands.
When man became a farmer and settled the lowland areas,
dividing the land into fields and agricultural holdings, these populations
of British Hill ponies became isolated from each other and their destinies
followed different paths. This resulted in the nine recognized native
breeds of pony in Britain today. In each area, human interference led
to the mixing of different genetic ingredients to produce distinctive
breeds. As an example, Roman mercenaries introduced Friesian horses to
the north of England which blended with British Hill ponies to produce
the Fell pony.
On Exmoor a very different story unfolded. While in every
other part of Britain other equine blood was introduced to a degree which
drastically altered the appearance of the British Hill pony, on Exmoor
this did not happen. Most of the changes to ponies elsewhere in Britain
took place in the last few hundred years and can be linked to the influences
of major trade routes and ports introducing new ideas and new animals or to the influences of landowners doing the same. Exmoor, until very
recently, was a forgotten place with no such routes across it or large
ports nearby; few landowners feature in its history. It was in effect
a social island within the British Isles and because of this the original
type of pony survived.
A few people on Exmoor followed the trend for crossing
and "improving" the local pony but it is significant that
their herds died out and they leave no legacy. The Exmoor ponies of today
are descended from stock which was managed on the principle that nature
had the best design and introducing other blood led to dilution of hardiness.
History
Until 1818, most of the open expanse of Exmoor was designated a "Royal
Forest". This was not tree covered but "Forest" in
this sense meant a hunting ground. A Warden worked for the Crown and
managed Exmoor as an upland grazing expanse where farmers from its fringes
could graze their stock (ponies, sheep and cattle) upon payment of fees.
The Warden alone ran the stallions which it is recorded were of the original
native type.
In 1818 the Royal Forest was sold to John Knight, an industrialist
who believed he could tame Exmoor and make it a more productive agricultural
system. He considered that whatever nature had created he could improve
upon, including the ponies.
The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took thirty of
the true Exmoor ponies which had run on the forest to his own estate;
other local farmers who had worked with him bought up small numbers of
ponies at the 1818 dispersal sale and began their own breeding herds.
Knight and a few others experimented and produced ponies which could
not thrive living out in Exmoor’s harsh winters. Acland and his
colleagues became perhaps some of the first "conservationists",
breeding the Exmoor ponies true to type.
The last of the crossed herds, which had lived separately
from the true Exmoors, died out early this century. The Acland ponies
continued and their descendants now form the famous "Anchor" herd
which runs on Winsford Hill. In most cases, those farming families which
had saved ponies back in 1818 are still involved today in breeding Exmoors.
Having survived the dispersal in 1818 and the fashion for "improvement" which
could well have changed them beyond recognition, the Exmoor ponies were
nearly exterminated during the Second World War. Exmoor was used for
training troops, some of whom practiced on live targets including ponies.
Gates were left open and grazing areas were no longer safe for stock.
Many ponies were stolen and transported away to cities to feed the hungry
people. By the end of the War it is estimated that no more than 50 Exmoor
ponies survived.
Mary Etherington, who lived on Exmoor, rallied farmers
and landowners to restart pony breeding and build up numbers. She even
exhibited two Exmoors at London Zoo to draw attention to their plight.
Cattle grids were installed and stock returned to the commons and moors.
Steadily the population recovered and started to grow.
Although numbers increased gradually, even by the mid 1970s
just around 30 Exmoor foals a year were being registered. However, the
early 1980s saw attention once again being focused upon their zoological
importance and their rarity. Enthusiasm for breeding Exmoors returned
as demand for foals increased. Many new owners at the time bought Exmoors
as a commitment to their conservation. However, whilst numbers rose away
from Exmoor, the population of ponies living free, roaming the moor subject
to the laws of nature remained and remains under 200.
A boost to this free-living population has come in the
last decade with the recognition that Exmoor Ponies can be a useful conservation
tool themselves. The National Trust, English Nature and several county
wildlife trusts have set up small free-living herds on sensitive nature
reserves to manage the vegetation. This is proving most successful and
benefits the conservation of the Exmoor pony alongside the conservation
of whole habitats.
The indigenous Exmoor pony evolved to withstand harsh winter conditions.
Cross-breeds are generally less hardy
Breed Characteristics
Exmoor is situated in the southwest of Britain, spanning
the borders of Devon and Somerset, its northern boundary being the high
cliffs of the Bristol Channel. It is an area of high moorland divided
by steep wooded valleys and fragmented by farmland. The moorland provides
a varied diet of grasses, rushes, heather and gorse. The area is subject
to very wet winters with cold temperatures and driving winds. The moors
are home to wild red deer as well as the Exmoor ponies and farm stock.
All Exmoor ponies are essentially identical, conforming
to a natural blueprint. Variation in color and markings which is typical
of breeds which man has created is noticeably absent. This suggests that
the Exmoor remains more a wild race than a selected breed.
The characteristics of Exmoor ponies are all adaptations
to survival: this may be surviving hostile elements or avoiding being
eaten by predators.
Coloring
Exmoors are all some shade of brown with darker legs and striking mealy
(oatmeal) colored markings on the muzzle, around the eyes and sometimes
under the belly. The mane and tail are usually a darker brown than
the body, sometimes almost black but occasionally such long hair is
lighter, more mousie in color. The shade of brown of the coat ranges
from a light rich brown termed "bay" through every shade
of brown to almost black in just a few individuals.
This pattern of coloring/marking which is uniform throughout
the population is a very primitive design and found elsewhere in the
horse family (e.g. Przewalski’s Horse) and is displayed by many
herbivorous prey animals in other animal families such as cattle, sheep and antelopes. The purpose of this type of appearance seems related to
camouflage and the avoidance of predators.
Exmoor ponies blend in very well against the background
of mixed heather, grass and bracken in their moorland habitat. The mealy
muzzle and mealy eye ring perhaps serve to break up the outline of the
head making its movements less obvious to a predator.
Exmoor foals are born with the mealy markings set against
a much lighter coat color. This changes as they grow their first winter coat and by six months or so they match the adults in color.
Size
There is relatively little variation in size between adult Exmoors. They
naturally range from 11.2hh to 13.1hh (117-135cms, 46-53 inches), with
the majority around 12.2hh (127cms, 50 inches).
The ponies are very stocky and strong with deep chests
and large girths; the large capacity of the digestive system is important
in winter as they consume large quantities of coarse plant material which
provides them with internal warmth. The Exmoor pony presents an example
within the horse family of high efficiency in the business of finding,
gathering, chewing and digesting food.
Coat Structure
One of the major forces of natural selection is climate and the Exmoor
pony’s external anatomy is designed to withstand extremes of
cold and, most importantly, rain; these are the descendants of a mountain
pony prototype which evolved to live in wet upland environments.
The coat grows in two phases giving a summer and winter coat. The winter coat grows in two layers which, in effect, provide "thermal
underwear" and a "raincoat". The hairs next to the skin
forming the undercoat are fine and springy in texture and form an insulating
layer. The outer hairs are coarse, greasy and therefore water-repellent.
The efficiency of this double layered coat is evident from the phenomenon
of "snow-thatching": snow collects on the ponies’ backs
as insufficient body heat escapes to melt it. Thus the body is not chilled
by melting snow and the snow is just shaken off periodically.
The body hair grows in a surface drainage pattern: it lies
in an arrangement of whirls and vortices which maximise water dispersal
away from the vulnerable parts of the body and the body openings.
The tail, mane, forelock and, in winter, the beard all
show water-shedding specialization. The fan of short hairs near the root
of the tail is called a "snow-chute" but its function is more
to channel rain water out over the buttocks so that it does not run under
the tail. The long fully haired mane and tail, which contrast to the
upright mane and partially haired tail of a Przewalski, are adaptations
to this prime need of dispersing water from the body.
The Exmoor pony molts out this winter coat by early summer
and for a short time, until about mid August, sports its summer coat.
This retains the drainage properties but consists of just a single layer,
insulation being unnecessary. It is a hard, shiny coat that in some individuals
has a slight dappling in appearance.
Eyes
Exmoors are described as having "toad eyes" and this is often
erroneously thought to relate to the mealy colored ring. It refers, however,
to the raised fleshy rim above and below the eye which the coloring accentuates.
This rim serves to protect the eye from rain water and to divert it down
the length of the head to run off the lower jaw.
Teeth
The teeth of Exmoors are well adapted to a coarse diet. The incisors
(biting teeth) are curved so that they meet vertically like a pair
of pliers and therefore cut cleanly and efficiently. The efficiency
of the bite does not appear to decline so rapidly with age as is seen
in many other horses. The molars (chewing teeth) are very large and
set into the jaw so that they maximum chewing pressure is exerted on
the tough plants.
Contrary to many publications, Exmoor ponies do not have
an extra, seventh, molar tooth. This misconception arose from mistranslation
of some German research which in fact referred to an extra branch off
the blood supply to the lower jaw which might have been the beginnings
of the evolution of an extra tooth. This feature does not seem to be
confined to Exmoors and is perhaps simply present in animals with large
lower jaws.
They eat anything and everything! They have special teeth which help them eat the tough heather and gorse as well as grass out on the moors. When they live in fields their owners have to make sure they don't get too fat as this may make them ill.
Legs and Feet
The limbs of Exmoor ponies are designed for movement over hilly terrain.
They are immensely strong ponies for their size and can carry up to
170 pounds, making them an ideal family pony not just limited to carrying
children. They have outstandingly hard feet, a slate blue/black color.
Rarity
The Exmoor pony is a very rare animal. At the last census in the mid
80’s there were just under 800 ponies in total; it is thought
that the population has risen to around 1200 since then. This still
makes them a tiny part of the British fauna; there are twice as many
wildcats in Scotland as Exmoor ponies anywhere, over 5 times as many
otters in Britain as Exmoors.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust has the Exmoor Pony as one
of its listed animals; originally categorized as "critical",
the population increase since 1985 has led to its reclassification as "endangered".
This is based upon the size of the breeding population.
Of coarse not all the 1200 ponies are bred from - many
are geldings and many of the mares are never bred. It is estimated that
in the mid 90’s the breeding population is still under 500. Of
these, probably less than a half are living free in natural habitats.
There are about 40 Exmoors in North America, but the numbers are increasing
due to recent imports and the work of the Canadian moorland and Mountain
Society, which servess as a breed association for the Exmoor. The Exmoor
can be found in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada as well as California,
Washington, Virginia and New York in the U.S.
Uses
Prior to the use of mechanization, which came comparatively late to Exmoor,
the local pony was used for a wide variety of tasks on the hill farms;
a pony could be used for shepherding, ploughing, harrowing, hunting,
carrying the farmer to market etc. Some were even used for the post
round and some were mounts for the Home Guard during the war.
Today Exmoor ponies are seldom used for work, but throughout
Britain participate in every sphere of equestrian activity, be it showing,
riding, driving, jumping, long-distance riding, riding and driving for
the disabled. Their considerable strength makes them highly suited to
driving but also means that they require a competent child rider rather
than a novice.
As well as being able to serve many family members, the
Exmoor finds favor because it is economical to keep. In fact, when kept
in fields, one of the most important aspects is to ensure that an Exmoor
does not get too much food.
Breed Organizations
Today, there are no wild Exmoor ponies. Back in 1921, the
owners of herds who were concerned that they should ensure the purebred
Exmoor continued and was not lost through crossing gathered together
and formed the Exmoor Pony Society to "promote and encourage the
breeding of pure-bred Exmoor ponies".
The Society set in place a system whereby the foals from
registered Exmoor parents have to be inspected and passed as free from
disqualifying faults before they themselves can be registered in the
Stud Book. A foal with any concentrations of white hairs on the body
or in the mane or tail, or white patches on its feet, is failed. This
is because white is traditionally viewed as alien to a true Exmoor and
thought to be the remnant of a very small amount of outside blood which
might have come into the breed accidentally.
Each autumn the herds are "gathered" off the
moor to their home farms for inspection and branding. Today, about the
same number are bred from in domesticated situations as well and so Society
inspectors have to travel throughout Britain assessing these foals as
well as the moorland ones.
If a foal is passed, it is then hot branded with the Society’s
four-pointed star above its left shoulder. Beneath this, except for the
Anchor herd, goes the mare owner’s herd number and then on the
left flank is branded the foal’s individual number. The Anchor herd has no herd number but brands an Anchor symbol over the individual
number. Each registered Exmoor therefore carries its individual identity
for life and by checking this in the Stud Book, its breeding is also
known.
The Exmoor Pony Society has a membership of about 700 (as
in 1997) and holds both an annual stallion parade at Exford in May and
a Breed Show near Exford in August.
You can see the ponies in action, and talk to their owners at the Stallion Parade on the first Wednesday in May, and at the Breed Show on the second Wednesday in August, both on Exmoor, and at Exmoor Pony Society Area Shows around the country.
For More Information
The Exmoor Pony Society
Mr. David Mansell, Secretary
Glen Fern, Waddicombe, Dulverton, Somerset, TA22 9RY
England
Telephone & Fax: 01398-341490
Email: exmoor@tomh.demon.co.uk
North American Exmoors
Anne Holmes
P. O. Box 155
Ripley, Ontario, N0G 2R0
Canada
Telephone: (519) 396-6146
Fax: (519) 395-4222
Email: exmoor@bmts.com
North American Exmoors is an affiliate of the
Canadian Mountain and moorland Society.
Publications available from the Exmoor Pony Society:
The Exmoor Pony - Its Origins and Characteristics
by J.G. & M.G. Speed
(known as The Speed Papers)
Published by Countrywide Livestock, 1977
Survival of the Fittest -
A Natural History of the Exmoor Pony
by Sue Baker
Published by Westcountry Books
(now Halsgrove), 1993
Also submitted
Breed Description
All Exmoor ponies are essentially identical, conforming to a natural
blueprint. Variation in color and markings which is typical of breeds
which man has created is noticeably absent. This suggests that the
Exmoor remains more a wild race than a selected breed.
The characteristics of Exmoor ponies are all adaptations
to survival: this may be surviving hostile elements or avoiding being
eaten by predators.
Coloring: Exmoors are all some shade of brown with darker
legs and striking mealy (oatmeal) colored markings on the muzzle, around
the eyes and sometimes under the belly. The mane and tail are usually
a darker brown than the body, sometimes almost black but occasionally
such long hair is lighter, more mousie in color. The shade of brown of
the coat ranges from a light rich brown termed "bay" through
every shade of brown to almost black in just a few individuals.
This pattern of coloring/marking which is uniform throughout
the population is a very primitive design and found elsewhere in the
horse family (e.g. Przewalski’s Horse) and is displayed by many
herbivorous prey animals in other animal families such as cattle, sheep and antelopes. The purpose of this type of appearance seems related to
camouflage and the avoidance of predators.
Exmoor ponies blend in very well against the background
of mixed heather, grass and bracken in their moorland habitat. The mealy
muzzle and mealy eye ring perhaps serve to break up the outline of the
head making its movements less obvious to a predator.
Exmoor foals are born with the mealy markings set against
a much lighter coat color. This changes as they grow their first winter coat and by six months or so they match the adults in color.
Size: There is relatively little variation in size between
adult Exmoors. They naturally range from 11.2hh to 13.1hh (117-135cms,
46-53 inches), with the majority around 12.2hh (127cms, 50 inches).
The ponies are very stocky and strong with deep chests
and large girths; the large capacity of the digestive system is important
in winter as they consume large quantities of coarse plant material which
provides them with internal warmth. The Exmoor pony presents an example
within the horse family of high efficiency in the business of finding,
gathering, chewing and digesting food.
Coat Structure: One of the major forces of natural selection
is climate and the Exmoor pony’s external anatomy is designed to
withstand extremes of cold and, most importantly, rain; these are the
descendants of a mountain pony prototype which evolved to live in wet
upland environments.
The coat grows in two phases giving a summer and winter coat. The winter coat grows in two layers which, in effect, provide "thermal
underwear" and a "raincoat". The hairs next to the skin
forming the undercoat are fine and springy in texture and form an insulating
layer. The outer hairs are coarse, greasy and therefore water-repellent.
The efficiency of this double layered coat is evident from the phenomenon
of "snow-thatching": snow collects on the ponies’ backs
as insufficient body heat escapes to melt it. Thus the body is not chilled
by melting snow and the snow is just shaken off periodically.
The body hair grows in a surface drainage pattern: it lies
in an arrangement of whirls and vortices which maximise water dispersal
away from the vulnerable parts of the body and the body openings.
The tail, mane, forelock and, in winter, the beard all
show water-shedding specialization. The fan of short hairs near the root
of the tail is called a "snow-chute" but its function is more
to channel rain water out over the buttocks so that it does not run under
the tail. The long fully haired mane and tail, which contrast to the
upright mane and partially haired tail of a Przewalski, are adaptations
to this prime need of dispersing water from the body.
The Exmoor pony molts out this winter coat by early summer
and for a short time, until about mid August, sports its summer coat.
This retains the drainage properties but consists of just a single layer,
insulation being unnecessary. It is a hard, shiny coat that in some individuals
has a slight dappling in appearance.
Eyes: Exmoors are described as having "toad eyes" and
this is often erroneously thought to relate to the mealy colored ring.
It refers, however, to the raised fleshy rim above and below the eye
which the coloring accentuates. This rim serves to protect the eye from
rain water and to divert it down the length of the head to run off the
lower jaw.
Teeth: The teeth of Exmoors are well adapted to a coarse
diet. The incisors (biting teeth) are curved so that they meet vertically
like a pair of pliers and therefore cut cleanly and efficiently. The
efficiency of the bite does not appear to decline so rapidly with age
as is seen in many other horses. The molars (chewing teeth) are very
large and set into the jaw so that they maximum chewing pressure is exerted
on the tough plants.
Exmoor Ponies drinking
Contrary to many publications, Exmoor ponies do not have
an extra, seventh, molar tooth. This misconception arose from mistranslation
of some German research which in fact referred to an extra branch off
the blood supply to the lower jaw which might have been the beginnings
of the evolution of an extra tooth. This feature does not seem to be
confined to Exmoors and is perhaps simply present in animals with large
lower jaws.
Legs and Feet: The limbs of Exmoor ponies are designed
for movement over hilly terrain. They are immensely strong ponies for
their size and can carry up to 170 pounds, making them an ideal family
pony not just limited to carrying children. They have outstandingly hard
feet, a slate blue/black color.
Rarity: The Exmoor pony is a very rare animal. At the last
census in the mid 80’s there were just under 800 ponies in total;
it is thought that the population has risen to around 1200 since then.
This still makes them a tiny part of the British fauna; there are twice
as many wildcats in Scotland as Exmoor ponies anywhere, over 5 times
as many otters in Britain as Exmoors.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust has the Exmoor Pony as one
of its listed animals; originally categorized as "critical",
the population increase since 1985 has led to its reclassification as "endangered".
This is based upon the size of the breeding population.
Of coarse not all the 1200 ponies are bred from - many
are geldings and many of the mares are never bred. It is estimated that
in the mid 90’s the breeding population is still under 500. Of
these, probably less than a half are living free in natural habitats.
There are about 40 Exmoors in North America, but the numbers are increasing
due to recent imports and the work of the Canadian Moorland and Mountain
Society, which servess as a breed association for the Exmoor. The Exmoor
can be found in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada as well as California,
Washington, Virginia and New York in the U.S.
History
The first wild ponies came to Britain between 100,000 and 200,000 years
ago, walking across a swampy plain that was later to become the English
Channel. They became widespread throughout Britain and were very successful,
living alongside Mammoths and preyed upon by saber-toothed tigers, wolves
and bears. Their presence in Britain ebbed and flowed with the advances
and retreats of many ice ages.
These equine colonisers provided an important resource
for Stone Age hunters when they came to Britain; hunting reduced numbers
significantly. Climate changes in the Mesolithic period brought a drastic
change with trees covering lowland areas. The open grazing habitat of
the ponies became available only on the mountains and hills of Britain,
and the pony populations consequently became restricted to these.
When the English Channel formed (5,000 - 8,000 years ago)
this equine population became isolated on the British Isles with no possible
further contact with continental populations in the future other than
through man’s interference. The British Hill Pony continued to
be an attractive prey for hunters, and some scientists theorize that
they were hunted to extinction and re-introduced by Celts. Other scientists
believe they remained in reduced numbers on the isolated uplands.
When man became a farmer and settled the lowland areas,
dividing the land into fields and agricultural holdings, these populations
of British Hill ponies became isolated from each other and their destinies
followed different paths. This resulted in the nine recognized native
breeds of pony in Britain today. In each area, human interference led
to the mixing of different genetic ingredients to produce distinctive
breeds. As an example, Roman mercenaries introduced Friesian horses to
the north of England which blended with British Hill ponies to produce
the Fell pony.
On Exmoor a very different story unfolded. While in every
other part of Britain other equine blood was introduced to a degree which
drastically altered the appearance of the British Hill pony, on Exmoor
this did not happen. Most of the changes to ponies elsewhere in Britain
took place in the last few hundred years and can be linked to the influences
of major trade routes and ports introducing new ideas and new animals or to the influences of landowners doing the same. Exmoor, until very
recently, was a forgotten place with no such routes across it or large
ports nearby; few landowners feature in its history. It was in effect
a social island within the British Isles and because of this the original
type of pony survived.
A few people on Exmoor followed the trend for crossing
and "improving" the local pony but it is significant that their
herds died out and they leave no legacy. The Exmoor ponies of today are
descended from stock which was managed on the principle that nature had
the best design and introducing other blood led to dilution of hardiness.
Until 1818, most of the open expanse of Exmoor was designated
a "Royal Forest". This was not tree covered but "Forest" in
this sense meant a hunting ground. A Warden worked for the Crown and
managed Exmoor as an upland grazing expanse where farmers from its fringes
could graze their stock (ponies, sheep and cattle) upon payment of fees.
The Warden alone ran the stallions which it is recorded were of the original
native type.
In 1818 the Royal Forest was sold to John Knight, an industrialist
who believed he could tame Exmoor and make it a more productive agricultural
system. He considered that whatever nature had created he could improve
upon, including the ponies.
The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took thirty of
the true Exmoor ponies which had run on the forest to his own estate;
other local farmers who had worked with him bought up small numbers of
ponies at the 1818 dispersal sale and began their own breeding herds.
Knight and a few others experimented and produced ponies which could
not thrive living out in Exmoor’s harsh winters. Acland and his
colleagues became perhaps some of the first "conservationists",
breeding the Exmoor ponies true to type.
The last of the crossed herds, which had lived separately
from the true Exmoors, died out early this century. The Acland ponies
continued and their descendants now form the famous "Anchor" herd
which runs on Winsford Hill. In most cases, those farming families which
had saved ponies back in 1818 are still involved today in breeding Exmoors.
Having survived the dispersal in 1818 and the fashion for "improvement" which
could well have changed them beyond recognition, the Exmoor ponies were
nearly exterminated during the Second World War. Exmoor was used for
training troops, some of whom practiced on live targets including ponies.
Gates were left open and grazing areas were no longer safe for stock.
Many ponies were stolen and transported away to cities to feed the hungry
people. By the end of the War it is estimated that no more than 50 Exmoor
ponies survived.
Mary Etherington, who lived on Exmoor, rallied farmers
and landowners to restart pony breeding and build up numbers. She even
exhibited two Exmoors at London Zoo to draw attention to their plight.
Cattle grids were installed and stock returned to the commons and moors.
Steadily the population recovered and started to grow.
Although numbers increased gradually, even by the mid 1970s
just around 30 Exmoor foals a year were being registered. However, the
early 1980s saw attention once again being focused upon their zoological
importance and their rarity. Enthusiasm for breeding Exmoors returned
as demand for foals increased. Many new owners at the time bought Exmoors
as a commitment to their conservation. However, whilst numbers rose away
from Exmoor, the population of ponies living free, roaming the moor subject
to the laws of nature remained and remains under 200.
A boost to this free-living population has come in the
last decade with the recognition that Exmoor Ponies can be a useful conservation
tool themselves. The National Trust, English Nature and several county
wildlife trusts have set up small free-living herds on sensitive nature
reserves to manage the vegetation. This is proving most successful and
benefits the conservation of the Exmoor pony alongside the conservation
of whole habitats.
Behavior
Advice
As well as being able to serve many family members, the Exmoor finds
favor because it is economical to keep. In fact, when kept in fields,
one of the most important aspects is to ensure that an Exmoor does not
get too much food.
Function
Prior to the use of mechanization, which came comparatively late to Exmoor,
the local pony was used for a wide variety of tasks on the hill farms;
a pony could be used for shepherding, ploughing, harrowing, hunting,
carrying the farmer to market etc. Some were even used for the post round
and some were mounts for the Home Guard during the war.
Today Exmoor ponies are seldom used for work, but
throughout Britain participate in every sphere of equestrian activity,
be it showing, riding, driving, jumping, long-distance riding, riding
and driving for the disabled. Their considerable strength makes them
highly suited to driving but also means that they require a competent
child rider rather than a novice.
The British Hill Pony is the name given to the group of equines that traveled the land bridge from Europe to Great Britain hundreds of thousands of years ago. These primitive ponies grazed alongside woolly mammoths and served as a source of food for saber tooth tigers and Stone Age man. But when man evolved and began to settle and cultivate the fertile meadows, the ponies were forced from their prime pastures to harsh climates in the mountains and moorlands of England. These new environments caused the ponies to evolve in different directions. For example, the New Forest pony adapted to its tree-lined terrain by developing a maneuverable canter, while the Welsh pony's strong quarters and well angled hocks indicate it evolved to thrive in a hilly land. Later on, when civilized man came upon the scene, these British native ponies were bred to other equines such as the Barb, the Friesian and the Arabian to form the breeds we know today. Only one of the natives kept to its primitive type and does so to this day. That breed is the Exmoor, the last true surviving representative of Britain's wild ponies.
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Life on the Moor
On the border of Somerset and Devon in southwest England lies a beautiful expanse of wilderness called Exmoor. It is home to wild red deer, horned sheep and the Exmoor pony. On the moor, the summers are short and often cold, while the winters are long with driving wind, rain and howling gales. An equine on Exmoor has to survive on his own, existing on a diet of tough plant matter such as heather, rushes and tough grasses and even a prickly bush called gorse. He also must generate his own heat. Life is harsh on the moor, and any pony not up to the challenge won't make it through a single winter. However, the Exmoor is the perfect example of nature's system of evolution and the survival of the fittest.
The Exmoor pony's primitive qualities are perfect for a life on the moors. The pony's winter coat is designed for warmth with an insulating fluffy inner layer to trap heat and a longer oily outer layer to repel rain. The coat also features an unusual amount of whorls that help drain rainwater away from vulnerable body parts. The manes, tails and forelocks are long to help shed water and snow, and the top of the tail has a collection of short hairs creating a "snow chute" that stops precipitation from dripping onto the hindquarters. In the summer, the pony sheds his winter lining and his coat functions as a slicker, repelling water from the warmer summer showers. The pony is also equipped with "toad eyes" which are rings of raised flesh surrounding his eyes that help keep water out.
It's not just the pony's outward appearance that protects him. His insides are well adapted, too. In order to exist on a ration of heather and gorse, an animal has to have the capabilities to process the stout vegetation. An equine's usual tearing motion is perfect for eating grass but will not work for harder forage; therefore, the Exmoors have incisors that curve and meet together, much like pincers. And once the pony has cut a mouthful of vegetation, he is able to chew it with molars that are set deep inside his jaw so he can munch down hard and mash the forage to a pulp. Molars raised out of the jaw, such as found in other breeds, would break on such tough shrubbery. Once chewed, food is digested in the Exmoor's super-efficient gut that breaks bulky fiber down easily with none of the intestinal problems that plague the more dainty, selectively bred horses. To keep warm during the cold English winter, the Exmoor's digestive system is designed to hold and process huge quantities of fiber needed to produce body heat.
Man Meets Exmoor
Although the ancient Celts occasionally used Exmoors for pack animals, and there is some thought that the invading Romans (AD 43) hitched them to their chariots, the ponies were largely undisturbed by man for many years. The breed escaped the outcrossing of the other native ponies and retained its British Hill Pony type simply because Exmoor was a land of little use to humans. There were no roads through Exmoor, no fishing ports and not much farming. And aside from cave drawings of ponies pulling chariots, the first mention of the equines was in the Doomesday Book (1085-86), the first official census of Britain, where an Exmoor native named Roger was reported to have owned seven wild horses.
In the 12th century, Exmoor was made a royal hunting preserve and red deer were introduced to graze alongside the wild ponies. In 1767, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland I was appointed the warden of the preserve. He became very interested in the little wild ponies on the moor and dedicated his life to preserving them. Sadly, in 1818, King George the III sold the crown lands to an industrialist named John Knight who also took an interest in the ponies, but for the wrong reasons. His idea was to improve the moor and make it produce. These improvements meant that the ponies had to begin paying their way. And who would want a small brown pony? Knight's plan was to cross the ponies with Arabians to create a bigger and stronger breed that he called the Exmoor Cob. The result was a taller horse, but one that lost all signs of native hardiness. These cobs, with their influx of hot blood, could never survive on the moor. Knight was the only one to breed them, succeeded by his son Kenneth. The Exmoor Cob herd numbered 60 by the time of the younger Knight's death in 1887, and by 1930 all the cobs had died out.
Exmoor Facts
* There are three foundation herds remaining on Exmoor: The main herd, once owned by Sir Thomas Acland (now owned by Rose Wallace), runs on Windsford Hill. The second herd, originally purchased in 1818 by Samuel Milton (still owned by the Milton family), is known today as Herd 23 and is run on Withypool Common. The third herd, originally purchased in 1818 by a family called Crockford (now owned by the Western family), is known today as Herd 12 and is run on Codsend.
* The Exmoor pony is listed as endangered by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (listing is based on breeding figures).
* The Exmoor is the oldest and purest of all the British native ponies.
* 10,000-year-old bones similar to the Exmoor pony's have been found in caves in the Mendip Hills near Exmoor.
* Although the breed is thousands of years old, the major changes and threats to its survival have happened in the last 200 years.
Additionally, at the crown's 1818 dispersal sale, the ponies not belonging to Knight and Acland were rounded up and sold at auction. Acland retained about 30 ponies and continued to conserve what remained of the pure herd, running them on his own 3,000 acres of moorland located on Winsford Hill. These ponies are the foundation stock of today's Acland herd, and their descendants are the purest and most prestigious Exmoor ponies today. Each pony descended from this herd is marked with an Anchor brand to prove his lineage. The Acland family was also the first to keep a studbook, but the book was lost in World War II.
Acland wasn't alone in his conservation of the breed. At the sale, individual farmers purchased some of the ponies and ran herds on their own small holdings; and many of these ponies' descendants are still run on the moor today.
If the sales and "improvement" of the breed weren't enough to finish the ponies for good, the harsh rationing in World War II caused many of them to be sold or stolen and butchered for meat. Exmoor was turned into military training grounds and soldiers often used the ponies for target practice. By the end of the war only 50 purebreds survived.
Exmoor Revival
After World War II, Mary Etherington, an Exmoor resident, encouraged the local community to begin breeding the animals. She established herself as the ponies' public relations officer and exhibited two at the London Zoo along with the story of their near extinction. Even with Etherington's hard work, stock re-established slowly with a maximum registration of 30 foals a year.
In 1921, in Great Britain, breed enthusiasts banded together and formed the Exmoor Pony Society in order to make sure that the few ponies left would maintain their true type. Their goal was to manage a studbook and to "to ensure the continuation of the true, purebred Exmoor pony and to overcome its many threats." They made sure that every foal was inspected and branded before becoming registered as an Exmoor pony.
In the 1990s, the National Trust, English Heritage and Exmoor National Park Authority realized that true conservation of the moors could not be possible without the native ponies. The ponies were part of the habitat, having made the land their home for thousands of years, and without them, the picture would not be complete. The associations also discovered that the herds would help conserve native flora. The ponies' grazing kept down scrub and brush and allowed delicate and endangered wildflowers to flourish. Today, several herds run and are managed by the societies as well as several small associations.
Exmoor Pony in the snow
Purebred ponies, owned by trusts and private breeders, can be seen running free on Exmoor. However, of all the 800 ponies registered in England, only 145 are living free on Exmoor and 60 in other tracts of wilderness. Those ponies live wild, meaning they have to find their own food and shelter and roam at will, but they all have owners, which has been the case since the 12th century. A foal born on the moors is generally not handled until he is 6 months old. But with careful training, a moor-reared pony is just as good at being ridden or driven as a stable-reared animal might be.
Today, herds are rounded up from Exmoor every fall for the annual sale and foal inspection. If a foal shows all the correct aspects and conformation, he is branded with a four-pointed star on the shoulder, with the mare owner's herd number below, and a registration number on the left flank. Because all Exmoor ponies look alike, this branding is needed to distinguish each individual pony and to mark him as a pure bred.
Exmoor Pony Centre
Exmoor
Pony Society
www.exmoorponysociety.org.uk/home.htm
Moorland Mousie Trust
The Exmoor is a unique breed of pony which has lived on the moor longer than people have. It is important because it is the nearest breed we have to the original wild horses of Europe. It has evolved in response to its environment, becoming hardy and resilient to the cold and wet.
• These days the ponies are wild in the sense that the herds roaming freely on the moor are not tame and can survive without assistance, but all the ponies belong to someone and each herd is confined to a particular area of moorland. A few years ago people were afraid that the pony might become extinct so the National Park Authority bought young stock and now owns two herds. There are also six main privately owned herds.
The Exmoor pony always breeds true to its type. Its colouring ranges from dun (a smoky-brown) to bay (red-brown) or brown (dark brown). Underparts and the area around the eyes and nose are a mealy buff colour while the mane, tail and points are black. The summer coat is fine and glossy but in winter the ponies grow a thick, two-layered protective coat. Average height is about 12 hands. The true Exmoor is a sturdy pony, well-proportioned and sure footed. It has a large, well-shaped head with ‘toad’ eyes, large and dark, slightly hooded and set under a jutting brow which throws off the rain.
Foals are born in the spring and early summer and spend the summer running with their dams and building up a store of fat to take them through the hard winter ahead. In the autumn the herds are driven down to the farms; foals are weaned and all the ponies are inspected and branded before being returned to the moor for the winter.
The Exmoor pony is indigenous to the area. It is a wild species directly descended from the prehistoric wild horse and it is one of the hardiest of British wild animals. The ponies' true colour is brown, ranging from a smoky hue to a reddish one. The underparts, muzzle and insides of the legs are mealy, or fawn, coloured, while the mane and tail are black.
The lighter coloured foals are born in June, their coats darkening as they grow and gleaming in the summer months. They then thicken in winter to form as watertight a covering as the red deer pocesses.
Herds roam the moor all year round, comprising thirty or forty mares and foals and a stallion as leader. Cross-breeding diminishes the ponies' hardiness and only the true Exmoors survive the worst of the winters such as those of 1947, 1962 and 1963 which decimated much of Exmoor's wildlife.
Mare and foal - Exmoor Ponies
image supplied by kind permission of Somerset Tourism, Somerset County Council
The Exmoor Pony Society, founded in 1920, has done sterling work to maintain the purity of the breed and prevent it from dying out. Cross-breeds, caused by a variety of 'non-Exmoors' being turned out for grazing, are still known as 'Porlock ponies' in some parts.
The wild Exmoor ponies belong to the owner of the land they stand on. The old tradition of an annual round-up still continues, with many being sold at Bampton Fair in October. The remainder are freed once more to roam the moors: Withypool Common and Hill have the finest herds of these appealing animals.
A few years ago it was feared that the pony might become extinct so Exmoor National Park Authority bought young stock and now owns two herds. There are also other privately owned herds
There are only about 1500-2000 Exmoor ponies in the world. However only about 500 are ever bred from, which is why the Rare Breeds Survival Trust describes them as "endangered". About 200 live out on the moorlands of Exmoor.
The Exmoor Ponies in the Exmoor National Park live free in natural herds, most with a stallion, mares and foals, and they find their own food, water and shelter. However they are all owned by someone and checked regularly. Their owners decide which stallions will run with the herds. So they are usually described as free-living rather than wild.
They stay out all through the year and are only gathered into their home farms for a few days each autumn so that the new foals can be inspected. When foais are registered with the Exmoor Pony Society they are given their registration numbers and their owners name them. All this information is held in the Exmoor Pony Stud Book.
Exmoor ponies have hardly changed since prehistoric times when they lived alongside mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers. If you look carefully you can still see the features that have helped them to survive for thousands of years, plus the signs of their ownership.
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Large nostrils and a long face warm the winter air. The deep jaw gives room for large, efficient biting and chewing teeth
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Short ears - that keep out ihe cold, wind and rain
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Toad eye - a raised fleshy rim around each eye sticks out to help make the rain run
away from the eye and off the face.
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Deep wide chest, with plenty of room for the heart and lungs, so the pony could keep going all day to escape predators.
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Thick, long mane to shed water from the pony, and for warmth.
In winter the coat has a short, soft, warm under-layer covered with a waterproof top coat of greasy hair. Little heat is lost through this when snow settles on the pony's back. It does not melt and make them catch cold.
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Thick long
tail with
short hairs
at the top
forming a
water chute
so that rain
runs off
quickly.
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Strong nimble legs that make the pony agile, sure-footed and fast: to escape predators.
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Very hard feet that cope with rough ground.
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Four pointed star shows the pony is a pure-bred registered Exmoor. The number is that of the herd into which the pony was born
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The pony's own unique number.
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