Exmoor pony

Exmoor pony

A herd of Exmoor ponies
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Traits
Distinguishing features	Mealy markings around eyes and muzzle, "snow chute/ice tail", "toad eye"
Equus ferus caballus

The Exmoor pony is one of the mountain and moorland pony breeds native to the British Isles. Some still roam as semi-feral livestock on Exmoor, a large area of moorland in Devon and Somerset in southwest England. The Exmoor has been given "Priority" conservation status by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (UK), and "threatened" status by The Livestock Conservancy (USA). Exmoor ponies are particularly well-adapted to cold and wet weather and therefore very hardy, having conformation similar to that of other cold-weather-adapted pony breeds. The free-roaming herds on Exmoor contribute to the conservation and management of several natural habitats. Most foals born into the free-living herds are sold and with taming and training undertake a variety of equestrian activities.

Equines have been present in Britain since 700,000 BC, with populations retreating south when ice-ages made the land uninhabitable and recolonising when warmer conditions allowed. Some theorise that Exmoor ponies have changed very little from these prehistoric ponies from which they are descended: others consider them as simply one of the relatively modern created breeds of pony. In morphological and appearance (phenotypically) Exmoors closely resemble the primitive wild horse and modern DNA research is trying to determine exactly how much of the ancient genome, if any, survives in the Exmoor pony.

Written records of ponies on Exmoor start with the Domesday Book in 1086. After centuries of being a “Royal Forest” (not an area of trees but a hunting ground), most of Exmoor was sold in 1818. Thirty ponies, identified as the original old type, were saved and relocated to neighbouring moorland. These ponies form the foundation bloodstock of today's Exmoor population. The Exmoor pony breed society was formed in 1921 as the Exmoor Pony Society.

The breed nearly became extinct during the Second World War owing to ponies being stolen for the wartime meat market and a few being used for target practice by soldiers. After the war a small group of breeders worked to save the Exmoor, and during the 1950s ponies began to be exported to continental Europe and to Canada in small numbers. The first stud book was published in 1963 and numbers grew slowly. In 1981 publicity regarding the vulnerability of the breeding population raised interest in the need to conserve the Exmoor pony and its numerical recovery (total population size) gathered pace. By 2021, 100 years on from the formation of the Exmoor Pony Society, approximately 600 ponies roam Exmoor and a further 4,000 (some free-living but most as domestic ponies) are in locations across the UK and in several other countries. The vast majority are in non-breeding situations, hence the RBST’s “Priority” classification.

Characteristics[]

An Exmoor mare and foal

The Exmoor pony coat colour is predominantly a variant of dark bay, called "brown", with some individuals lighter and termed "bay" and more rarely some described as “Exmoor dun” (not the same as “dun” elsewhere in horses). All Exmoors display pangaré ("mealy") markings^[1] around the eyes, muzzle and underbelly. Pangaré markings occur in other equines as well as horses, and are considered to be a primitive trait. In order to be registered in the stud book Exmoor ponies cannot have white markings. In height, the majority of Exmoors range from 11.1 to 12.3 hands (45 to 51 inches, 114 to 130 cm) (45 to 51 inches, 114 to 130 cm), with the recommended height limit for mares being 12.2 hands (50 inches, 127 cm) (50 inches, 127 cms) and that for stallions and geldings 12.3 hands (51 inches, 130 cm). A few reach 13.2 hands ^[2]

With a stocky, powerful build, the Exmoor pony is strong for its height, and noted for its hardiness and endurance.^[3] The chest is deep and the back broad, the croup level. The legs are short, with good bone and hard hooves.^[2] Although many sources state that the Exmoor has a distinctly different jaw structure from other horse breeds, which includes the beginnings of development of a seventh molar, this is a misunderstanding based on an incorrect translation of a German study.Ebhardt, H (1962). Ponies und Pferde im Rontgenbild nebst einigen stammesgeschichtlichen Bemerkungen dazu. Saugetierkundliche Mitteilungen. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. The study refers to an extra branch of blood supply to the jaw and speculates that this might have been the early stages of evolving an extra molar. However the feature is found in a number of horse breeds with sizable lower jaws, so its presence in the Exmoor pony is unremarkable.^[4][5]

The head is somewhat large in proportion to the body, with small ears, and has a special adaptation called a "toad eye" (raised flesh above and below the eyes) which helps to deflect water and provide extra insulation. As with most cold-weather adapted pony breeds, the Exmoor grows a winter coat consisting of a highly insulating woolly underlayer and a topcoat of longer, oily hairs that prevent the undercoat from becoming waterlogged by diverting water down the sides of the animal to fall from just a few drip areas. The mane and tail are thick and long, and the dock of the tail has a fan of shorter, coarse hairs, called a "snow chute" that deflects rainwater away from the groin and underbelly areas to fall from the long hairs on the back of the hind legs.^[3][4]

History[]

A herd of Exmoor ponies

Ponies were first recorded in the Exmoor area in the Domesday Book in 1086, but no count of the ponies roaming the Royal Forest of Exmoor is included as, being owned by the King, they were not to be taxed. Over the centuries, a series of Wardens managed the Royal Forest, charging fees for the grazing of livestock including ponies. The change of Warden was often accompanied by the sale of ponies they personally owned, as for example in 1748 at the end of the Hill and Darch wardenship.^[6] Whether some were sold to incoming Wardens is not recorded. In 1767 Warden Sir Thomas Acland was grazing ponies on the Forest. Sales records from 1805 and 1809 list the colours black, grey, bay, dun, 'chasnut', and piebald for ponies. Studies disagree as to the significance of this: some argue it shows that the indigenous brown and mealy type of Exmoor pony had probably been lost through cross-breeding;^[7] others consider that because only the Warden could run stallions, cross-bred mares of different colours could co-exist with the indigenous type.^[5]

In 1818 the Royal Forest and some adjoining land was sold to John Knight. Sir Thomas Acland, the outgoing warden, took thirty of “the old type” to Ashway Side close to Winsford Hill, while others were sold to local farmers. Records show that Acland then adopted two breeding strategies, a closed, purebred herd on Ashway Side and some separate crossing experiments on Winsford Hill.^[8] In contrast, John Knight, starting in 1826, crossed all the ponies he had purchased with Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and other breeds to increase their size.^[9] Significantly, today’s registered Exmoor pony population is descended from the Acland herd.

From the late nineteenth century, Exmoors were being selectively bred for the characteristic mealy muzzle. At first the Exmoor Pony Society accepted grey and black ponies in addition to bay, though the colour standards have been tightened since.

In 1893, the ponies were described in Sidney's Book of the Horse as around 12 hands (48 inches, 122 cm) high, usually bay in color, and with conformation similar to what it is today. In the late 1800s, the National Pony Society began to register Exmoors and Exmoor crossbreds. In 1921, the Exmoor Pony Society was formed, and published its first stud book in 1963.^[9]

The Second World War led to a sharp decrease in the breed population as the moor became a training ground. The breed nearly became extinct, with only 50 ponies surviving the war.^[10] This was partially due to soldiers using some ponies for target practice and others being stolen and eaten by people in the cities.^[11] After the war, a small group of breeders, including Mary Etherington,^[12] continued to preserve the population, and publicity in 1981 resulted in increased interest in the breed.^[9] The first Exmoors in North America were imported to Canada in the 1950s, and several small herds are still maintained there.^[13] In the 1990s, small herds of Exmoor ponies were established in various areas of England. These herds are used to maintain vegetation on nature reserves, many being managed by organisations such as the National Trust, Natural England, and County Wildlife Trusts.^[14]

Every purebred registered Exmoor is branded with a four-point star on the near (left) shoulder until the 2000s which attracted criticism.^[15] However it is now limited to semi feral ponies as the breeders' choice. In 2000, the Moorland Mousie Trust, a British organisation, was established to assist in the preservation of the Exmoor pony. There is little market for Exmoor colts, so the organisation works to raise funds for the gelding and training of these horses.^[16]

Exmoor ponies in their native habitat

Currently, The Livestock Conservancy considers the population of the Exmoor to be at "threatened" levels,^[17] meaning that the estimated global population of the breed is less than 5,000 and there are less than 1,000 registrations annually in the US.^[18] The UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust considers the breed to be "endangered",^[19] meaning that population numbers are estimated to be less than 500 in Great Britain.^[20] The Equus Survival Trust considers the breed to be "critical", meaning that there are between 100 and 300 active adult breeding mares.^[21] As of 2010, there were estimated to be around 800 Exmoor ponies worldwide.^[22]

Prehistoric origin theories[]

Some claim that the Exmoor pony descends directly from the wild horses of north-west Europe, uninfluenced by domestic horses.^[23] However, modern DNA research to date does not support that view,^[6] as existing studies indicate they share their maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA with various other horse breeds from across the world,^[24] and their paternally inherited Y-chromosome is identical to that of most other domesticated horses.^[25]

Wild horses have lived in Britain for hundreds of thousands of years. Some remains found date as early as 700,000 BC,^[26] while others are as recent as 3,500 BC.^[27] However, no genetic studies to date have correlated these prehistoric remains to any modern breed. What has been studied are Y-chromosomes (Y-DNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) obtained from Exmoor ponies. The Y-chromosome is passed on through the male line, and worldwide shows very little genetic variation in horses,^[25] except for a second Y-chromosome haplotype found in China,^[28] suggesting that a very limited number of stallions contributed to the original genome of the domestic horse. The Exmoor pony shares this general Y-chromosome haplotype.^[25] In contrast, mitochondrial DNA is passed on though the female line, and shows far more variation than Y-DNA, indicating that a large number of wild mares from several regions have contributed to modern domestic breeds.^[29][30] Some mtDNA-haplotypes have been found in DNA samples obtained from wild horses in prehistoric deposits, while other mtDNA-haplotypes have only been found in domesticated horses, from both living individuals and archeological finds.^[24] The Exmoor pony has a high frequency of pre-domestication mtDNA-haplotypes, but these are also found in different breeds all around the world.^[24] Currently, for the British Isles, there are only three DNA archeological samples available, all from Ireland.^[31]

Although wild horses were abundant after the last ice age,^[32] the lack of sufficient pre-domestication DNA samples makes it impossible to determine the contribution of the wild horses of the British Islands to modern breeds, including the Exmoor pony.^[31] A 1995 study of morphological characteristics, the outward appearance of organisms, indicated that the Exmoor, the Pottock, and the now-extinct Tarpan have an extremely close resemblance; these breeds were consistently grouped together in the results from several analyses, with the Exmoor showing the closest relationship to the Tarpan of all the breeds studied, at 0.27; the next-closest breeds to the Tarpan were the Pottock and Merens, both with a genetic distance from the Tarpan of 0.47. The distance between the Exmoor and Pottock was 0.37, and between the Exmoor and Merens was 0.40; a significantly wider gap than the distance between the Exmoor and Tarpan.^[33]

The first indication of domesticated horses in England comes from archaeological investigations showing that the ancient Britons were using wheeled horse-drawn transport extensively in southwest England as early as 400 BC.^[34] Recent research has indicated that there was significant Roman involvement in mining on Exmoor.^[35] Metals including iron, tin, and copper were transported to Hengistbury Head in neighbouring Dorset for export,^[36] and Roman carvings, showing British and Roman chariots pulled by ponies phenotypically similar to the Exmoor, have been found in Somerset.^{[37][38][39][40]}

Uses[]

In the past, Exmoors were used as pit ponies.^[41] Ponies not kept in semi-feral conditions are used for a variety of activities including showing, long-distance riding, driving,^[3] and agility. Exmoor ponies won both divisions at the International Horse Agility Championships in 2011,^[42] and took a third title at the 2012 Championships.^[43] The breed's hardiness makes it suitable for conservation grazing, and it contributes to the management of many heathland, chalk grassland and other natural pasture habitats, as well as to the conservation of Exmoor itself.^[14]

A herd of 14 Exmoors from Exmoor National park were moved to the former military base of Milovice (Nymburk District), Czech Republic, in an effort to improve biodiversity by conservation grazing, in January 2015. According to the annual count of 2019, this population has increased to 111 ponies. ^{[44] [45]}

Gallery[]

• 

  Bampton Fair- Pony, Sheep and Cattle Sales in the Village of Bampton, Devon, England, UK, October 1943. Ponies were often sold here after gathering in the Autumn.

• 

  Exmoor Stallion Dunkery Wigeon at the Royal Highland Show 2018

References[]

Notes

Bibliography

• Brown, Antony; Bennett, Jenny; Rhodes, Edward (April 2009). "Roman mining on Exmoor: a geomorphological approach at Anstey's Combe, Dulverton". Environmental Archaeology. 14 (1): 50. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.506.1731. doi:10.1179/174963109X400673. S2CID 131103246.
• Budd, Jackie (1998). Horse and pony breeds. Gareth Stevens. ISBN 978-0-8368-2046-1.
• Daniel, Glynn (1950). The Prehistoric Chamber Tombs of England and Wales. Cambridge University Press.
• Dent, Anthony Austen; Hendricks, Bonnie L. (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3884-8.
• Dutson, Judith (2005). Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58017-613-2.
• Johns, Catherine; Potter, Timothy W. (2002). Roman Britain. British Museum Press. ISBN 978-0-7141-2774-3.
• Sponenberg, Dan Phillip (2003). Equine color genetics (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-8138-0759-1.
• Baker, Sue (2008). Exmoor ponies:survival of the fittest:a natural history. Tiverton: Exmoor. ISBN 978-0-86183-443-3.

Further reading[]

• Morrison, Alex (1980). Early man in Britain and Ireland: an introduction to Palaeolithic and Mesolithic cultures. Croom Helm. ISBN 978-0-85664-084-1.
• Smith, Christopher (1992). Late Stone Age hunters of the British Isles. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-07202-1.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Exmoor pony.

• Exmoor Pony Society
• Exmoor Ponies in Conservation (EPIC)