An attractive pony, it has inhabited the wild moorland area of west Somerset and north Devon in the South-West of England for centuries. Ponies of Exmoor type were certainly known in Roman times and they may well have existed as far back as the Bronze age, when they would have been used for pulling chariots.
In 1818 the breed was threatened by dispersal, when various small breeding herds were created and an attempt made to ‘improve’ the Exmoor by cross breeding. The ponies produced could not survive Exmoor’s harsh winters and the crossed herds eventually died out. Sir Thomas Acland had maintained thirty of the true Exmoor ponies on his own estate, and the herd thrived, producing true to type. The descendents of the Acland ponies now form the ‘Anchor’ herd, which runs on Winsford hill. The breed’s existence was again endangered during the Second World War. Exmoor became a training ground for troops, many of whom practiced on live targets, including the ponies. Gates were left open and grazing areas became unsafe for stock. Ponies were regularly stolen, and transported to cities to feed hungry people. By the end of the war there were only around fifty Exmoor ponies in existence.
On this occasion, the saviour of the breed was Mary Etherington, who rallied farmers and landowners to breed the ponies and replenish the decimated numbers and even exhibited two Exmoor ponies at London zoo to highlight their perilous situation. Cattle grids were installed and stock returned to the moors. Steadily, the population began to recover. Despite this, by the mid 1970s there were still only around 30 Exmoor foals being registered annually.
A big change came in the 1980s when attention was again focused on the zoological importance of the breed and its rarity. A demand for foals increased the enthusiasm for breeding Exmoors, and many new owners bought their ponies as a commitment for their conservation. Whilst numbers rose away from Exmoor, on the moor itself natural controls have meant that the population living free has been maintained at around 300 adults and about 100 youngstock. There are a few other locations on Exmoor where there may yet be additional herds at some point in the future.
Present Day Management
Each Autumn the herds are gathered off the moor to their home farms for inspection by Exmoor pony society inspectors and branding. To pass inspection a foal must be free of disqualifying faults such as any concentrations of white hair on the body or in the mane and tail. When a foal passes inspection, it can be branded with the society’s four-pointed star above its left shoulder, or micro-chipped. It may also be branded with the mare's owner’s herd number and with its own number, unless it is a member of the Anchor herd when it will receive an anchor symbol over its identity number. Branding remains the more popular option.
Inspectors also visit foals bred in domesticated situations, and these foals will also be branded or chipped. Thus a pure bred Exmoor carries its individual identity and the key to its breeding with it for life.
The author acknowledges the invaluable assistance of The Exmoor Pony Society in the production of this article. For more information and advice on the Exmoor Pony, contact Secretary Mrs Sue McGeever, Woodmans, Brithem Bottom, Cullompton, Devon, UK, EX15 1NB, Tel 01884839930, Fax 01884839930, or visit online.
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