Dartmoor ponies used as conservation grazing machines
Nineteen Dartmoor ponies have started a new career – as conservation grazing machines.
The mares, fillies and geldings were released on to Holt Lowes in north Norfolk earlier this month (December) and are the latest members of Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s (NWT) 129-strong “munch bunch”.
NWT grazing officer Lucy Wilshaw said: “We have nine Welsh ponies, 36 koniks and 84 Dartmoors across Norfolk.
“The Dartmoors are really good at heathland and mire management – they eat all the heath back first then move on to eat the rushes and sedges from the boggy patches.”
All the Dartmoors, except three, came from the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT).
The three that were not bought from the DPHT were born in 2010 after a mare named Ginny turned out to be a stallion. He was renamed Gerry after being gelded.
Dru Butterworth of the DPHT said: “The arrangement with NWT is a perfect partnership.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Placing well-bred mares and fillies in parts of the country, other than Dartmoor, has become a vital strategy to preserve the native pony.
“This is especially important should there be a major disease outbreak on Dartmoor.”
The ponies chosen for conservation schemes are given basic handling before being sent to the projects.
“It’s important that we can handle the ponies safely when they are checked over by the vet and farrier every six months, but they must not be so tame that they get too close to the public,” said Lucy.
The DPHT has also sold ponies to other conservation schemes, including the East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths National Nature Reserve.
It charges from £275 plus VAT per pony.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (29 December 2011)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.