About Us

At the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust

We’re working hard to win support to help maintain and create more heritage pony herds on Dartmoor. Only then will Dartmoor’s heritage pony be safe within its context and landscape, treasured as essential to the natural environment it depends on and contributes so much to.

The ponies native to Dartmoor our team and volunteers work with are the characteristic traditional type, but unregistered.  They’re not recognised thoroughbreds, they’re heritage animals. 

Changes to rural and farming communities, the biodiversity crisis, nature emergency and climate change mean this charismatic breed matters more than ever.

The heroic role played by the farmers and breeders who have grazing rights on Dartmoor is key to everything we do. None of this could happen without them, and we salute them. We couldn’t do what we do without people like you, either. You sit at the heart of our work, central to Dartmoor’s future. 

We’ve started an ambitious local project with international implications. Upland Heathland is extremely rare in Europe and our work underpins the survival of the entire moorland ecosystem.  

If you’d like to join us, donate or become a volunteer, we’d love to hear from you.

OTHER KEY ASPECTS OF OUR WORK

Working with key partners is critical to our aims; we work closely with conservation bodies like the National Trust, Natural England and local Wildlife Trusts to place ponies for conservation grazing.  We also work closely with other stakeholders and pony keepers to ensure their involvement in conserving the Heritage Dartmoor Pony.

Our bespoke visitor and education centre at Parke Estate is open to the public on selected days throughout the year and is a valuable resource in promoting our efforts and education opportunities.

If you’d like to discuss our work and what we do here at DPHT, call us on 01626 833234 or email admin@dpht.co.uk

Our Philosophy

Conservation and education sit at the heart of everything we do, playing a key part in the thinking process behind all of our decisions.  Without your invaluable help we couldn’t protect the future of the beautiful Dartmoor Pony for future generations.  Thanks to your generosity we work tirelessly to create awareness, build exciting opportunities for engagement and educate people about these hardy intelligent creatures who call Dartmoor their home.