Twelve heritage Dartmoor ponies recognised through DPHT Heritage Passport scheme

Twelve ponies from one of Dartmoor’s oldest herds have been recognised as true-to-type heritage Dartmoor ponies following inspection under the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust’s Heritage Passport scheme.

The ponies, belonging to Dartmoor hill farmer Neil Cole, were inspected at Princetown by Dartmoor Pony Society (DPS) chair Jackie Newbery and DPS panel judge Heather Banbury.

All 12 met the required breed standard and can now be issued with DPHT Heritage Passports and added to the DPHT Heritage List, providing important recognition and traceability for ponies from a herd that has been part of Dartmoor’s farming tradition for generations.

The Heritage Passport scheme has been established to identify and recognise heritage Dartmoor ponies that conform to the traditional type. Ponies are formally assessed by two DPS-listed judges against the recognised breed standard before being accepted onto the DPHT Heritage List.

A DPHT Heritage Passport has value in its own right. It demonstrates that a pony has undergone a formal inspection and meets the required standard, distinguishing it from a pony carrying only a basic identification passport.

It also gives the Trust greater traceability of heritage Dartmoor ponies and enables eligible Dartmoor farmers and keepers to access DPHT grants and support.

Neil Cole’s family has kept ponies on Dartmoor for generations and he believes maintaining good examples of the traditional pony is increasingly important.

“We’ve kept ponies for generations and ours is probably one of the oldest herds on the moor. We want to help these ponies survive because the numbers are dropping.

“With the rare breed supplements and the different agri-environment schemes, as well as the benefits of keeping endangered breeds out there on the moor, I think it’s important that we do this.”

Jackie Newbery, chair of the Dartmoor Pony Society, was encouraged by the standard of the ponies presented for inspection.

“It’s very encouraging to see the ponies here today. They are very good types and fit well within the breed description in terms of their height, colour and overall type. We’re definitely happy with the quality and standard we’ve seen.”

Heather Banbury, DPS panel judge, was equally impressed by the ponies.

“The ponies we’ve seen today are very good types and will be a valuable addition to the Dartmoor breed in the future.”

The inspection marked an important step for the DPHT Heritage Passport scheme, which is being delivered in conjunction with the Dartmoor Pony Society and Tor Equine.

Cath Anderson of the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to start the Heritage Passport scheme in conjunction with the Dartmoor Pony Society and Tor Equine. Today we’ve seen a lovely group of our first ponies, and the scheme will enable us to provide grants to support them, while also giving us much better traceability of the traditional Dartmoor pony on Dartmoor.”

For the 12 ponies inspected at Princetown, their Heritage Passports provide recognition of something Neil Cole and generations of Dartmoor farmers have worked to maintain: ponies that remain true to the traditional Dartmoor type and continue to have an important place in the landscape, farming and heritage of the moor.