Dartmoor ponies galloping on the moorland as they are rounded up for the annual pony drift sales
The Dartmoor pony drift is an annual rounding up of all the ponies on the moorland. They are then sorted out in to who owns what, then any foals that are saleable, particularly coloured hill ponies & pure bred ones are kept in for the pony sales at Chagford. The mares are then released back on to the moor usually with a different stallion Splashing through Simon's Lake cantering down Sharp Tor galloping by Top tor moving very quickly altogether as a herd or group many riders gather them in on ponies or quad bikes. Steep hills of moorland by Dartmeet The Dartmoor pony is a horse breed that has lived in south western England for centuries and is used for a variety of disciplines. Because of the extreme weather conditions experienced on the moors, the Dartmoor is a particularly hardy breed with excellent stamina. Over the centuries it has been used as a working animal by local tin miners and quarry workers. It is kept in a semi-feral state on Dartmoor. Despite this, numbers have declined from an estimated 25,800 in the 1930s to about 500 today. As most farmers are greedy & want to make money from everything including the free grazing they are entitled too on the moor, unlike the Exmoor who has remained pure bred & valuable due to the proud & ethical way the Exmoor farmers keep their ponies on the moor. The Dartmoor has had cross breeding introduced which has been the downfall of the breed
Size: 5400px × 2576px
Location: Dartmoor National Park in South Devon UK
Photo credit: © Sheree Sedgbeer / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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