Across the pond, the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) has stepped up to help farmers and breeders of the rare Dartmoor Pony, as the effects of the climate crisis, increase in the cost of feed, fuel, and just about everything else puts a strain on the local pony owners.
The DPHT has announce a substantial increase in support for breeders to try and maintain numbers of ponies being bred on the moor, which the society says has become alarmingly low, as has the gene pool. “Unless we step in to encourage breeders and keepers to continue keeping ponies on Dartmoor, those hardy, resilient, native Dartmoor ponies, which are a welcome sight at the moment, could be consigned to history,” says DPHT chairman Malcolm Snelgrove. “We need to step in and take action now.”
As all horse owners know, it’s not only the cost of feed and fuel that has increased, but vet and farrier bills are on the rise too. Another reason why this initiative is going to be welcome news to local breeders. “The extra support from the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust is like a comfort blanket for us,” says Margaret Rogers, a generational farmer and breeder.