EXMOOR AND HIGHLAND PONIES 471 



moor, as in heavy weather they huddle together and turn 

 their hind quarters to the bitter winds, thereby affecting, in 

 the course of time, the carriage of their hocks and hind 

 quarters. Yet it is not every Dartmoor pony that is goose- 

 rumped or cow-hocked, and even when he is so afflicted, he 

 still remains one of the very best ponies for work, and 

 absolutely the hardiest constitutioned horse in the world. 

 That the tendency towards plainness is capable of modifica- 

 tion there can be no doubt, and probably the best of all 

 bloods to introduce for the purpose is that of the Exmoor, 

 provided that the stallion selected for the purpose is a pure- 

 bred moor pony, and not the result of some fantastic cross, of 

 which there have been far too many in North Devon as in 

 South. The wild Dartmoor hills would lose a great deal of 

 their charm were they not dotted with stray studs of these 

 pretty little creatures, which in summer lead an ideal life of 

 pleasure and freedom. Even in winter, when the mountains 

 are enveloped in snow they appear to enjoy life thoroughly. 

 Often may one observe a sturdy old mare go to a furze-bush 

 covered with snow, beat it with her foot, and after bruising 

 the bush, eat with apparently as much relish as she would a 

 bundle of the best upland hay. A great place for the sale of 

 the Dartmoor pony is Brent Fair, held at a convenient spot 

 on the southern edge of Dartmoor." J. B. T. KlNGWELL. 



Exmoor Breed. "The Exmoor pony should average 12 

 hands, and never be above 13 hands ; moorland bred ; gener- 

 ally dark, bay, or brown, with black points ; wide forehead 

 and nostrils ; mealy nose ; sharp ears ; good shoulders and 

 back ; short legs, with good bone and fair action." 



Fell and Highland Breeds. The North of England and 

 Highland ponies are a stronger and more powerful breed 

 than any, but though they make admirable riding ponies in 

 precipitous or soft ground, they are themselves hardly as 

 suitable for galloping as any of the other breeds. 



W. W. Wingate-Saul says of the Fell pony : " A very 

 powerful and compact cobby build, the majority having a 

 strong middle piece with deep chest and strong loin 

 characteristics, which, combined with deep sloping shoulders 

 and fine withers, make them essentially weight-carrying 



