Dales pony
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
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Standard | Dales Pony Society |
Traits | |
Colour |
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The Dales Pony is a British breed of pony or small horse. It originated in, and is named for, the Dales of Yorkshire in northern England. It is one the nine native mountain and moorland pony breeds of the United Kingdom, and belongs to the broader Celtic group of ponies which extends from Portugal and northern Spain to Scandinavia.
It was originally a working pony, and its history is closely linked to the history of
Its qualities include strength, hardiness, stamina, courage, intelligence and good disposition.
History
Horses have been present and used in the Dales area from early times. Horse remains dating to
The modern Dales Pony is descended from a number of breeds, with the original working ponies being bred by crossing the Scottish
The Dales Pony
The breed almost disappeared during the
The Dales Pony has moved to "critical" status with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, meaning there is a United Kingdom population of fewer than 300 registered breeding females.[13] The US-based Livestock Conservancy lists the breed as "threatened", meaning that population numbers worldwide are sub-5,000 and annual US registrations are less than 1,000.[14]
Characteristics
The Dales Pony is ideally 14 to 14.2 hands (56 to 58 inches, 142 to 147 cm). The head is straight, neat, and broad between the eyes, with a fine muzzle and incurving ears. The body is fairly short in the back, with a broad and deep rib cage, long, broad and well-muscled quarters, a well-muscled neck of a good length joining neatly into strong withers and strong sloping shoulders. The legs are very muscular, with hard, dense bone, clearly defined tendons, flexible pasterns, and large round hooves with open heels. The mane, tail and leg feathers are straight, silky and abundant.[15]
The majority of the ponies are
Health
The Dales Pony is one of three breeds known to be a carrier of the fatal genetic disease
Uses
The Dales Pony may compete in
References
- ^ OASIS – OASIS reference northpen3-60750, Archaeology Data Service, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ISBN 9780415301497
- ^ Arthur Weigall (1926). Wanderings in Roman Britain. London: T. Butterworth, Ltd.
- ^ Transport: Ways and Means (PDF), Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2012, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ ISBN 9780760334997.
- ^ ISBN 9781580176132.
- ^ Dales Pony, Oklahoma State University, archived from the original on 30 December 2008, retrieved 22 December 2008
- ISBN 9780600613190.
- ISBN 9780091753320.
- ^ History, Dales Pony Society, archived from the original on 18 September 2015, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ a b Dales Pony, The Livestock Conservancy, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ History of the Breed, Dales Pony Society of America, archived from the original on 12 May 2014, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ Watchlist 2015, Rare Breeds Survival Trust, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 26 January 2015
- ^ Conservation Priority Equine Breeds 2014 (PDF), The Livestock Conservancy, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2014, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ a b Breed Standard, Dales Pony Society, 9 July 2012, archived from the original on 21 September 2014, retrieved 27 March 2014
- ^ Dales Pony, International Museum of the Horse, archived from the original on 17 September 2013, retrieved 28 March 2014
- ^ S2CID 39164130.
- PMID 21750681.
- ISBN 9781842364697
- ^ Murray, David (2 August 2007), "The pony's tale: native breeds under threat", The Independent, retrieved 27 March 2014