Dartmoor Rescue ponys

[Miss Horse lover]

Hi everyone,

I'm still on the look out for a new horse for myself, and I think I have found a perfect share pony for my little girl to learn to ride on. But I have also been looking at the rescue dartmoor ponys as well, has anyone ever had one of the foals before. I do have experianced with youngsters and am really interested in giving one of these lovely little babies a home for life. Bit of a pointless post really but thought I would share and get others opinions on me rehoming one.
Thanks x

 

[rhino]

Do you mean Dartmoor Hill ponies (which are NOT the same as Dartmoor ponies)? They are a mixed bunch really, lots of different breeds in there to try and increase the height/make them 'pretty' and spotty

They are generally completely unhandled, so are not like a 'normal' youngster, at least to begin with. I have seen a few make nice, useful adults, but I have seen others with seriously dodgy conformation and those that have ended up being ruined by novices. Yes they are cheap, but they take more work than your average foal!

I find the 'rescue' idea fairly strange; they are bred in part to supply meat for local zoos etc. As long as the farmers are getting money, from this or from 'rescuers' they are continuing to breed; it's a bit of a vicious cycle IMO. There are plenty of genuine rescue horses and ponies out there looking for forever homes

 

[Spiritedly]

I have one and he is the most amazing pony. I got him in Feb 2011 and he was untouchable but over the last few months he has been backed by my 9 yr old son....he was an older one.... You would never believe now that he had ever been a semi-feral, he did his first in-hand show this year and got a first and a fourth and it was in an indoor school.
I can't recommend these ponies enough, they need patience and aren't for the faint hearted but the results are worth it.
If you do get one I recommend reading Sarah Westons 'No Fear, No Force'.

Harley when he arrived

And a year on

If you rehome through HOPE they have worked with the farmer they rehome from and he has removed and sold or gelded his stallions.

 

[KrujaaLass]

Wow. Hes cute

 

[Spiritedly]

Wow. Hes cute

Thank you, we're rather pleased with him

This is him with his best friend...

 

[paddy555]

They are generally completely unhandled, so are not like a 'normal' youngster, at least to begin with. I have seen a few make nice, useful adults, but I have seen others with seriously dodgy conformation and those that have ended up being ruined by novices. Yes they are cheap, but they take more work than your average foal!

I don't understand your comments. I have 4. They are fabulous ponies. Once the foals are given a good worming, probably deloused and fed they improve considerably. As children's ponies they are excellent. One of mine can keep up with my arab at a gallop and would make a super cross country pony except I don't have a child to ride it.
Yes they are unhandled but Sarah Weston describes how to train them and they are not difficult. It is more a matter of commonsense.
I have dealt with pure bred dartmoors and would much prefer a hill pony if I had a choice.

OP if you already have a horse/pony then let your foal live with it and it will soon get the idea of coming in, being fed etc. I think most people have found the best way of dealing with the foals is to keep them in for a while and get them used to people and handling.

 

[Miss Horse lover]

If you rehome through HOPE they have worked with the farmer they rehome from and he has removed and sold or gelded his stallions.[/QUOTE]

Yes it is the ones from hope rescue centre, Harley is lovely you look like you have done really well with him.

I understand whats been said about rescuing from somewhere else but I can't seem to find rescue centres in Scotland that have ponys that they loan to people in my area if you know what I mean, but if anyone knows somewhere or of any rescue ponys that would benefit from a loving life long home by all means let me know.

As far as I can tell hope are working with a farmer who is gelding all his stallions to stop the over breeding, but if these foals aren't re-homed they will be sold for meat.

 

[paddy555]

Thank you, we're rather pleased with him

This is him with his best friend...

that is just lovely.

 

[Miss Horse lover]

Hi paddy555 I don't currently have horse in the process of buying one if I can ever find one lol my horse and any ponys I get will be kept at a friends house with her, her daughters and her sisters horses so wouldn't be short of a friend or two.

 

[rhino]

I don't understand your comments.

Which part were you struggling to understand?

 

[Tinseltoes]

Harley is gorgeous.

 

[Spiritedly]

Harley is gorgeous.

Thank you I know some people don't class the DHP's as true rescues...although when you look at the first picture you'd have a job persuading me of that!...but the fact is if we didn't take a chance with him he'd be dead by now and we would have missed out on a fabulous pony.

 

[paddy555]

Which part were you struggling to understand?

I got the impression that you don't think many of them are up to much and can be problematical. My experience is the opposite.

 

[rhino]

Thank you I know some people don't class the DHP's as true rescues...although when you look at the first picture you'd have a job persuading me of that!...but the fact is if we didn't take a chance with him he'd be dead by now and we would have missed out on a fabulous pony.

"You can't change the whole world by saving one pony, but you can change the whole world for that one pony you save"

Nowt wrong with that, I'm just cynical as I see more being bred/passed through bottom end auctions/going for meat than ever before

ETA P555 yes I have worked with several, some of which had truly terrible conformation who found it unable to work correctly or well, and others who had ended up in entirely the wrong homes - i.e. back garden ponies as they were cheaper to buy than guinea pigs (sad but very true). I do think that there is a huge amount of irresponsible breeding of DHP's, either to make a few pounds or just because 'it's tradition'.