Tell me about Exmoor ponies

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Patchworkpony

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Please tell me about Exmoor ponies - good or bad. Are they as difficult as some people say and are they nervous and stubborn to deal with? I have met highly respected horse people who say they wouldn't touch them and yet other people are addicted to Exmoors. What is the max weight they can carry and what would be the max height of a rider that doesn't look stupid? Photos please if possible!
 
I'm afraid I don't have any photos, but my Mother had an Exmoor as a girl, and she was the best pony she'd ever owned.
She was kind, loyal, a great jumper (used to jump out her field!) and great fun to ride and be around.

She'd love to have another Exmoor, and thinks that they are wonderful fun ponies.

My Mother was 13 when she got her, and was about 5 stone, and looked perfect on her (Figure was about 13hh).
 
I'm a fully fledged addict!!! Have moorbreds and upcountry breds and love them all to pieces.
They are smart (sometimes too bl00dy smart!), honest and loyal when you win their trust and show their affection willingly.
My main ridden girl is a chunky 12hh and I have don everything with her that my friend did with her 16hh TB (and more!) - we do dressage, county level in hand and ridden showing (even to Hoys qualifier standard), fun rides (with jumps) and every autumn we go down to Exmoor and help with the annual exmoor pony gatherings to bring the wild herds in from the moors for health checks/foal registrations - we've even been on countryfile doing this! She often beats much bigger horses in races and will happily lead others through river crossings where the water is up to her tummy!
The moorbreds (given they have spent the first 6months of their lives feral) do tend to take a bit more time and patience in terms of early handling than some of the upcountry herds although having said that, a lot of the upcountry herds run on land just as rugged and beautiful as Exmoor rather than being bred within the confines of a stud yard (so to speak) so retain that inherent self preservation instinct...but to be honest, I don't treat any of them any differently that I do any other breed. Boundaries are given and must be adhered to as far as I am concerned and that seems to work well for the exies as they know where they stand and how far they can push their luck!
I'm only 5' but weigh about 10st at the moment (on yet another diet now!!) and my girls carry me with ease. I have friends much taller who happily ride their exies - the ponies don't feel small as they are basically 14hh pony bodies on top of really short legs so there is plenty there to take up the riders legs.
The best thing about owning an exmoor though is the instant group of friends you have! The Exie owners are genuinely the friendliest bunch around and will always be willing to provide a helping hand in whatever situation you and your Exie are in! If I never have another breed again I really don't think it would bother me one bit!
I'll try to link to some photos but I am totally useless with this forum and pics :(

Ps did I mention they are really hardy and basically live on fresh air?!! Another bonus!

ETA Don't know if this link will work...this is me riding my main girl and leading one of our youngsters last summer:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/745
 
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I have had quite a number over the years.
Those who say the breed are a problem have usually seen badly behaved ponies owned by people who haven't had the time, knowledge or finance to get the ponies done the right way.

They are intelligrnt and very quick to learn, whether good or bad training.
Ours did everything from in - hand, ridden and whp at local level, right up to Wembley and Olympia, to pony club and hunting as well as breeding from a few.
There are a couple of bloodlines i would steer away from, but otherwise they make good little riding ponies.

Happy to try to help, drop me a pm if you wish :)
 
I have an exmoor x welsh who was wild off the moor when I got him as a 3 year old (he is 14 now). He is so sweet but very cheeky, full of character and very intelligent. He loves his jumping and cross country is a firm favourite of his. He is a bit of a pig and lives of fresh air so is a little on the chunky side. My mum weighs 11 stone and he easily carries her. This is the only photo that I have of him with my mum riding on my laptop. She wouldn't swap him for anything and he is a firm favourite with visitors.
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They are not inherently nervous at all. They are definitely pretty smart and full of character but I've met them in all shapes, sizes and attitudes.

Easy to look after- grow huge thick coats in winter and have good feet. Can be tricky to keep thin.

They're very strong and will take 12 stone all day. They're big bodied so even tall people look fine.

My advice is judge the pony in front of you- lots of people tattle on about them not being kids ponies or whatever but that's all rubbish.

I think they're great. Don't really understand why people have other breeds.

It's not all tea and cakes in the breed society though. So just be aware.
 
Thank you so much - all these comments are very helpful and positive. I have considered an Exmoor in the past but those I have been to see have all been stubborn and bad mannered - probably why they were for sale. That said I think they are a very attractive breed that obviously need proper handling from day one.
 
Patchworkpony said:
Are they as difficult as some people say and are they nervous and stubborn to deal with?
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I rode one as a teenager and he was lovely. I think they get a reputation for being nervous and stubborn due to the early handling a lot of the moorland ponies get, most ponies (or horses) would be nervous if their only human interaction as a foal was having someone grab their ear and hot brand them 3 times.
 
laura_nash said:
I rode one as a teenager and he was lovely. I think they get a reputation for being nervous and stubborn due to the early handling a lot of the moorland ponies get, most ponies (or horses) would be nervous if their only human interaction as a foal was having someone grab their ear and hot brand them 3 times.
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You are so right and yet they are still following this horrible tradition.
 
Rapidash said:
It's not all tea and cakes in the breed society though. So just be aware.
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Patchworkpony said:
Yes I've heard all about that - what a shame!
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There has been a lot of negative online publicity generated about the breed society over the past few years by one individual (under various guises) resulting in the society having to remove two members (said individual and her OH) in the course of the last year. It has been an extremely frustrating period for all involved to see the society being constantly brought into disrepute in the public domain without valid reason (ie don't believe everything you read...) and having to spend a lot of time and valuable money (solicitors) on addressing the situation. Thankfully the society is now getting back on track and able to concentrate fully on doing what they are supposed to as a registered charity - promoting and preserving the registered Exmoor Pony.

Discounting the situation above, I can honestly say that every single person I have met through the society has been friendly, most helpful and really supportive (in which other breed society would you be cheered by fellow competitors as you take a spot higher than them in a showing class line up?!!). I have met some firm friends from all over the UK through these wonderful little ponies and they are friends I know I will have for life.
 
exmoorponyprincess1 said:
Discounting the situation above, I can honestly say that every single person I have met through the society has been friendly, most helpful and really supportive (in which other breed society would you be cheered by fellow competitors as you take a spot higher than them in a showing class line up?!!). I have met some firm friends from all over the UK through these wonderful little ponies and they are friends I know I will have for life.
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How lovely - I certainly never found that when I showed Welsh cobs! Which part of the world do you live in? I loved the pic of you on your Exmoor. How many hands is it and what height are you - you certainly looked good on board?
 
I have two, a 21yo and a 5yo-both Cumbrian moor bred. The 21yo did the rounds of low end sales until he was 4-although the person who bought him thought he was two. She had him as a companion to her horses until he was 14 and then gave up riding and I got him on permanent loan as a companion. He was pretty low mileage, had sort of been backed for pony rides. He was also the fattest pony I'd ever seen. I rebacked him, taught him to lunge, long rein and do in-hand work (he does some mean lateral work!). He gave pony rides to my disabled step kids and I used to hack him out bareback. Try as we might though, he's still useless in traffic-he's also the least altruistic beast on the planet. Saying that, my non-horsey OH can deal with him on the ground completely safely and pony likes nothing better than being taken out in hand scrambling in the local woods and he'll go over/through anything. He's only 12.1h, is a complete tart with mares about and makes me laugh daily. He's in good shape and still winters out as nature intended, never been shod but did need boots on occasion-he's mostly retired due to lack of time.

The 5yo I got as a weanling off the more-so he too had been branded, chipped, flipped to inspect the soles of his feet. He is the happiest, most easy going, genuine pony ever and love him to bits. He's the first to come and see me (usually at the gallop lol).He's a very chunky 13h, seriously quick to learn, backing him was a doddle, he's great on the roads and would look very smart driven. He's got a stunning trot and a really good front on him.

I don't do breed socs or showing as would rather stick pins in my eyes. If you want a small, extremely hardy and clever native then they are ace. I don't find them difficult (occasionally a little stubborn about stuff they don't see the point of lol) but they have a very strongly defined sense of justice and don't forgive or forget rough handling. They can also be funny about change-new hats, head collars etc and my older pony cannot handle my stockman's coat at all lol. He's also still quite defensive and still funny about his ears. When I put a head collar/bridle on/off I cue him by saying head in or head out and he literally does this while I hold it. People who can't get on with them are the sort that won't listen to what the pony is telling them (and I don't mean in a NH sense either). I had one as a kid in the 70s and he was no angel but he did live until his late 30s and taught lots of children to ride-and he was a rescue when we got him, had been very neglected.

Mine are both insanely good doers, moving them to rough hill grazing has made my life much easier. I never worry about them in bad weather at all.
 
oh, and I agree that the breed soc is not at fault in the row thats occurred in the last few years. A certain individual is causing a lot of upset through wilfully undermining what the society has and is achieving. This person is very social media savvy and has a lot of time on their hands-if they were that sure of their arguments then they wouldn't ban people asking questions of them or delete any comment they don't like. The result is a very one-sided, negative view of the society that is reaching a large audience.
 
Patchworkpony said:
How lovely - I certainly never found that when I showed Welsh cobs! Which part of the world do you live in? I loved the pic of you on your Exmoor. How many hands is it and what height are you - you certainly looked good on board?
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We are near Bristol - I am 5ft (but by no means a skinny minny!) and the one I am riding is only 12hh...thank you for your lovely words!
 
laura_nash said:
I rode one as a teenager and he was lovely. I think they get a reputation for being nervous and stubborn due to the early handling a lot of the moorland ponies get, most ponies (or horses) would be nervous if their only human interaction as a foal was having someone grab their ear and hot brand them 3 times.
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Patchworkpony said:
You are so right and yet they are still following this horrible tradition.
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Having been present on a few moorland herd inspection days and witnessed the handling/branding, from what I saw the foals were treated firmly but kindly (no hanging onto an ear for example) and the branding practice has been simplified so that only one brand is applied to the rump. The branding is only done for those foals who are going back onto the moor, foals born into "upcountry" herds (even still within the boundaries of Exmoor National Park - ie herds who do not have free living status) are not branded. Many breeders have not branded for a large number of years, even before the practice was redefined. Incidentally, our girls who were all branded when we got them as youngsters were easier to handle from their branded side when we started socialising them!
 
My daughter's first pony (on loan) was an exmoor, he'd been 16 for many years and had taught loads of children to ride. Although he'd originally been driven and had a bit of a reputation for naughtiness as a younger pony he was the perfect schoolmaster and gave my daughter bags of confidence. I have a lovely picture of him taking 7 year old daughter round a 2'3" hunter trial at Stockland Lovell, she has the biggest smile on her face, consequently I have great affection for the breed.
 
oldie48 said:
My daughter's first pony (on loan) was an exmoor, he'd been 16 for many years and had taught loads of children to ride. Although he'd originally been driven and had a bit of a reputation for naughtiness as a younger pony he was the perfect schoolmaster and gave my daughter bags of confidence. I have a lovely picture of him taking 7 year old daughter round a 2'3" hunter trial at Stockland Lovell, she has the biggest smile on her face, consequently I have great affection for the breed.
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What a lovely story - please can we see the picture.
 
My mare is Exmoor cross Welsh Section C and she is my best friend. They have lovely paces and a bold jump. My mare is brave and bombproof but so clever she is basically a criminal mastermind. They can carry up to twelve stone and are 14hh ponies just with strong little legs. In the wrong hands, they would take advantage, like any native pony. If you are wanting a youngster, the Mousie Trust would be a good place to start.
 
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Photo pre digital and no scanner but it did encourage me to spend a happy hour going through old photos of much loved past ponies and horses. i do have to confess though that my memory was not as good as I thought, the jump looks much smaller than 2'3" but daughter looks as happy as i remember. Sadly she no longer rides except on the odd occasion when she comes home but that pony started her off on many years of competing .
Patchworkpony said:
What a lovely story - please can we see the picture.
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I've not come across that many Exmoors in my time but the ones I have were lovely ponies, fun to ride and good natured. I had one to ride for two weeks when I went on holiday in Cornwall as a teenager and he was a great little chap.
 
I have really enjoyed reading these lovely and helpful posts. It is great that there are so many Exmoor fans out there - I am just sad there are no pony pics to see!
 
I have plenty (is there such a thing as too many?!) but I am absolutely useless at posting pics on this forum - so sorry!! :(

If you can be bothered copying and pasting the links, here are a few of our girls :)

Dunkery Firecrest 78/138:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/819
And this is her after rounding up the Anchor Herd on Winsford Hill at a very good pace for 3hrs last Oct...still raring to go!!
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/821
And this is her very pretty little face again!
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/820

Anchor Eastwind A/494 at Bath&West as a 3yo:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/822

My rising 2yo Finchcroft Mabel 428/16:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/825
And with my husband at the breed show last year as a yearling:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/826

Our old veteran girl (20years young!), Haddon Lucky 42/37:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/832

And finally Anchor Gumdrop A/564 as a rising 3yo who is now rising 4:
http://exmoorponytalk.proboards.com/attachment/download/828
 
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