The Exmoor Pony Breed Standard
Height
PREFERRED Range-
Stallion and Geldings-11.3 to12.3hh
Mares-11.2 to 12.2hh
General Appearance and Type
Look at the WHOLE pony-what breed is it?
It must shout by its appearance alone –I am an Exmoor not a Dartmoor or Welsh or small New forest!!
Definate’pony ’Character,hard and strong,Vigorous alert and symmetrical in appearance, Mealy muzzle, prominent hooded toad eye with circular mealy marking.
Head & Neck
Ears-short,thick and pointed.
Clean cut face-wide fore head.
Large eyes,wide apart with prominent and well defined fleshy hood above and fat pad below with mealy colouration outlining the eyes.
Nostrils –wide and square with mealy colouration around muzzle.
Clean Throat.
Good length of rein.
Shoulders
Clean,
Fine at top
Well laid back to allow free movement of the forelegs and comfortable riding gait.
Chest
Deep
Wide between forelegs.
Ribs-long,deep,well sprung and wide apart,allowing plenty of heart room and length of back for a saddle to fit behind the shoulder .
Back
Level-the ponies tend to be slightly croup high as a breed and ‘flat/level’backed is not helpful for the ridden pony though does disperse rain more effectively in a free living pony.
Broad and Level across the loins-good musculation for effective coverage of rough terrain
Tail neatly set in-along with the fan of shorter hair ‘snow shute’at the top of the tail and room for the dock to be set between the muscles of the buttocks an effective barrier to the weather is created .
Legs
Clean and short
Neat hard feet-matching even shape with leg set centrally above.
Forelegs-Well apart and squarely set, short canons and short strong gently sloping pasterns.
Hind legs-Well apart ,nearly perpendicular from hock to fetlock with point of hock in line with the pelvis bone.
Wide curve from flank to well let down hock joint allows room for a strong second thigh.
Free in motion with NO tendency to sweep or turn.
Knee and hock joints should be big and flat.
Action
Straight and smooth without exaggerated action
Balanced with good active hocks tracking through
Symmetry in the trot
Lightness off the forehand in canter.
Coat
Summer –close hard and bright
Winter-Double layer dense coat with an insulating layer of fine,springy hairand an outer water proof layer of hard,greasy longer fibers.
Colour
Bay ,brown or dun
Black points
Mealy colour-eyes muzzle,inside flanks
NO WHITE MARKINGS ANYWHERE
Quality
Alert expression and general poise indicating balance and symmetry of movement
Flat clean bone
+In the show ring this point is very important+
Judges will want to see a happy and relaxed pony with ears pricked ,moving freely with its handler.