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.