Dartmoor pony campaigners welcome Government pledge that numbers will not be cut — but warn promise must now be written into grazing policy.
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association has welcomed a commitment from the Environment Secretary that there will be “no planned reduction” in the number of Dartmoor ponies, and is now seeking reassurance that this will be reflected in policy and legislation as a matter of urgency.
Responding to a question in Parliament yesterday from Labour MP, Steve Race, the Secretary of State said Dartmoor ponies are a vital part of the landscape and history of Dartmoor, and that she wants to see pony numbers maintained and the condition of Dartmoor improved.
The Secretary of State also confirmed that the Government is working on solutions to support Dartmoor ponies and said she would visit Dartmoor to see the ponies for herself in the coming weeks.
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association welcomed the statement as an important step forward, but warned that the commitment now needs to be reflected in grazing agreements.
It is calling on Natural England and Defra to implement Recommendation 27 of the independent Fursdon Review, which states:
“Dartmoor’s pony population is genetically important and invaluable for conservation grazing. Ponies and cattle should not be linked for the calculation of agri-environment agreement stocking rates and Natural England should not take actions likely to result in a decline in pony numbers.”
The Association is also calling for existing grazing agreements to be extended until the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group, set up after the Fursdon Review, reports in 2027.
Charlotte Faulkner, Chair of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, said:
“This is a very welcome statement from the Secretary of State. Dartmoor’s semi-wild Hill Ponies are native, iconic and vital to the future of the moor.
“The commitment that there will be no planned reduction in Dartmoor pony numbers is exactly the reassurance people have been looking for.
“The next step is to turn that promise into policy. That means implementing Recommendation 27 of the Fursdon Review, so ponies and cattle are not linked together in stocking-rate calculations and no action is taken that leads to a decline in pony numbers.
“Dartmoor does not need fewer ponies. It needs a grazing policy that keeps these endangered and genetically rare ponies where they belong: on the moor.”
This makes it even more important that future stocking agreements do no force commoners to cull the semi-wild pony herds. Semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Ponies are especially important because they graze coarse vegetation, including Molinia grass, in exposed and difficult parts of the moor where other grazing can be harder to sustain.
Natural England has recognised that under-grazing is contributing to the spread of Molinia across parts of Dartmoor, which is harming biodiversity. The Association says that makes it even more important that future agreements do not make it harder for commoners to keep pony herds on the commons.
Charlotte Faulkner added:
“This is not ponies versus biodiversity. Ponies are part of the biodiversity solution.
“We welcome the Secretary of State’s engagement and would be delighted to show her the herds, the commons and the practical realities of managing semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Ponies.
“But the people who keep the ponies must be in the room when decisions are made. The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association represents commoners who keep these herds alongside cattle and sheep on the commons. If that knowledge is missed, the policy will not work.”
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association is calling on Natural England and Defra to:
Implement Recommendation 27 of the Fursdon Review.
● Ensure future agreements do not lead to a decline in semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Pony numbers.
● Extend current agreements until the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group reports.
● Include the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association as a stakeholder in future discussions.
● Set out, as soon as possible, how the Government’s commitment to maintain pony numbers will be delivered in practice.
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association is asking members of the public who care about Dartmoor’s ponies to support the campaign, share the issue, and sign the petition calling for urgent protection for the semi-wild herds.
Notes to editors
● Steve Race, Labour MP for Exeter, asked the Secretary of State in Parliament what steps she is taking to support native Dartmoor ponies. The exchange can be found here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/0a378fe5-0a46-4985-b945-4618db6cb14d
● The Secretary of State said Dartmoor ponies are a vital part of Dartmoor’s landscape and history, and that she wants to see pony numbers maintained and the condition of Dartmoor improved.
● The Secretary of State also said there would be “no planned reduction” in the number of Dartmoor ponies under this Government, and that further details would be set out in due course.
● The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association represents Dartmoor commoners who keep semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Pony herds on the commons alongside cattle and sheep.
● Dartmoor Hill Ponies are semi-wild, not ownerless. They roam freely on Dartmoor’s commons but are owned and managed by commoners.
● Dartmoor’s semi-wild pony herds are part of the moor’s cultural and ecological history. Natural England has described them as “iconic”, “native”, and part of Dartmoor’s grazing system. Natural England has also stated that ponies have helped shape Dartmoor for millennia.
● The ponies are conservation grazers. Dartmoor Hill Ponies are particularly valued because they can graze coarse vegetation, including Molinia, in exposed and difficult parts of the moor where other grazing may be harder to sustain.
● Molinia, also known as purple moor grass, is spreading across parts of Dartmoor. Natural England has conceded that under-grazing contributes to Molinia encroachment. Reducing pony numbers would risk worsening the problem.
● The Fursdon Review was an independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor, commissioned by Defra and published in 2023. It examined how to balance environmental recovery with farming, commoning, public access, cultural heritage and Dartmoor’s working landscape.
● Recommendation 27 of the Fursdon Review states: “Dartmoor’s pony population is genetically important and invaluable for conservation grazing. Ponies and cattle should not be linked for the calculation of agri-environment agreement stocking rates and Natural England should not take actions likely to result in a decline in pony numbers.”
● The Dartmoor Land Use Management Group was established following the Fursdon Review to consider how its recommendations should be implemented. It is due to report in 2027.
● The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association is calling for current agreements to be extended until the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group has completed its work, rather than introducing new Environmental Land Management scheme contracts on Dartmoor commons before that process has reported.
● Recent public concern has focused on whether future grazing agreements could indirectly reduce pony numbers. Natural England has said it has not recommended a cull of Dartmoor ponies. The Association’s concern is that if ponies are linked with cattle in stocking-rate calculations, commoners may be forced into decisions that reduce pony numbers.
● Dartmoor Hill Ponies are numerically endangered and genetically rare. For this reason Semi-wild Dartmoor Hill ponies are accredited as Native At Risk. The Association says further reductions could put the long-term future of the semi-wild herds at risk.
For further information, interviews or photographs, please contact: Jo-Anne Lovemore