“I have never before, in my long and eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty.” Steven Spielberg
In the film War Horse, the Dartmoor landscape is described as “the third character” in the epic story and this extraordinary part of Devon.
Covering an area of 368 square miles, Dartmoor is about the size of London but is home to only around 35,000 people. 90% of the land is used for farming, much of it pastoral – cows, sheep and ponies outnumber humans.
It’s not hard to imagine why many poets, writers and artists found inspiration within this bleak yet evocative landscape. The sheer expansiveness is breathtaking. It completely undoes me. When the fog rolls in and the sun begins to set, the landscape takes on another character all together.
When I first experienced this wild place, I was in awe terrain.. and then I saw the ponies.
These wild ponies can be seen roaming freely on the moors across Dartmoor National Park. One of the oldest breeds of ponies in the world, they are considered the closest breed to wild horses remaining in Europe. They’ve lived on the moor for centuries, thriving despite harsh winter weather; there are records going back to 1012 AD acknowledging their presence and footprints being discovered that date back 3,500 years. The moors are known for its extreme weather conditions, of which the ponies have developed into particularly hardy breed with impressive stamina.
Over the centuries, the ponies have been used in Dartmoor’s mining industry to transport ore, for shepherding, taking families to market and on occasion, even helping the postman deliver letters.
I was encouraged to discover that all of the moor’s ponies belong to different pony keepers, who ensure that each herd is healthy. Once a year, the ponies are rounded up to be marked and checked over. Note: it is illegal to feed them. If people feed ponies, it attracts them to the roadside and puts them at risk of being killed.
