pony pony horse breed native british isles semi feral livestock large area devon somerset southwest england given endangered status threatened status british isles mountain pony breeds having similar cold weather adapted pony breeds pony hardy variety equestrian activities free state breed presence contributes conservation management natural pasture habitats present britain fossil remains found area dating claim breed ice age claim modern dna research close morphological resemblance primitive wild horse investigations shown horses transport southwest england early roman carvings similar pony book records descendants removed form foundation today breed breed society formed breed nearly extinct second world war owing soldiers target practice thieves killing meat war small group breeders worked save 1950s began exported north_america stud book published publicity resulted increased interest breed estimated worldwide characteristics usually variant dark bay called brown markings eyes muzzle flanks markings occur horses considered primitive trait entry breed registry requires animal white markings usually stand hands inches recommended height limit hands inches hands inches taller limit reaching powerful build pony strong height noted endurance chest deep broad level legs short good bone hard sources state distinctly different jaw structure horse breeds includes beginnings development seventh misunderstanding based incorrect translation german study study properly translated refers feature found multiple horse breeds animals sizable lower jaws appears extra branch blood supply area extra tooth eventually developed extra blood supply frequency general horse population makes appearance pony head somewhat large proportion body small ears unique feature called eye caused extra helps water provide extra cold weather pony breeds grows winter coat consisting highly longer hairs prevent water sides animal fall areas tail thick long dock tail type common cold weather having coarse hairs called frost cap snow ice tail away groin areas fall long hairs hind legs history prehistoric origin theories claim breed directly descended isolated population wild ancestors bred pure ice age years old modern dna research date supported traditionally held view origin pony existing studies indicate share inherited mitochondrial dna horse breeds world inherited identical horses horses present britain hundreds thousands years species wild horse identified remains dating spear damage horse shoulder bone discovered pit dated showed early humans hunting horses area time horse remains recovered nearby remains dating found cave gorge miles horse tracks found area pre horse bones found chamber tombs dating modern dna studies genetic studies date prehistoric remains modern breed studied dna mitochondrial dna obtained passed male line worldwide shows little genetic variation horses second found china suggesting limited number contributed original domestic horse pony shares general contrast mitochondrial dna passed female line shows far variation dna indicating large number wild regions contributed modern domestic breeds found dna samples obtained wild horses prehistoric deposits found horses living individuals finds pony high frequency pre found different breeds world currently british isles dna samples available ireland wild horses abundant ice age lack sufficient pre dna samples makes impossible determine contribution wild horses modern breeds including pony study morphological characteristics outward appearance organisms indicated extremely close resemblance breeds consistently grouped results analyses showing closest relationship breeds studied closest breeds genetic distance distance significantly wider gap distance indication horses england comes archaeological investigations showing ancient wheeled horse drawn transport extensively southwest england early recent research indicated significant roman involvement mining metals including iron tin copper transported neighbouring export roman carvings showing british roman pulled similar found somerset recorded history modern times book mentions mentions rare sold private buyer sir warden took area hill owned land herd known anchor herd small number descendants original herd remain hill time removal rest sold stayed breeders area families preserve descendants animals 1820s 1860s produce successful hardy ancestors described hands inches high usually bay color similar today late 1800s began register formed published stud book second world war led sharp decrease breed population training ground breed nearly extinct surviving war partially soldiers target practice stolen eaten people cities war small group breeders continued preserve population publicity resulted increased interest breed north_america imported canada 1950s small maintained 1990s small established areas england maintain vegetation nature reserves managed organisations county wildlife registered branded point star near left shoulder 2000s attracted criticism limited semi feral choice british organisation established assist preservation pony little market organisation works raise funds training horses currently livestock considers population threatened levels meaning estimated global population breed annually considers breed endangered meaning population numbers estimated great_britain survival trust considers breed critical meaning active adult breeding estimated worldwide uses past pit kept semi feral conditions variety activities including showing long distance riding driving agility won divisions took title championships breed makes suitable conservation grazing contributes management chalk grassland natural pasture habitats conservation herd park moved military base czech_republic effort save biodiversity january
Exmoor pony