Statement on Dartmoor ponies
Dartmoor’s iconic ponies are here to stay, playing an important ecological role and helping shape a wilder future for the moor.
At Rewilding Britain, we are deeply concerned by the recent wave of misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the future of Dartmoor’s iconic ponies. As Natural England has made it clear, claims of government-mandated culls and the removal of ponies from the moor are entirely false.
Ponies are not being pushed out. Under both current and upcoming land management schemes, ponies are recognised, valued and financially supported.
When the right number and mix of animals graze the right areas, ponies can play an important ecological role. Alongside other measures such as rewetting peatbogs their unique grazing behaviour can help tackle invasive Molinia (purple moor grass) which is currently suffocating the moor. This opens up space for heathlands, rare wildflowers, and bird species to thrive. However, science also shows us that some overgrazed areas need a significant reduction in grazing pressure to allow a rich mosaic of Dartmoor’s delicate ecosystems — like its rare temperate rainforests — to recover and regenerate once more.
Rather than working to a single blanket rule, Natural England’s new funding schemes allow commoners and land managers to tailor grazing levels locally as long as this supports nature’s recovery. Keeping ponies within these voluntary agreements ensures they retain their public funding, securing their place on the landscape.
Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain said: “By moving past toxic misinformation and working together on an integrated management plan, we can ensure a bright, stable future for Dartmoor where traditional commoning, thriving wild nature and these magnificent ponies prosper side by side.”
Take a ‘deeper-dive’ into all the issues surrounding Dartmoor’s ponies and read this blog from the Dartmoor Nature Alliance.