Dales Pony

History
 The Dales Pony comes from the eastern slope of England's Pennines Range, originating from the ancient Pennine Pony that once lived there and the now extinct Scottish Galloway. When the Romans invaded the area between 43 and 410 AD, they discovered the the small ponies were strong, so they began using the ponies to carry heavy loads of lead from various to mines to mills. Often, the ponies would travel as much as 200 hundred miles a week without tiring.

 Later, Norfolk Trotter, Yorkshire Roadster, and Friesian blood was added to the mix, creating a pony with even more speed and substance, as well as flashy knee action from the trotter. In the eighteenth century, the agile pony with lots of stamina became favored by hunters. To improve the gait of the pony, a Welsh Cob stallion by the name Comet was breed to the dales in the 1850s. Not long after that, with the improvement of roads, the Dales became a stage coach horses.

 In 1916, the breed stud book was opened and the Dales Pony Improvement Society was formed. It was in the early part of this century, however, that the breed was hit pretty bad. They were used during the first World War and again in World War II. World War II almost brought the end of the breed. Hundreds of mares were taken by the army to by used for breeding cavalry mounts, many never to return to their homeland again. In 1964, The Dales Pony Improvement Society, who then changed their name to the Dales Pony Society, began to make efforts to save the breed. They searched for Dales Ponies, registering them and breeding them. Over the next seven years, the number of ponies steadily increased. Today, only about 300 exist in North America.

Dales Ponies and strong and sturdy, commonly coming in black.
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Breed Description and Uses
 Dales Ponies, standing 14 hands high on average, are sturdy and muscular. They have strong, solid hooves, often tinted blue; clean legs with some feathering on them; sloping shoulders; arched necks; a straight profile; and a small muzzle. They are most commonly black, but bay, gray, and roan sometimes occurs.

 The Dales' endurance makes it excellent in almost every equestrian sport, particularly driving and English sports.

The Gypsy Vanner Horse

 Gypsies love color and elegance, and wanted a flashy horse that resembled a small Shire with a more feather and a sweeter head. After the second World War, they set to work to create the desired breed, selectively breeding horses that included Shire, Clydesdale, Dale Pony, and Friesian blood in their veins. Sonny Mays, one of the foundation stallions, produced many pinto patterned horses, which were uncommon in the United Kingdom just after World War II. Gypsies say that he is responsible for most colored horses on the UK today. Black horses, namely Friesians, also played a major role in creating the breed, resulting in many black and white foals.

Gypsy Vanners are rather small horses, coming complete with long manes,
tails, and feathering. credit

The magical-looking breed remained hidden from most of the world until 1992, when two Americans---Dennis and Cindy Thomson---discovered one standing in a field on a trip to Europe. The two American's curiosity was piqued. Later, they were invited by the owner of the stallion to attend Appleby, a ten day Gypsy horse fair. Over the next ten days, they took note of every Gypsy breeding and selling Gypsy Vanners, keeping their contact information for later reference. As days past, their curiosity for the small caravan horse blossomed into a passion.

 On November 24, 1996, after years of painstaking research, the couple founded the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society. From then on, interest in the breed only grew. Today there are 3,036 registered horses.

 Standing only 13.2 to 15.2 hands high, Vanners resemble small Shires, with rounded hindquarters; short, sturdy necks; and long feathering starting at the knee, which not only looks beautiful but also serves the purpose of protecting the legs from the elements. Their manes and tails are long, flowing.

 Gypsy Vanners were originally used as caravan horses, so they move in a fast, snappy trot. Their canter is graceful and bounding.

 Vanners usually come into pinto patterns, such as piebald, which is black and white; skewbald, a mixture of of brown, red, and white; and blagdon, any solid color with splashes of white underneath. very rarely, a Vanner will come out with out any spots at all. 

 Vanners are very versatile creatures. They will do anything for their master, including carriage driving, combined driving, pleasure riding, trail riding, hunting, and jumping. Because they are intelligent, affectionate, and calm, they make excellent therapy horses.

Dales Pony

The Dales pony is a native British breed that has never been wild, being bred by man in captivity. It has descended from the Celtic pony, like many other British breeds. It also has other breeds mixed into it.

Long ago, the Fell pony and the Dales pony were pretty much the same breed. The Fell pony came from the west of the Pennine hills and the Dales from the east(the Pennine hills stretch through the northern half of England)Back then, both ponies were called Pennine ponies.

Dales ponies, known for being both good trotters and for their ability to pull heavy loads, were used by the army to carry ammunition to soldiers as well as to pull mine carts full of lead or coal. Also, it was ridden by farmers. Dales ponies can run a mile in three minutes and can carry up to 220 pounds.

Characteristics

The Dales pony is strongly built and has sturdy joints. Its hooves are hard and have bluish tint to them;feathers grow on the fetlock. Its face shows alertness, its ears are short, and its eyes are bright. The mane and tail are wavy. It can grow to be up to 14.2 hands tall. The pony can be either black, brown, bay, or grey.

Ancestry

The Celtic pony was crossed with a Friesian-Ariegeois cross bred horse that was brought to england by the Romans. In the 1800s, a Welsh Cob was added to the mix, and finally, Clydesdales were added for size.

Dales Pony's Uses Today

The Dales pony is mostly used as a trekking pony or a driving pony.