I was up on Scorhill yesterday, a beautiful blue sky day and there were quite a few ponies around. I’m sure I photographed this grey mare in 2010, she hangs around the same spot. Â As well as this years foal, last years was still close by and I managed to snap them as she herded them away. I had the zoom lens on so I wasn’t too close.
Aren’t they beautiful?
Lucid Gypsy 
so precious!! well caught gilly 🙂
Thanks Christine!
Absolutely gorgeous, Gilly. What a magical time you must have had, watching and photographing them 🙂
Thank you, yes it was lovely 🙂
Amazing creatures and photos!
Gilly, these are beautiful pictures. Are they wild ponies?
Reblogged this on Cheryl Andrews and commented:
As must see … Gilly’s fascinating slideshow of Dartmoor Ponies. The Dartmoor Pony has lived in south-western England for centuries and is used for a variety of disciplines. Because of the extreme weather conditions experienced on the moors, the Dartmoor is a particularly hardy breed with excellent stamina. Over the centuries it has been used as a working animal by local tin miners and quarry workers. It is kept in a semi-feral state on Dartmoor, Devon.
Despite this, numbers have declined from an estimated 25,800 in the 1930s to about 5,000 today. Only around 800 ponies were known to be grazing the moor in the spring of 2004
You checked them out yourself! how lovely of you. When you drive across the moor they seem abundant but that’s partly because they hang around near the road hoping to get some handouts. People tempting them with food has caused problems in the past, I remember one time I was sitting in my car eating fish and chips with my daughter and my friend, when a pony head popped in the window! They are declining because of interbreeding and pure Dartmoors are becoming scarce.
Simply beautiful
Love them.
Aren’t they just amazing.
I love those ponies! Great shots!
Wonderful pictures! And aren’t zoom lenses great? These shots look as if you were almost within touching distance!
We came across a small herd of wild horses two years ago quite by accident. We went back last year as they migrated down from the mountains for water and food. We will be there again this spring! Your photos bring it all back. Such an exhilarating sight! Thank you for the reminder.
Happy to nudge you Paul, where were your wild horses?
The place is called Cold Creek Canyon about 30 minutes NW of Las Vegas.
Quite a bit wilder than Dartmoor!
Yes they are…wonderful sights!
Oh! Lovely photos – like the angles and movement!
Beautiful Gilly!!! 😀
These are wonderful. I love the one you caught from the side as the baby pushed herself under her mother’s neck. Sweet nature provides so much.
They are! Absolutely gorgeous creatures! Thanks Gilly.
Fantastic photos, they capture the free spirit of these beautiful animals. I used to ride a New Forest pony in my youth (many years ago….)
Thank you, do you still ride?
Not ridden for a long time, not since about 1970 when we moved to the city
Good thing they didn’t run towards you. Hehe. 😀
I do wish to see more of the black one, but the tall one will absolutely do, esp. with it running and you can see its muscles.
Beautiful………………
Aw, they are Gilly! Margie