Pony rehoming 2013

The situation is very complex on Dartmoor but due to the economy and a change in transport laws hundreds of Dartmoor Hill Ponies don't sell at the markets.  These farmers are in the process of reducing the number of ponies they keep but in the meantime they have asked us to help find homes for the ponies so they don't have to be shot.  Although the Zoo meat scheme is run by a highly skilled professional who minimises the stress for the ponies, we would prefer that these ponies are given a chance in good homes.

However, please don't take on one of these ponies if you aren't willing to ask for advice and help in how to train them.  Even if you are very experienced with horses & training youngsters, training a wild pony (especially an older one,) can be very hard if you don't have help. Please do remember we will try and help you as much as we can so do email / call us if there are any problems.  

We are asking for £80 per pony to cover your pony being microchipped, passported, wormed, de-loused and a copy of Sarah Weston's wonderful training book "No Fear, No Force" which details how to work with your feral pony in a non-confrontational and gentle way.  We'll also send out a load of training information that we've compiled over the years at the DPTC.   

If you want to take on one of the ponies from the farms we're working with then please do the following:

• Download the form below and email it to the person dealing with the farm you want to take a pony on from (We won't have time to respond to any other emails as it's a super busy and stressful time for us.  If you have any questions then put them on your form.)   You'll also need to put two references on the form.  
• Wait for us to contact you (after we've checked your references,) saying whether your first choice of pony is available.  We will then provide you with our bank details.  Ponies are reserved on a first come first served basis when the money is received.  Please mark the payment with the reference of your full name so that it's easy for us to check off who's paid. 
• Arrange for your pony to be collected; the person dealing with your ponies farm will contact you directly with the dates on which the ponies must be collected from the farm. Local transporters who we've worked with in the past are: PC Horse Transport, Paul, 07860 261144 and Willhayes Horse Transport, Brian, 01392 832466.
• Please contact us if you need any support with training or problems you might be having. Working with these ponies can be challenging and we want to make sure you do really well together. We'd also love it if you put updates on the DPTC facebook group as we love to see how they're doing.  Please look at the DPTC facebook group for pictures of ponies from previous years.  

All of us who work at the DPTC work for free and are often out of pocket after the autumn rehoming because of the high fuel costs travelling over to the farms in Widecombe.  We'd be very grateful if you'd consider making a donation to the DPTC along with your pony payment to try and help us recoup some of our costs.  

Anyone taking on a pony through our rehoming scheme is eligible to a free spectator place on our foal handling course in Widecombe from the 28th October to the 1st of November.  Please fill in the appropriate section on the form if you're interested.  

Four more ponies urgently looking for homes

PLEASE READ THE BELOW INFO CAREFULLY  BEFORE CONTACTING US

The situation is very complex on Dartmoor but due to the economy and a change in transport laws hundreds of Dartmoor Hill Ponies are looking for homes every year.  These farmers are in the process of reducing the number of ponies they keep but in the meantime they have asked us to help find homes for the ponies so they don't have to be shot.  Although the Zoo meat scheme is run by a highly skilled professional who minimises the stress for the ponies, we would prefer that these ponies are given a chance in good homes.

Last Autumn we helped rehome 50 ponies for 4 farmers on Dartmoor.  We have been contacted by another farmer who keeps ponies close to where we are based on Dartmoor who has asked us to try and find homes for 4 ponies.  

We are looking for PERMANENT homes for these ponies, so please don't contact us if you aren't able to offer this.  Even if you are very experienced with horses & training youngsters, training a wild pony can be hard if you don't have help so we would also say that you need to be the kind of person who is able to ask for help if you get stuck with training.

We would strongly recommend you get Sarah Weston's book "No fear, no force" available on Amazon and on Sarah's website.  Please do remember to contact us to ask for help if there's anything you're getting stuck on.  We will also help you to rehome if for some reason you can't keep the pony (though as we said before we are only looking for homes that will do their utmost to provide forever homes...)  We will send the ponies out with a training information pack to help you with everything from settling them in to halter training them.    

We are asking for £50 per pony to cover the cost of microchipping / passporting and vets visit.  There is also the option of paying an extra £6 to get your pony wormed / de-loused when they are microchipped so do let us know asap if you want this to happen and transfer the extra £6.  

If you want to take on one of the ponies below then please arrange transport then contact me (Natalie: 07802 218169 / dartmoorponytrainingcentre@yahoo.co.uk) to see if the ponies are still available.  If they are and we decide you are suitably prepared for taking on one of these ponies then you can transfer the £50 per pony to our bank account and we'll reserve the pony for you.  

Bank: Cooperative Bank 
Account name: Dartmoor Pony Training Centre 
Account number: 6518 3357
Sort code: 08-92-99

Thanks for all your help everyone, it's amazing, our photos have been shared over 3500 times over facebook and if everyone has on average 250 friends, that's potentially 875,000 people who would have seen the plea! 

If anyone wants to take on a pony but isn't able to get one from this last lot please do stay in contact. We can put you in contact with other organisations rehoming Dartmoor's or there will be plenty more in the autumn!  

1.  Yearling filly (not 100% filly as hard to see!) Very inquisitive and friendly!

2. Yearling filly (not 100% filly, pictured with Dam.) Very interested in people!  

3. Two year old filly.  Age approximate as the farmer didn't really know what he had on the moor.  She looks quite young still but we can't be sure of age.  There's a possibility she might be pregnant as she has quite a round belly.  Very inquisitive but not as brave as the yearlings. 

4. Two year old filly.  Age approximate as the farmer didn't really know what he had on the moor.  She looks quite young still but we can't be sure of age.  Not 100% sure of sex as wasn't able to get really up-close.   Very inquisitive but not as brave as the yearlings. 

Legend and Trophy - Margaret Rogers' ponies

Hi all,

Below are pics of Legend and Trophy, two yearling colts belonging to a pony keeper Margaret Rogers.  She has asked me to put them up on the blog to help her find homes for them.  They are with foster carers at the moment and are just about to be castrated.  

She is asking for £150 for the dark bay mealy nosed boy and £200 for the brighter bay but is open to offers for good homes.  They both have DPS pink passports.  Sorry, I don't know which one is Legend and which one Trophy! 

Please contact Margaret for more info:

Margaret Rogers

www.northhallmanor.co.uk

01364 621235

info@northhallmanor.co.uk

May & Grace

May and Grace (her daughter) are looking for a forever home.  Grace was born at the DPTC around 4 years ago and went to do conservation grazing with her mum.  They both came back in 2012 and we are now looking for a home for them together.

May
Age: ? will check, in her teens I think!
Height: Around 11.2hh
History & temperament:  May came to us in foal from a farmer that we do a lot of work with.  He'd been unable to sell her at market so we agreed to take her on.  She had live in the moor her whole life and hadn't been handled so she needs quite a lot of work to get her used to people.  She is gradually building up her confidence with us and I think we'll soon be able to feed her from a bucket and get her halter trained and used to leading.  She is very attached to her daughter Grace and we'd very much like to see them homed together. She has a very soft, sweet temperament and is interested, if still a bit worried, about people!

Grace

Age: Approximately 4 years
Height: 12.2hh / 13hh.
History & temperament: Grace is a real sweetie.  She came back to us after 4 years of conservation grazing where she hadn't been touched but is very interested in people.  We can touch her all over and she now wears a headcollar and can be led around a little bit.  She will make a fab all round pony as she is really gentle and sweet.  She is obviously still very green so will need more work either at the DPTC or her new home.  She is very attached to her mum May and so would like to rehome them together.  In a herd situation they are fine to spend time apart but they do have a very strong bond.

For more information please contact Natalie who can send you out a rehoming form.  Tel: 07802 218169. Email: dartmoorponytrainingcentre@yahoo.co.uk.

Finn

Finn

Age: Approximately 5 years.

Height: 12.1hh

History & Temperament: Finn is such a sweet pony and very handsome.   He was with us till he was a yearling and then went out to do conservation grazing for 4 years or so.  He's come back as a 5 year old that hasn't really done anything so we're busy teaching him to wear a headcollar and then be led around, pick up feet etc.  He's a bit nervous of people but seems to be coming round.  He seems to love standing licking your hands for hours which is very sweet!  He needs a sensitive home and would probably be better suited as an adults riding or driving pony.  He is part registered I think so perhaps there might be the possibility of showing him? Though it would take time and plenty of desensitisation to get him to this point!    

For more information please contact Natalie who can send you out a rehoming form.  Tel: 07802 218169. Email: dartmoorponytrainingcentre@yahoo.co.uk.

Woody

Woody

Age: Approximately 5 years.

Height: 12.1hh

History & Temperament: Woody is a real sweetie and a very handsome pony.  He was with us till he was a yearling and then went out to do conservation grazing for 4 years or so.  He's come back as a 5 year old that hasn't really done anything so we're busy teaching him to wear a headcollar, be led around, pick up feet etc.  He's a bit nervous of people but seems to be coming round.  He's lost plenty of weight since he came back so isn't quite so fat anymore!  He needs a sensitive home and would probably be better suited as an adults riding or driving pony.  He's very inquisitive and interested in everything that happens at the field!  

For more information please contact Natalie who can send you out a rehoming form.  Tel: 07802 218169. Email: dartmoorponytrainingcentre@yahoo.co.uk.

Rona

This is a rather silly picture of Rona, she doesn't normally look like this but it made me giggle!  She's having a huge stretch here after lying flat out for quite some time sleeping!  We have more photos of her if you want!

Rona

Age: Approximately 5 years.

Height: 11.2hh

History & Temperament: Rona is a really lovely pony.  She was born at the centre and is now ready to be backed or taught to drive.  She is great at haltering, leading, having her feet done by us and the farrier and loads really well if you travel her loose.  She has developed sweet itch and would need a Boett rug or something similar but we are going to try and fundraise for this in the next few months.  She is very inquisitive and interested in people and will be a fab pony whatever she goes on to do.  

For more information please contact Natalie who can send you out a rehoming form.  Tel: 07802 218169. Email: dartmoorponytrainingcentre@yahoo.co.uk.