True Dartmoor ponies are rarely seen as they are kept in private herds to preserve the purity of the gene.

The ponies on Dartmoor are more accurately known as Dartmoor Hill Ponies.

They have been cross bred down through the ages with Shetlands, Arabs, Welsh Mountain Ponies etc.

They have been used in tin-mining, pit work, escorting prisoners, production of polo ponies etc.

They are semi-wild and are gathered in each autumn in 'the drift', where foals are sold on.

It is illegal to touch or to feed them.

Foals are born between April and June.

These ponies can be a real nuisance to tourists, attempting to steal picnics.