| Important Characteristics of the Dales Pony The Dales pony is a heavily built strong pony that used to be and still is used as a working farm animal.Probably the most distinguishing feature of the dales pony, which makes is instantly recognisable is its wonderful action.The dales ponies' most flamboyant gait is it's trot, the trot should be high, straight and true. Going forward on “all fours” with tremendous energy. The knee and hock are lifted, the hind legs flexed well under the body for powerful drive. Their hocks should be raised as high as the knees. Some old breeders say that the dales pony should appear as though on wheels, with an almost rounded wheel like motion. Straightness of action is very important and any dishing should be heavily penalised. The preferred height range for a dales pony is 14 hands. (142.2 cms) to 14.2 hands (146.2 cms). They should have true pony character. Their outlook should be Alert, high couraged, intelligent, and kind. The body of a dales pony should be short-coupled and deep through the chest, with well-sprung ribs. The head should be neat and pony like, with no signs of a dish or roman nose. They should also be broad between the eyes, Their ears slightly in-curving and pony sized. Their throat and jaw should be clean-cut and they should have a long forelock of straight hair down the face. Their mane and tail hair should also be straight and long. They should have ample silky straight feather on the heels. Their feet appear large, and round and are open at the heels, with well developed frogs. I was always told that a mans clenched fist should easily fit across the heel of a dales pony. The straight hair on the dales pony is important as in adverse weather conditions it allows the rain water to run straight off it and prevents the water being transferred back onto the pony's skin, this is what happens with curly course feather and that is why it is undesirable and incorrect. Flat and Round Bone Curly coarse feather is usually associated with round bone. The dales pony's cannons should display 8"-9" (20.3cms - 22.9cms) of flat flinty bone. The best quality of bone is depicted by "flat" bone (indicated by the cannon bone), clean joints, sharply defined (refined) features, smooth muscling, overall blending of parts,"Flat" bone is a misnomer because the cannon bone is round. Flat actually refers to well-defined tendons that stand out cleanly behind the cannon bone and give the impression the bone is "flat". Any signs of round bone is undesirable in a dales pony. The joints of a dales pony should be very flexible, especially the pasterns, which should be nicely sloping and of good length. This gives a comfortable ride when ridden and allows the flexion needed to create the high action. The hocks of a dales pony should also be well let down and are very rarely set wide apart. The knees of a dales pony should be refined and be more shield like shaped rather than rounded. The colours of a dales pony are Black, Brown, Grey, Bay and Roan, in order for them to be registered in Section A of the stud book, their markings are limited to a white star and /or snip on the head. White hair to the fetlocks on the hind legs only. Mismarked ponies will be down- graded to the grading-up register. Their ability to adapt to a wide range of disciplines, has seen them increase in popularity, and they are also easily trainable and make excellent ridden and driven ponies for the whole family, They are often used for farming due to their noted strength and stamina are still used today for ploughing matches as well as snigging timber, and various other disciplines throughout the world, thus gaining their name " The Great Allrounder". Further Information can be found on the society's website at : www.dalespony.org By: Mr. Brian Williams of Stonefolds Dales Ponies, UK |
| Good Flat bone |
| Traditional Dales Pony under saddle |
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