British Spotted
The British Spotted Pony is recognized by their unusual coat markings. They usually have wonderful temperaments and great versatility.
At one time feral in the British Isles, their spotted coat pattern was natural camouflage as they roamed the heaths and forests of ancient Britain from the ice age onwards.
At this time England and France were one land mass and cave paintings dating from 18;000 BC at Peche Merle in SW France illustrate early impressions of the animals.
The presence of spotted horses across Europe from Iberia to Turkey is documented in manuscripts and tapestries as far back as the Middle Ages. Among the many European breeds that can have a spotted coat is a strain of the Welsh Pony. A document from 1298 mentions that Edward I of England had a spotted Welsh horse.
With so many having left our shores during the 1960’s and 1970’s the British Spotted Pony became relatively rare and so in 1976, the Society split with the ponies of 14.2hh and under being looked after by The British Spotted Pony Society, while the bigger ones went under the wing of the British Appaloosa Society.
The British Spotted Pony Society holds the mother studbook for the British Spotted Pony breed and has full DEFRA recognition.