Alongside social media, the website will be used to help promote native breeds as children’s ponies and provide advice and education to owners who may be struggling with overweight ponies or other health and management issues. This in turn will help to ensure improved welfare for all native ponies.

In recent years there has been a surge in new ideas for grass management that have emerged from worldwide research, but many owners are confused as to what is best for their ponies. By reviewing all the available literature and summarizing it for members and keeping up-to-date with new developments and technology we hope to improve the well-being of many domesticated native ponies kept in conditions that are currently very different from experiences of the feral herds that live on the moors.

Although the health and welfare of native ponies living feral on open moorland has improved in recent years, we would still seek to offer further resources and help to ensure that more progress is made in this area, particularly in regions were there has historically been little recognition or public awareness of the ‘breed’ such as Dartmoor Hill ponies (often confused with the registered Dartmoor ponies), Carneddau ponies (Welsh ponies), Eriskay ponies (in the Hebrides) and the Kerry Bog pony in Ireland. Modern DNA testing has shown that these ponies have their own distinct genealogical heritage and more needs to be done to ensure their ongoing welfare and management.