A DARTMOOR pony has qualified to take part in the UK’s most prestigious equine showing event — the Horse of the Year Show, which will be held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in October.

Eight-year-old mare Langworthy Swift Ghost (Rabbit), is believed to be the first mare registered on the Dartmoor Pony Society’s supplementary register as an SR2 (two thirds of the way to being full pedigree, having been bred from crossing quality, non-pedigree Dartmoor mares with pedigree Dartmoor stallions) to qualify for the show.

The pony was bred by Ken Edwards of Langworthy Farm, Widecombe-in-the-Moor and is owned, produced and ridden by Lizzie Houghton and her stepson William Houghton.

The Langworthy herd has been bred up over 13 years through the Dartmoor Pony Moorland Scheme and is now producing quality, pedigree stock that have been highly placed at shows up to county level.

Langworthy Swift Ghost, out of a moorland mare called Mrs Brimble and by Pantmanr Just So, has won at National Pony Society shows, county shows, the Dartmoor Pony Society Eastern Show, and the Malvern NPS Summer Championships.  Earlier this month, at the Dartmoor Pony Society Breed Show, as well as winning the barren mare class in hand, she also topped the Open Ridden HOYS qualifier.

Rabbit will compete against Dartmoors, Exmoors and Shetlands at HOYS and will be ridden by Will Houghton.  This special pony has also qualified for the semi-finals of the Olympia Christmas show, to be held in Grantham.

Says Ken: ‘The versatility of these lovely ponies is outstanding. She is a “go-anywhere, do anything” pony and is regularly used to move cattle across the moor.  Shifting sheep is also second nature to her and her riders, Lizzie and Will.

‘Our thanks go to the Dartmoor Pony Moorland Scheme and the local breeders who have helped us to retain and improve the gene pool of the pedigree Dartmoor pony and enabled us to have had our success so far.

‘A special thanks to the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust, which has helped us with promoting and finding good homes for the many ponies we have sold.’

The trust works with Dartmoor farmers and pony keepers to provide herd management resources (such as subsidised castrations), free pony handling to conservation grazing level and promotion and marketing, as well as helping to find homes for ponies at a sensible value.

In turn, this helps to secure the future of the Dartmoor pony on Dartmoor, as a viable ‘crop’ for pony keepers.