The Dales pony and the Exmoor pony. Both of these breeds have had their respective pony numbers diminished to the point that they are now classified as rare or endangered breeds internationally. The purity of the remaining ponies is closely guarded, as it is essential to preserve the true pony type of each breed. There are only some 600 Dales and 800 Exmoor ponies left in the world today. Dales ponies are native to the eastern slopes of the English Pennines, known as the Yorkshire Dales.
Dales ponies have a history of close association with mankind.
There were breed as a pack pony for the lead industry. This required a pony of great strength and endurance. Dales ponies combine the best qualities of several breeds including the now extinct Galloway as well as the Norfolk and Yorkshire Trotters from whence the Dales pony acquired its flashy trot. Dales ponies stand up to 14.2 hh and are predominantly black, but also brown, bay and gray. White markings are permitted no higher than the fetlocks on the hindlegs only.