The Exmoor Pony is a breed available in the Horse Reality game that can be caught in the European Wildlife Park.
| Exmoor Pony | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Alternative name | Celtic Pony |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Horse Reality | |
| Colours | Bay, Seal Brown, Sooty, Pangaré, Dun |
| Whites | - |
| Height | 115 - 132 cm |
| Registry | Exmoor Pony Society |
| Origin | European Wildlife Park |
| Status | In-game (2018) |
| Artists | |
| Lineart | D. Grochowska (2021) |
| Greyscale | D. Grochowska (2021) |
| Colours & patterns | H. Vasseur (2021, 2023) |
¶ History
The Exmoor Pony originated from the moorlands of South West England. Ponies first came to Great Britain over 100,000 years ago when it was still connected to mainland Europe. When the first people arrived in the area during the Stone Age, the ponies became an important food source. When the English Channel formed, the ponies became isolated, eventually leading to the different English pony breeds we know today, including the Dales, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Fell and New Forest. While the others became distinct breeds due to mixing with other horses, the Exmoor Pony retained its original type due to its isolation.[1-3]
The first written mention of the Exmoor Pony was in the 1086 Domesday Book, where the Exmoor area was designated as a Royal Forest (a hunting ground). In 1818, the Exmoor Royal Forest was sold to industrialist John Knight. He wanted to “improve” the Exmoor Pony by crossbreeding them, but luckily the outgoing warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took 30 original-type Ponies and founded the Acland herd. Several local farmers also bought and bred purebred Exmoor. Today's Exmoor Pony descended from the Acland, or “Anchor” herd, while the crossbred Ponies of John Knight were unable to survive Exmoor's harsh winters and died out.[1-3]
In 1921, breeders of the original-type Exmoor founded the Exmoor Pony Society to preserve the true breed. The Exmoor Pony declined drastically as a result of the Second World War, only 50 ponies were left. A small group of breeders worked hard to preserve the pony breed, but their situation remains critical.[2,3]
¶ Characteristics
The Exmoor Pony exhibits one of the oldest pony-build types. The breed is strong for its height, 115 to 132 cm, with great endurance and hardiness. The Exmoor has a big head with small ears. The Exmoor's dental conformation makes them excellent grazers and allows them to eat tough herbage other animals avoid. They have hooded eyes, which help to keep water away. Their chest is deep and wide, and their legs are strong and sure-footed. The coat of the Exmoor Pony is well-adapted to directing water away from the skin, which keeps them warm even during harsh conditions in winter. Their mane and tail are thick.[3,5]
¶ Colour Genetics
The main colours of the Exmoor Pony today are bay and seal brown, both with lots of sooty and pangaré. White markings, however, do not appear in the breed.
Records from 1805-1809 show that Exmoors were once grey, chestnut, black, bay, dun and even piebald (tobiano). The founding members of the Exmoor Pony Society even accepted grey and black. It is unknown whether Exmoor always had a variety of colour, or whether there was some crossbreeding. However, bay or brown with a mealy muzzle became believed to be the original colour of the breed, resulting in selection for this colour.[4]
¶ Alleles
All alleles available for the breed can be found below, highlighted in green. For better clarity, we bolded alleles that impact coat colours (eg. grey G vs non-grey g).
| Base Colours & Modifiers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Extension | Agouti | Grey |
| E | A, At | g |
| Dilutions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cream-Pearl | Dun | Champagne | Silver | Mushroom |
| n | D, nd2 | ch | z | n |
| White Patterns | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | Appaloosa | PATN1 | MITF | SW2 | KIT |
| n | lp | patn1 | n | sw2 | n |
Please note that the table includes a hidden agouti allele (At). Besides testable genes, untestable ones are also present: sooty, and pangaré.
¶ Uses
Historically, the Exmoor pony was used by hill farmers for ploughing, harrowing, riding and packing. Today, they are excellent family ponies, being small enough for a child but with enough strength for a small adult. They also make great Worker Hunter or driving ponies. The Exmoor is also used for conservation grazing.[2]
¶ Artwork Updates
The Exmoor Pony is one of Horse Reality's older breeds, drawn all the way back in the alpha version around 2012. Ever since the current Horse Reality version has been online, the Exmoor Pony received/will receive the following updates:
- On December 15th 2021, the Exmoor Pony received new artwork[6]
- On April 19th 2023, the dun (D) allele was added to the game through new Foundation horses [7]
As of now, the breed has a complete set of alleles[8]
¶ Artwork Legacy
If you're curious about what the Exmoor Pony looked like before the artwork update or just want to reminisce about good, old times - search no more.
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Very talented artists created this beautiful art. Horse Reality is forever grateful for them being a part of its history.
| Artists | |
|---|---|
| Lineart | A. Debets, M. Simon (2013) |
| Greyscale | M. Simon (2013) |
| Colours & patterns | T. van den Berg (2013) |
¶ References
- T. Pickeral, The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History, HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2012
- Exmoor Pony Society; Access July 2026: Introduction https://exmoorponysociety.org.uk/introduction-to-eps/
History https://exmoorponysociety.org.uk/history-of-the-exmoor-pony/ - Livestock Conservance, Exmoor Pony: https://livestockconservancy.org/exmoor-pony/; Access July 2026
- Peter Green, The free-living ponies within the Exmoor National Park: their status, welfare and future, 2013
- https://exmoorwildlifesafaris.co.uk/exmoor-info/exmoor-ponies; Access July 2026
- https://v2.horsereality.com/news/80/winter-update-exmoor-haflinger-redos-market-bug-fixes-merge-news-holiday-wishes
- https://v2.horsereality.com/news/133/community-update-foundation-batch-1-pantaneiro-horse-release-date-poll-results-more
- https://deloryan.notion.site/Horse-Breeds-Artwork-Genetics-6d0a84be35284b12806976bbb8cc886c