Finding the ideal native

VISIT any livery yard in the UK and you’re likely to find a pony with native influence residing in one of the stables. The idea that the mountain and moorland (M&M) is only suitable for a rider with low ambitions and competitive expectations is a thing of the past, as we witness them performing grand prix dressage, winning horse trials and scooping supremes at the likes of Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).

“All 12 of the M&M breeds from the British Isles are tough and, as their heritage demands, extremely intelligent,” says the National Pony Society (NPS) council’s M&M breed council representative Madge