A sense of connection
FOR my family, 2020 was saved by Charlie, a pony we borrowed for our annual summer holiday on Dartmoor, where he was born and bred. He was the saintly conveyance who gave my 12-year-old son Alex his first proper out-of-the-arena adventures, cantering up tors, splashing across rivers and having on-the-hoof meetings with curious foals.
How many others, I pondered, have gone out of their way to experience the thrill of riding a pony in its native habitat? A couple of days’ research later, I had my answer as my inbox bulged with anecdotes and photographs of Dales ponies climbing valleys, Highland pack ponies in the glens and more.
“I hope you find a Lundy on Lundy!” someone even said, excitedly (not yet, alas).
Leading the charge were Exmoor enthusiasts both in Somerset and beyond. Many adult owners take their ponies on an annual pilgrimage for a week-long festival organised by the Exmoor Pony Society around their annual breed show, including guided
