by Josephine Taylor

Created on: July 21, 2009   Last Updated: July 22, 2009

History

The Dales pony is one of Britain's native breeds and as such may trace its ancestry back to ponies brought to the islands by early Celtic settlers. It is also possible that their origins may go back even further to the ice age, before Britain was separated from mainland Europe.

A dale is defined as an "open river valley, in a hilly area". Such dales are found on the eastern slopes of the Pennine mountain range, running from Derbyshire up to the Cheviot Hills which are near the Scottish border. These are the breeding grounds of the Dales ponies, particularly the upper dales of the rivers Tyne, Wear, Allen, Tees and Swale. The ponies were first used by the Romans, carrying lead ore from the high moors to be washed and smelted into 'pigs' or ingots of metal and this work continued long after the Romans had left. In fact there were Dales ponies in use as pack ponies for the mines until the mid-nineteenth century.

By the seventeenth century the ponies were in constant use, carrying loads of 240lbs (109kg) across punishing terrain, often travelling 100 miles (161km) in a week. They were bred with another native breed, the Scotch Galloway, which was considered to be the best pack pony of the time. This produced a pony with speed, strength and endurance which became known for a time as the Black Galloway and eventually as the Dales pony we know today.

The abilities of the Dales were also appreciated by the local farmers, who used them on the small farms of the time. Being suitable for riding and driving, they were useful as shepherds ponies, capable of carrying up to 168lbs (76kg) of hay often in addition to their rider, across the open fells no matter what the weather. If the hay was loaded in a cart they could pull a full ton (907kg) and pairs were used to plough and harvest. They were also good jumpers and enjoyed a days hunting, while their fast trot was valued when the farmer needed to get to market without wasting any valuable time.

When the railways appeared and began to take over the transportation of the lead, the Dales ponies popularity with the farmers saved it from possible decline. It went from strength to strength, and as the roads were improving during the eighteenth century, there came a demand for faster horses and ponies. To improve the already fast and stylish trot of the Dales, the best lines of the Yorkshire Trotters and Norfolk Cobs were used, these being the acknowledged finest roadsters of the day. Most registered

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