Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust

The DPHT is a registered charity operating in Dartmoor National Park, dedicated to conserving and preserving the Dartmoor Heritage Pony. Our work directly benefits these special, semi-wild pony populations but critically, also the upland moorland ecosystems that they are a part of. We support pony keepers across Dartmoor by providing practical help with passporting, welfare, handling, conservation grazing advice, and targeted grants, helping to ensure ponies are well cared for and managed as an integral part of the moorland system. 

Alongside this, we manage a 1,000-acre area of priority upland moorland at Bellever, using conservation grazing to restore and maintain sensitive habitats. Bellever provides a safe and well-managed home for ponies, a valuable grazing resource for farmers, and a living showcase of how native breeds can drive large-scale nature restoration.

The Trust’s work safeguards an irreplaceable cultural legacy. Dartmoor ponies are woven into the social and working history of the moor, reflecting generations of commoning knowledge and land stewardship. Protecting the ponies means protecting this living connection between people and place

Legacy gifts are crucial to this mission. They provide long-term support for breeding, welfare, land management, and conservation grazing, ensuring that Dartmoor Heritage Ponies continue to shape and sustain the moor for generations to come.