This little Dartmoor "Hill" Pony foal has a story to tell. She is around 9 months old and belongs to one of the most well known breeders on the moor. As well as having been illegally earnotched, this foal's hooves give another indication of neglect. We have been told that red rings of growth in the hooves, as can be seen on all 4 feet of this foal, indicate a period of malnutrition. This appears to verify reports that during the autumn and winter, many farmers who had removed Hill ponies from the moor were keeping them in barns and were not feeding them. The newer growth at the top of the hoof probably corresponds with this foal being brought back out onto the moorland.
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