Finally! :)

[ingela]

Hi everyone, been reading the posts on the board for a while now. Been looking at those smaller english breeds even longer and at last I got my beautiful Dartmoorpony. I plan on using him primarly for driving and probably some hacking too if he builds up nicely, very thin front now since he's not been worked and have walked on flat ground the last 4 years... he's 5 now. I've never meet a horse with a nicer temperament than this one, gentle, full of energy and very easygoing.

http://www.djingela.swedishhousecrew.com/eros/eros_trav.jpg

Took this picture today. Isn't he gorgeous! :D

Ingela

[neen]

Wow what a beauty. How big is he? Welcome to New Rider, and looking forward to lots of updates!

[Est]

Hi and welcome :) What a gorgeous boy! What's his name? :)

[laura jeanne]

He's beautiful!

[BeachRiding]

He's lovely! Wow!

[ingela]

Thank you!! :D

His name is Eros. They told me he was named after the singer. He's never been measured properly but I'd estimate he's between 12.1-12.2.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on our progress. I'm thinking of getting a sheep-skin and a girth to ride him in since because I think his body will change fast during the next few months/years when he finally gets to work.

Alot have changed already, I meet him twice before I bought him and he looked very tiny and he acted like a foal - couldn't stop nagging at you and always had his upper lip out.

But straight after the move he just stopped and pulled in the lip. Only took me like 40 minutes with him to have him give up the biting. Probably it was his way of tackeling that mean little stallion (small shettie that bullied him at his old home) and getting some attention from the large but kind mares instead. Don't hurt me I'm the baby. Also, the green gras has done him good cause he looked alot healthier when we picked him up Saturday.

Yesterday we released him with his new friends, 4 shetlandponies. 3 Geldings and their mother. He looked so very impressive next to them. He was taken late, after 3 years of age so he sure has the moves of a stallion, minus all the fuzz. Thankfully it all went extremly well and they seemed to get along fine from the beginning. After greeting one of the shetties chased him away, but he only let him drive him for about 10 meters then he put one foot up to show he wouldn't take any more. That was enough and off they all walked together.

Also I'm 10 stones so a bit concerned about the weight in the beginning, gonna get some lighter kids from school (I work as a teacher) to sit on him so he gets used to it and slowly start building some back muscles. He LOVES children they said and kids can't wait to meet him, so that be a win-win situation. ;)

First few weeks it's gonna be just me and him though just to make sure he don't get any bad manners since he's an extremly quick learner and so well-behaved now that it's easy to not pay enough attention.

For example, he's had his halter on non-stop since he was a foal cause they had trouble cathing him (read: they never did unless something unpleasant was gonna happen). I think they should be without no matter what so let him lose in a small field. I didn't even think of catching him at that time I just wanted to give him a brush but he wouldn't let me near afraid I would catch him. But I'm stubborn, and soon enough I could go up to him and pet him on the back (safer than head he must have thought). Before he walked away from me I run away from him... and he immediatly followed gallopping next to me, since then it was easy to groom and catch him. Then I wanted the halter to be something positive, so when he was indoors I just held the halter towards him and let him put it on himself.. at first we used the shetlandponies halters to make it interessting w. their smell. The time after he didn't need that and just put his head in voluntarily w. no treats or anything. :)

We also went for a walk in the forrest, there are lots of flat rocks in our area but suddenly we came up to some that wasn't covered. Eros didn't know that it could be walked up on so he jumped, high and far. He didn't quite make the jump in his opinion cause he landed when it was still bare.. but the ground didn't break. So from that moment he didn't have any trouble walking on it.

We'll see how easy he is to catch today w. his new playmates but I have a feeling it won't be to hard. They may wanna play for a while though since they're on a quite big pasture.. 24 ha.

http://www.djingela.swedishhousecrew.com/eros/PICT0004.JPG
Eros just out of the transport at his new home. He's not really sure what happened, but there's green grass and smell horses so can't be bad. At first he looked like he was dreaming.

Ingela

[Est]

Well it sounds like he's very lucky to have found you :) And you're making excellent progress already, building up his trust... this is so nice to read about :)
He looks so relaxed in the last photo... I wish mine moved yards that calmly!
Please keep us updated with his progress and more photos - he is such a lovely boy, and I think you're going to find you've got a very good pony there :)

[ingela]

Today when I went out to greet Eros he was laying down in the field.. and he didn't get up! He let me walk up to him and then we had a good rest together, before the shetlandponies thought it was time for a run and made him get up.

http://www.djingela.swedishhousecrew.com/eros/eros_ingela_ligger.jpg

After taking him out I tried to lunge him, but he didn't understand at all what I meant and just kept following in my footsteps lol - eventually I gave up and we went for a walk instead. I put on a surcingle and he didn't mind at all.. eventually I couldn't help trying putting a small stick into one of the wholes after getting him used to the noise. He couldn't have bothered less and kept happy with all that green grass.

http://www.djingela.swedishhousecrew.com/eros/eros_tranar.jpg

We walked for about 2 hours so he was quite exhausted when we came back. Thought I should check how he was with traffic and he didn't care even when some large buses drove by. Looks like I won't have to put in much work in that aspect. :)

Back in the field w. the shetties
http://www.djingela.swedishhousecrew.com/eros/eros_shetties.jpg

Ingela

[Exmoorlover]

From one British native fan to another i just thought id say awww.. he's lovely! :) I love the picture of you both lying down, very cute :)

[notpoodle]

aww hes beautiful :D you sure it's a dartmoor though, and not an exmoor?

Julia
x

[Exmoorlover]

lol Notpoodle, I was just looking at his lovely pics again thinking 'is that a mealy muzzle'?!....tale tale dark points too...?

[Afellpony]

He cetainly looks like a little Exmoor to me, having had several myself.

[ingela]

I actually was looking at Exmoors first but then I found this little fella. I looooove his mealy muzzle!!

Yeah, he should be a dartmoor alright. Not sure where he's got his mealy muzzle from though, must have jumped a few generations.

Father
http://www.dartmoorponny.org/sidor/robin.jpg
Robin Hood RD 11

e. Shilstone Rocks North Country Man RD 6
u. Sandie RD 13

Mother:
http://www.dartmoorponny.org/sidor/stobild25.jpg
Gentle Fight RD 25

e Springs Nougat RD 2
u Shilstone Rocks Gentle Fury RD 8

Today we went out walking in the rain.. even had some thunder but he couldn't have bothered less. :)

Ingela

[lindz]

Wow, what a lovely pony! Good luck with him!

[Purple Hugs]

Oh he's lovely! :)

[ingela]

Thanks guys for all the comments! :D

Found this service online, where you could just add your ponies parents and get the whole pedigree! Unfortunatelly they don't have dartmoor as an option but most of them seem to be in there anyway, as "pony". Did one for Eros. :)

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/eros52

Ingela

[Purple Hugs]

Wow what a fantastic service! Sadly our lad is rescued so parents unknown... we're not even 100% sure of his age or breeding! thought to be a section a but someone I know is convinced he's a dartmoor!