Rare Polka-Dot Pony Spotted In Devon

The long nose, curved tail, and neat little hooves are all equine. But its coat is pure Dalmatian. This young man leisurely crossing the lawn in Devon with his mother looks like a rather impossible mix of species. He is, in fact, an English spotted pony – born from a chocolate brown mare but with a father just like him.

The foal was born last week but his owners say his real name is Pongo. His mother is a Dartmoor pony but his father is a British Spotted pony. They come in several colour types including 'blanket' where the animal has a plain base coat with a white spotted blanket over its quarters and back. There is also 'snowflake' where the creature has white spots on a dark base coat. Others are called 'few spot' and have hardly any spots at all. Pongo is a 'leopard spot' because he has coloured spots on a white base coat.