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.

Spotted ponies were once wild in the UK and the coat pattern was a natural camouflage as they roamed the heaths and forests of ancient Britain. Stone Age man painted pictures of the spotted horses on cave walls and they appeared in many ancient manuscripts and drawings. During Roman times important officers were given spotted horses as a sign of power. There are currently around 170 spotted horses born in Britain every year.