The Dales Pony is a native of the upper dales of the eastern slopes of the Pennine Range near the Scottish Border where a lead mining industry flourished from Roman times. The pigs of lead produced were transported to the ports over a distance of a hundred miles, traversing some of the most difficult terrain in England. Each of these sturdy, quick ponies would carry a load weighing in at 240 pounds, or two pigs of lead per pony (two hundredweight).
Their durability and strength were not lost on the farming community who used these ponies extensively in the fields until the need for horses that could go the distance pulling the heavy mail coaches soon brought about a change in the breed. A mixture of Yorkshire for the trot, a dash of Arabian for the flash, and a healthy dose of Thoroughbred for the speed quickly transformed the Dales pony into a premier driving and riding pony - abilities that the breed exhibits to this day.
