STALLIONS could be removed from Dartmoor for a year or more to prevent breeding and reduce the stock of ponies, it has been suggested.
The idea was floated at the annual meeting of the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society at the Cherrybrook Hotel, Two Bridges.
The DLPS is to seek a meeting with the Dartmoor National Park Authority to discuss this and other proposals to ensure the future of the pony population on the moor, which has been threatened by the farming crisis and the collapse of the market for the animals.
The DNPA will be asked if it could organise a scheme for the temporary removal of stallions with incentives to farmers to take part.
The DLPS's secretary Ann Anderson said: 'It is hard to say if this would affect prices afterwards, but it is worth talking about.'
Another suggestion was to hold an open day next May at which farmers could show young stock and demonstrate their merits — good temperament, hardiness, suitability for children. Farmers expressed concern that the gene pool of the older type of ponies could be lost.
There was also a proposal to try to get a humane slaughterhouse set up in the area, as the nearest one was said to be in Bristol and to have a waiting list.