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Ponies’ bodies left on roadside as warning to drivers


  • The owner of two Dartmoor ponies who were killed in road collisions left their bodies by the road as a warning to drivers.

    Verity Nicholls breeds Dartmoors for conservation grazing and has a herd of around 50.

    On Friday 10 February at 8.20pm a mare and gelding belonging to Verity were hit by a car and killed.

    The ponies were struck on the B3212 between Yelverton and Princetown.

    “Eight ponies have been killed already this year alone,” she told H&H.

    “One gelding and one mare got killed earlier this month — this is a fairly regular occurrence.

    “Although the B3212 has a 40mph speed limit, it is a fairly straight road and motorists speed and don’t look out for ponies crossing or stood on the road.”

    Verity, who also trains point-to-pointers, left the ponies’ bodies by the side of the road for three days after the collision as a warning to drivers to take care.

    She said she wanted to make drivers “moor aware”.

    “Tonight I witnessed something I have never seem before,” she wrote on Facebook on the evening of the accident.


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    “Two of our ponies were killed 37 metres apart by the same car.

    “These ponies will be picked up on Monday.

    “I’m sorry for the distressing scene but leaving them there will hopefully make more drivers ‘moor aware’.

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