Exclusive: Sources say Defra drafted policy on livestock fails to distinguish between ponies and sheep

There are fears that nine in 10 of the animals could be culled after a ruling from Natural England that grazing must be reduced by 75 per cent.

There are fears that nine in 10 of the animals could be culled after a ruling from Natural England that grazing must be reduced by 75 per cent.

The ponies have roamed the rugged moorland for 4,500 years