Carneddau ponies

They stand at 10-11 hands,[1] and in 2013, DNA identification revealed that they are a distinct, unique and ancient breed having been isolated in the Carneddau for centuries.

"A study of their DNA shows they have been isolated for at least several hundred years, according to researchers at Aberystwyth University.

"[2] "Clare Winton, an IBERS post-graduate student who performed the study as part of her Ph.D thesis revealed: "Although the Carneddau ponies have shared ancestry with the Welsh Section A pony, they exhibit genetic signatures such as unique mutations while maintaining high genetic diversity, demonstrating that the population has been isolated for at least several hundred years.

[3] Clare Winton's thesis "Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis of native mountain ponies of Britain and Ireland reveal a novel rare population" where she and her colleagues state "Our results establish that the feral Carneddau ponies represent a unique and distinctive population that merits recognition as a defined population and conservation priority" can be seen here.

These families are grouped in the Carneddau Pony Society of whom Gareth Wyn Jones is the leading spokesperson and protector of the herd, see being interviewed here "Wild as the Hills – The protection of the Carneddau Mountain wild ponies"[14]