The Head
Exmoors should have a short head, broad across the muzzle, with good width between the eyes and with small ears. There should be a good depth of jaw.

They should have large, prominent eyes with hoods of fat over the eyes and large, fat pads below the eyes - like a toads eyes (hence, they are referred to as 'toad-eyes'). The prominence of the eyes gives good all-round vision; the hood and pad below give protection to the eye and tend to shed water away from the eye. A whorl of hair on the forehead is also desirable as it will help in shedding water efficiently.

Horses have largely 'monocular' vision - only seeing in a human 'binocular' way in a narrow field to the front. As only 20% of the information taken in from one eye is thought to be processed by the brain in relation to the other eye, what the pony sees with one eye, and accepts, might 'spook' him if he turns and suddenly sees it with the other eye. Horses can also see a good way behind them, but the structure of their eye lense means that objects to the back can seem magnified. Suddenly appearing in a horses rear vision from his blind spot can again cause a sudden and perhaps unwanted reaction from him...so take care. An awareness of these sight differences can help with understanding a pony's behaviour when handling him.

The Exmoor head allows for large, well-rooted teeth firmly set into a deep jaw bone which will wear well and will efficiently grind up hard, coarse vegetation. The incisors should meet exactly, like pliers, so that vegetation can be cleanly bitten off short and not pulled up by the roots. Plier-like teeth let the pony bite off even very short grass close to the ground. This is worth bearing in mind when you're offering an Exmoor a titbit...if you must feed him by hand, and it's not recommended, keep your palm flat and your fingers away from those teeth!

The large nasal chambers in the wide skull allow cold air in winter to be 'pre-heated' before entering the lungs, thus avoiding chilling. The small ears are lined with thick, soft hair as protection.

Movement
An Exmoor should have good hard, blue feet, stocky legs with large joints and plenty of bone. The stride is long, low and smooth, giving them easy movement over rough terrain and providing a well-balanced ride. To be able to travel over rocky and/or boggy terrain, tough feet that can stand up to heavy wear and tear and can resist corrosion on wet, acid ground are very important. The pony may need to travel longer distances to find food and shelter, so needs sound feet and legs to allow for this.

With a big, round body, an Exmoor tends to have tied elbows and the round croup means they can lack impulsion, but their short legs with very large, hard-wearing joints allow them to pick up their feet to cross rough ground. Their short cannon bones mean these ponies have considerable strength and stamina. Exmoor ponies are extremely sure-footed. In a nutshell, they are 'all terrain', four-wheel-drive ponies!