Watch dramatic footage of wild ponies being rounded up by riders on a brutal, rugged English moorland

Each autumn, the rugged hills of Exmoor echo with the thunder of hooves as the ancient gather of Exmoor ponies begins — a dramatic and timeless ritual that has endured for centuries.

Known as the 'Exmoor Gather', this gathering sees horseback riders rounding up the semi-wild ponies from the windswept moor and bringing them down to the farms.

These native ponies, descendants of an ancient breed that has roamed this land since before the Domesday Book, are driven down from the high ground to get health checks, inspected and to be microchipped if needed.

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This year, we were there when 50-60 Exmoor ponies from the Anchor herd were rounded up and brought down to the farm. The historic Anchor herd is just over a century old, having been started in the 1920s by Frank Green.

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