A nationwide scheme has begun on Dartmoor to conserve the country's dozen rarest breeds of horse.

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust began collecting semen from 10 Dartmoor ponies on Widecombe-in-the-Moor on Wednesday.

About 1,000 stallions from rare breeds across the UK will be evaluated over the next five to eight years.

The programme was launched a year ago, after the foot-and-mouth outbreak put many breeds at risk of dying out.

Vulnerable breed

So far, �750,000 of the �2.5m target has been raised.

The trust hopes to create semen banks for each rare breed to protect against future threats to the bloodline.

Dartmoor ponies are categorised as "vulnerable" by the trust, with many bloodlines in danger.

The programme continues on Thursday.