Ceredigion — the old Cardiganshire — is quieter and less pony-dense than Carmarthenshire or Powys, but what it has is genuine hill breeding along a beautiful, underpopulated stretch of the mid-Wales coast. Welsh section ponies and cobs bred here tend to come off proper hill and upland grazing, producing hardy, good-footed ponies used to wind, rain and rough ground — useful qualities that translate well to a family who cannot offer perfect five-star grazing at home.
The trade-off is choice: fewer studs and fewer adverts than the Welsh heartlands further south and east, so you may need to widen your search into neighbouring Powys or Carmarthenshire, or be patient. Roads along the coast and into the hills are slow, and mobile signal is patchy in places, so agree a plan with the seller before you set off rather than relying on live directions.