Derbyshire has the Peak District running through its north and west, and that gives it real hill country alongside the more everyday farmland further south and east — a genuine choice between hardier, hill-raised ponies and gentler lowland types within one county. The area around Ashbourne in particular has an established riding club and Pony Club culture.
Because part of the county sits within the Peak District National Park, some grazing and access is governed by park rules, which is worth understanding if a pony has been kept on or near open access land around Bakewell or the Dovedale area. Away from the park, Derbyshire offers solid, practical family-pony keeping at more reasonable prices than the south-east, with decent road links south toward Derby and the Midlands proper.