Herefordshire sits right against the Welsh border, and for a buyer that is its main advantage: you get the county's own quiet, rural cider-and-cattle-farm character alongside easy access to Welsh section and cob breeders just across the border in Powys and Gwent. It is well known for hunting, with a genuinely active scene that keeps a good number of forward-going, well-schooled ponies coming through locally.
Land is good mixed farming country — orchards, cattle and sheep alongside horses — and grazing is generally decent value compared with the south-east. Herefordshire is rural rather than densely populated, so allow proper time between viewings, and if a pony is described as "hunted" ask exactly what that has meant in practice: genuine hunting experience is a real asset for a confident family, but it is not the same as being a beginner-safe first pony.