Somerset offers an unusually broad choice for families. Exmoor runs along its western edge, so registered Exmoor ponies and moorland-bred natives are close at hand, while the Levels and the areas around Taunton and Yeovil have a strong riding-club and Pony Club culture that produces exactly the kind of schooled, been-there-done-that pony most families are looking for.
It is also well placed. Somerset is within reach of Bristol, Wiltshire and Dorset, so a viewing trip can often take in more than one pony. If you are buying a first pony, this is a county where it is realistic to find something already hunting, doing Pony Club rallies or competing at local level rather than something you will need to produce yourself. Ground varies from heavy clay on the Levels to dry hill grazing, so ask what the pony is used to — a pony that has never stood on mud may take a winter to adjust.