The Exmoor pony is strong for its height, with heavy, dense bone, and powerful musculature, and is noted for its hardiness, disease-resistance, and endurance. It shows a distinctly different jaw structure from other horse breeds, which includes the beginnings of development of a seventh molar.
The head is somewhat large in proportion to the body, with small ears, and has a unique "toad eye" caused by extra fleshiness of the eyelids, which helps to deflect water and provide extra insulation. As with most cold-weather pony breeds, the Exmoor grows a winter coat consisting of a highly insulative woolly underlayer and a top-coat of longer, oily hairs which prevent the undercoat from becoming waterlogged by diverting water down the sides of the animal.
Exmoor ponies are usually a variant of dark bay, with"mealy" markings around the eyes, muzzle, flanks, and underbelly and usually stand 11.1 to 12.3 hands (114 to 130 cm),