The Benefits of Owning a Shetland Pony

The Shetland pony is a beautiful small horse that is approximately 10 to 11 hands in height. These extremely intelligent ponies sport thick coats and abundant manes. They are used for a variety of different purposes including driving, riding and pack carrying. You may have seen kids pony rides at festivals and carnivals. Often, the ponies being ridden are this breed. These horses hail from Scotland and are related to ancient horses that date all the way back to the Ice Age. Between 2000 and 1000 BC these ponies were used by the Celts. The dangerous and harsh conditions helped produce a hardy and durable pony.

When it comes to size and strength, these ponies are very strong for their small stature. They have a long life span and are very smart. They come in a variety of different coat colors. You will see black, chestnut, bay, sorrell, gray, and silver dapple. You may also come across Pinto and Palomino Shetlands. Pinto and Palomino are categories referred to as color breeds. Other horses that may feature this coloration include the Quarter Horse and Saddlebred, to name a few. Pinto is a distinctive blotched coloration while Palomino is a golden coat with white mane and tail. The coat is thicker in the winter and sheds in the warmer months.

The standards for these ponies were first recorded in 1885 by a man named Eli Elliot. The first ponies were crossed with other ponies to produce an American breed. These horses are small yet excel at jumping and horse shows. They make great companions and riding horses and are a perfect first horse for a youngster. These ponies are strong, hardy, smart and very trainable. They love spending time with people.

If you own a Shetland pony or want to buy one, you should consider joining the American Shetland Pony Club. This club was founded in 1888 as a way to register this type of pony. Today, this organization serves many purposes in addition to registration. There are ownership information, horse care information, a section on their website for kids, tips for buying and showing your pony, and more. You will also find plenty of web sites and books about choosing and breeding horses if that is your goal. Once you get your first Shetland, you may decide that breeding your mare to a fine stallion to produce a Shetland foal is what you want to do.

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