Best of Native Ponies

Despite their disparities, the unique abilities and beauty of all our native pony breeds make them the envy of the world. The following three breeds are part of our islands' equine heritage and history.

Connemara

Not so long ago, the handsome heads over the stable doors on Cathy Wood's yard would have belonged to thoroughbreds. Based in Newton Tracey, Devon, Cathy was renowned for breeding event horses that competed at advanced level, including the ultra-testing Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

She hasn't dropped her standards one iota, but many of those heads now belong to Connemara ponies, one of the UK and Ireland's nine native 'mountain and moorland' breeds. An impending knee operation four years ago brought home to Cathy that handling 17-hand horses – and young ones at that – was becoming more demanding.

"My pony breed of choice could only be the Connemara," says Cathy. "No other native breed would consistently produce the performance this breed delivers time after time. The fact Connies compete at top level on junior teams in both show jumping and eventing clinched it. They have been the mainstay of many junior teams over the past decade."

The rugged west coast of Ireland, from which the breed takes its name, is treacherous; one misstep would send a pony tumbling to its death. It is thought Celtic warriors brought their dun-coloured ponies to this region some 2,500 years ago. Some escaped and survived in the wild, breeding young that had to be sure-footed and resilient to survive in their harsh landscape.

Centuries later, farmers would capture a pony and tame it, and it would be used to work the land, take the farmer hunting and his family to church on Sundays. Mares were favoured because they could also breed a foal for the farmer to sell. Those tough mares gave us the modern Connemara,a good-looking, sure-footed, sturdy, sweet-tempered all-rounder.

Cathy first saw the Connemara stallion, Contepomi Cashel, at Clifden in Ireland in 2014. "I fell in love with his limb, step and pony characteristics," she recalls. "When I saw him at home in his natural habitat and watched his ability to cross the worst terrain, I only admired him more. I jumped at the chance of standing him
[as a stallion] in Ireland for two seasons before buying him in a partnership."

Since then, the handsome grey has produced many champion offspring, who carry their illustrious sire's stamp.

Exmoor

Back on the English mainland is another native breed, one of the oldest – and one of the purest. The little Exmoor pony is named for the bleakly beautiful moorland it inhabits, which equines reached by crossing the swampy land that became the English Channel.

Archaeological evidence dating back some 60,000 years bears a significant resemblance to the modern Exmoor pony. In times since, various invading armies and their horses have influenced British breeds but, on inhospitable Exmoor, the ponies were left largely free from outside influence. And crucially, no new breeds were introduced to refine nor improve the stock.

One of the oldest herds of Exmoors is the Anchor, established by the Acland family, who bred ponies on what was the Royal Forest from 1767. After World War Two, there were very few ponies left, due to theft, poaching and, regrettably, use as target practice by British military trainees. However, of around 25 left across the country, eight were brought to a farm in Dulverton, Exmoor, which is now managed by the Wallace family. There are now eight separate strains of Exmoor established on the farm.

Emma Wallace enthuses: "These beautiful ponies show strong phenotypical traits of the breed; hooded eyes with fat pads below to keep the rain out, with great colouring showing pale stifles, mealy muzzles and light elbows, which make them disappear into their environment."

All Exmoors are designed to survive the harsh conditions on the moor. Those hooded eyes – sometimes called 'toad eyes' – protect them from snow and wind, while a thick double-layered coat keeps them warm and dry. The ponies also growa 'snow chute' on their tails; with short, coarse hairs at the top, it is designed to draw snow and ice away from the body.

The Exmoor is listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as 'endangered', meaning there are only between 300 to 500 breeding females registered. Many breeders of horses and ponies have scaled down their operations, but Emma explains: "As the ponies are rare, we feel it important to continue to use a controlled breeding plan to ensure all our genetics are retained for the future survival of this wonderful ancient breed, which has shaped the landscape and moorland for centuries."

Highland

If the Connemara is Ireland's pride and joy, the Highland pony is Scotland's. It is the largest of the country's three native breeds; perhaps the most famous stud is that of HM The Queen at Balmoral. The Highland, a sound, solid animal, is inextricably linked with stalking; the ponies – sometimes called garrons – have been used for centuries to bring the shot stags down from the hill.

But for those who want a steady, easy riding pony, the Highland offers so much more.

"Highlands are versatile, easy to keep and can compete equally with other types of horses and ponies," says Gillian McMurray of the Trailtrow Stud in Lockerbie. "If broken in correctly and encouraged to move forward from the start, they make a fantastic all-rounder in all kinds of equestrian activities, especially for those who aren't aiming for the very top league."

The origins of these stoic equines are uncertain; wild horses may well have moved into Scotland as the glaciers retreated in the last Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago, or they might have arrived with the earliest settlers. It is known they have been there since at least the eighth century. They were the hard-working steeds that worked alongside the crofter, ploughing the land and carrying supplies.

There were, at one time, two distinctive types but the modern Highland is fairly uniform, bred for its stamina and calm nature. It is a handsome creature, standing no higher than 14.2 hands and retaining pony features, including a neat head with small ears and a kind eye. Its good looks have brought many show-ring accolades but that is by a long way not its only job.

"Highlands are very slow to mature and if rushed can show a negativity to being ridden," says Gillian, who has been involved with the breed for 45 years. "We spend a lot of time hacking out and very little time in the school, which helps the ponies to go forward and keeps them interested.

"Those that enjoy jumping also do working hunter pony classes and cross-country. We find ponies that have been shown adapt well to dressage and progress quite quickly. It is the Highland's versatility that made them appeal to me many years ago. I wasn't a good enough rider to compete at Badminton or do Grand Prix dressage, but I have had incredible fun competing at lower levels with a pony that could show one day, do a fun ride the next and take part in a local one-day event the following weekend."

This article originally appeared in the Spring issue of My Countryside magazine.

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