Eriskay Ponies

[shadowboy]

Does anyone here own one of these- we have seen a 13.2hh for sale but know nothing of the breed so dont know how 'useful' they are? We want something I can ride and my mum can drive. Does anyone have any knowledge they can share or pictures- I would be very grateful.

 

[Shilasdair]

I don't own one, but have met a few - they are nice sensible ponies, but quite clever.
Try looking on;
http://www.eriskaypony.com/

S

 

[Donkeymad]

They seem quite hardy and sensible but are a very rare breed.

 

[loobylu]

A girl of a similar ish age to me used to have at least one that she did PC on (interbranch etc) plus BD and showing so certainly useful and hairy enough to be sensible and straightforward to look after. I really liked hers.

 

[MagicMelon]

I had a 1/2 Eriskay, was a super little chap. Very sensible and honest type. I sold him as a 4yo (he acted like a 10yr old!) to a family - the mother rides him mainly but has already let her very young children hack him out he's so safe!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I rode one when I was a child - all I can remember is that he was very sweet and had the longest coat ever. They have them at YHL when they do the rare breeds as their numbers are declining. They were bred to be very hardy - they are designed to live out and don't need rugging.

 

[Asimmons]

Very hardy, very sweet and with the rare breed cachet. A pony club mum has one and it's a very smart little number. Intelligent and affectionate.

 

[loulum]

They are very good ponies.I have known lots of friends who have owned them and they seem to excel particularly in dressage and showing.They are nicely natured, honest and easy to do.Their certainly a breed worth considering

 

[kirstyfk]

[ QUOTE ]
A girl of a similar ish age to me used to have at least one that she did PC on (interbranch etc) plus BD and showing so certainly useful and hairy enough to be sensible and straightforward to look after. I really liked hers.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I know the pony you are talking about. Seen it several times over the years at interbranch. She has a couple of others as well.

 

[shadowboy]

Sounds like they could be a good option then- does anyone know if they are classed as natives then?

 

[Tiggy1]

I could be horribly wrong but think they are a very close relation to the Highland Pony.
They come from the Islands of Scotland are a native breed and are a good allrounder.
I have a Highland Pony which I would also highky reccomend

 

[Law]

[ QUOTE ]
I could be horribly wrong but think they are a very close relation to the Highland Pony.
They come from the Islands of Scotland are a native breed and are a good all rounder.
I have a Highland Pony which I would also highly recommend

[/ QUOTE ]

You are right iirc. I had a highland and was brought up in the Highlands and always thought the Eriskay ponies were related (loosely)

 

[isabella]

i ride one, she is very stubbon and strong willed but a solid little thing and very calm, shes just generaly a little sweetie

 

[loobylu]

Yup, CS? Super ponies.

 

[eriskaypony]

As you may gather from my logon I am an Eriskay Pony enthusiast, hence biased, but this may help.

As far as relationship to Highlands is concerned, this is a matter of some controversy. I'd be surprised if there was not some link, but Eriskays are not closely related as shown by early work done by the RBST on DNA profiles. A lot of members of the Highland Pony Society dispute this and believe Eriskays are just part bred Highlands, which is why the work the RBST is doing will be useful to prove or disprove the case.

However, when the Eriskays were at their lowest ebb it was thought there were no pure bred Eriskay stallions left, so 3 small Highland stallions were brought in. The progeny of these stallions was bred back to pure ponies, and this process has been repeated to build up high percentage purity ponies as this was thought to be the only way to preserve the breed. As a result, the majority of less than 100% Eriskays have some Highland blood.

While this was going on, a pony that was thought to be a gelding then turned out to be a stallion and all pure Eriskays are descended from him. Probably about 1/3 of Eriskays are pure bred.

As a breed they are very friendly and versatile. I know of a number who do PC, a lot are used for driving (last year's English Tandem champions were an Eriskay pair), I know of Eriskays doing endurance, Trec, pretty much everything.

They are very calm and very friendly ponies. A friend of mine once described them as 'ponies who think their dogs' because of the way they follow you around and want to be involved with everything you do. Like any breed there are of course exceptions.

They are tough, low maintenance ponies. We have never rugged ours and I see no reason to do so in the UK with the possible exception of a well clipped pony. We feed ours in the Winter, I know many people who don't but they are turned out on extensive grazing. They do get fat very quickly in the Summer so this needs to be watched carefully.

They are brilliant ponies, but the main word of caution I'd put in is that they can be stubborn and difficult to train. I've not known any that were nasty, but a few have had a battle of wills with their owners. In every instance, once trained they've been brilliant and the owners love them to bits. It's almost like the battle made them closer. Having said that, ours have taken to everything we've asked of them with ease.

Where did you see the pony advertised, and what's it's name? There are not many around and there's a good chance I'll know of it. PM me if you want and I'll see what I can find out.

 

[eriskaypony]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like they could be a good option then- does anyone know if they are classed as natives then?

[/ QUOTE ]

How controversial do you want to be? Eriskays are in a grey area, the NPS does not recognise them due to the debate about whether they are really a distinct breed, but there are Eriskay classes in many shows, including NPS Shows in Scotland and the Royal Highland.

The Eriskay Pony Society are working on this.