New forest ponies

Jenko109 said:
Has the pony had a PSSM test?

I would check this, given the breeding.
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Which bit of the breeding raises suspicions of PSSM? I'm just curious as Dolly had PSSM and EMS and was PTS at 11 years old as I couldn't keep her sounds and give her a decent quality of life and I've always wondered if there was a genetic element at play.
 
kaiserchief said:
Which bit of the breeding raises suspicions of PSSM? I'm just curious as Dolly had PSSM and EMS and was PTS at 11 years old as I couldn't keep her sounds and give her a decent quality of life and I've always wondered if there was a genetic element at play.
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The affected stallions are listed in this.


Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type 1 (PSSM1) in New Forest Ponies - New Forest Pony & Cattle Breeding

The New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society was notified that a New Forest pony had tested positive n/P1 (heterozygous) for the PSSM1-carrying gene in the summer of 2017. The sire tested n/P1, and testing of all New Forest stallions, at the Society’s expense, began immediately. This...
www.newforestpony.com www.newforestpony.com

The breeding of this pony includes one of the affected stallions.

ETA - sorry for your loss.
 
Thank you, that's really interesting. It wasn't really a thing back then (I lost her in 2011 after 4 years of trying to fix her) and the vets found her a fascinating study as her symptoms were so at odds with her management and exercise regime.
 
samisheen said:
I’m not sure until I get her passport. They said her registered name is hilldown wood mellick if that helps. Aw they said she will bulk out a bit. I’m worried she won’t be big enough for me. I’m 5ft 2 and 10 stone
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She will be big enough for you. This one is 13h and I'm 5' and was 10st at the time.20250921_125105.jpg
 
kaiserchief said:
Which bit of the breeding raises suspicions of PSSM? I'm just curious as Dolly had PSSM and EMS and was PTS at 11 years old as I couldn't keep her sounds and give her a decent quality of life and I've always wondered if there was a genetic element at play.
Click to expand...
kaiserchief said:
Thank you, that's really interesting. It wasn't really a thing back then (I lost her in 2011 after 4 years of trying to fix her) and the vets found her a fascinating study as her symptoms were so at odds with her management and exercise regime.
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I just had my New Forest mare PTS aged 15 for the same reason and my vet said exactly the same thing! She was by Skywalker out of a Cuffnell's mare, so no obvious PSSM in her ancestry but she was positive for type 1. She was an absolute pony of a lifetime but just never really sound no matter what we did in terms of drugs/management/exercise. It was as if the EMS and PSSM seemed to trigger one another. It's so interesting to hear someone else has had a similar experience!
 
Sorry for your loss Fabian, it's so hard to know when to say enough is enough but with Dolly the relief I felt when she was gone was immense as I was always worried about what new medical mystery she would throw at me each day.

It's such a shame though cause she was a super pony, so kind and genuine, patient but with a sense of humour 🥰 Despite the medical issues I always remember her fondly and it wouldn't put me off getting another New Forest.
 
Still looks quite bum high to me so hopefully will go a nice height.

Plenty of time anyway, not like you will be backing her anytime soon as she is still very immature for a 3yo. Looks like one who probably won't be ready until closer to five.

You didn't respond about the PSSM. I hope she is clear, but worth a check just incase. It's not expensive and if she does have it, you will be prepared to manage her as well as possible.
 
Jenko109 said:
Still looks quite bum high to me so hopefully will go a nice height.

Plenty of time anyway, not like you will be backing her anytime soon as she is still very immature for a 3yo. Looks like one who probably won't be ready until closer to five.

You didn't respond about the PSSM. I hope she is clear, but worth a check just incase. It's not expensive and if she does have it, you will be prepared to manage her as well as possible.
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Hi she has levelled up a bit again. Will be starting to long rein in the next few weeks. Will also be doing a hair test for pssm. Her breeder has advised her mum was positive
 
Why are stallions tested for PSSM and not used for breeding if positive, but not mares? Seems odd. But how could you stop them breeding, I guess if they were positive, you could take them off the forest when the stallions were out? Not trying to derail the thread, just pondering, as the NF breed society does seem committed to getting on top of the condition, but breeders seem a bit less so. I viewed a yearling recently, the breeder had no idea if her mares had it or not, but was merrily producing foals...
 
rextherobber said:
Why are stallions tested for PSSM and not used for breeding if positive, but not mares? Seems odd. But how could you stop them breeding, I guess if they were positive, you could take them off the forest when the stallions were out? Not trying to derail the thread, just pondering, as the NF breed society does seem committed to getting on top of the condition, but breeders seem a bit less so. I viewed a yearling recently, the breeder had no idea if her mares had it or not, but was merrily producing foals...
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The stallion PSSM testing and subsequent publishing of results was done by and paid for by the NF breed society. Cost of mare testing is down to the breeders, the responsible ones test and advertise that their mares are clear, thereby enhancing the desirability of their foals. Until more buyers are clued up and insist on knowing the status of what they are buying, the irresponsible ones will carry on. Apologies OP for going off thread - but for example there are currently 2 NF geldings for sale on Horsequest (different sellers), one of which has a price tag of nearly £15K, and both of which come straight down from stallions that tested positive and were subsequently either culled or gelded.
 
New Forests Rock said:
The stallion PSSM testing and subsequent publishing of results was done by and paid for by the NF breed society. Cost of mare testing is down to the breeders, the responsible ones test and advertise that their mares are clear, thereby enhancing the desirability of their foals. Until more buyers are clued up and insist on knowing the status of what they are buying, the irresponsible ones will carry on. Apologies OP for going off thread - but for example there are currently 2 NF geldings for sale on Horsequest (different sellers), one of which has a price tag of nearly £15K, and both of which come straight down from stallions that tested positive and were subsequently either culled or gelded.
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Thank you, that explains it very well.
 
She has a very young build - as a photo I would not have aged her as 3. Could be that her early life was not one of plentiful food (Forest run or moorland run ponies can look like that as they grow later). Have you checked her teeth?
 
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