Poll. Which is the hardiest Native Pony Breed?

Thursday 19th July

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Enfys

Enfys

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I was asked this today, not easy to explain to someone who has never been to the UK. She only really knows the breeds from pictures in a book.

Forget the individuals for a minute, my friend wants to know which breed is thought to be the hardiest.
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It may be cold in Scotland but it's bloody freezing in Shetland! I voted Shetland, those little blighter can with stand all weather conditions and live onf resh air.
 
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Forgot that thats where shetlands come from, don't know why I just imagined them being more welsh
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I don't need a geography lesson, I do know where shetland is, but its a thursday and I've already opened the wine
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Over the centuries various reports and descriptions of the pony refer to its small stature, strength, hardiness and long levity. The harsh winters of the Islands with little feed due not to the neglect of owners but to the difficulties of available fodder for even their sheep and cattle is surely the reason for the hardiness and purity of the breed, only the toughest surviving successive winters to breed. No place in Shetland is further than four miles from the sea and it is legendary that during the worst winters lack of grazing on the scathold would drive some ponies to forage for seaweed along the shores. The ponies however were not small due to sparse living conditions but rather it was the small pony that was able to survive this, whereas larger horses did not. Shetlands bred in milder climates which are given ample food do not increase in size at all.


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I said exmoor as I've never known one go wrong whereas everything else has! I thought about shetlands but seeing as 98% get laminitis at some point in their lives....

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which is why they are very hardy ... which was the question! They can stay well on the worst of forage and weather.
 
Shetland ponies have essentially 3 layers of coat.

A waterproof base layer. A very warm, fluffy and waterproof layer which sits in such a way to prevent water from getting to the base layer. And then 'spiky' guard hairs that stick out and catch ice and sbow and stop it getting to the fluffy layer!!
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If you ever part a (proper) shetties coat when wet you will notice it is dry underneath...this is why they are so bloody hard to get clean!!
 
Got to be the shetland, any pony which voluntarily eats seaweed is tough! We are on Dartmoor, and have a two year old dartmoor hill pony and 3/4 welsh D yearling, and a hairy piebald cob all wintering out naked, they are quite happy with their lot in life!
 
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I would say teh Eriksay pony but it isn't on your list
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriskay_Pony.

Apparently they are not recognized by the NPS, but if asked, I, in my ignorance (as I only know a minimal amount about them...off to Google in a bit) would have classed them a Highland 'type' therefore comparable to a Highland in hardiness given their environment.

MrsMozart
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I said Shetland, my Shettie is even sweating in his stable at night even though it was -6 the other night!
And yes they are prone to laminitis, only because most of them live down south where the grass is lush, and not in the Shetlands!!!
 
Must be the Exmoor. The survive on crap in their natural habitat and lets not forget they are the oldest native breed still in existance so they must be pretty tough to survive for all that time!
 
I went for Exmoor. One of mine is ONLY 1/4 exmoor and OMG her winter coat would keep her warm in the arctic! Lets put it this way, she hasnt needed a rug this year yet. I put a rug on one day and she ended up sweating so that was that!
 
I would def say Highland and Shetland - I'm from the Isle of Skye and it is not just the cold and wet -it is the constant wind from October to March that is the worst. Plus there are not many trees to hide behind!! All the ponies up there have a lot of shorter hair at the top of their tails so when they turn their bottoms to the wind it fans out as an extra layer. I once went to the Isle of Rhum which is basically a mountain coming out of the sea, it is the coldest place!!!! The farrier struggled to even trim the ponies feet, they were like iron. Mind you I wouldn't like to be a Fell on the tops in the Lake District today either!!
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I would say teh Eriksay pony but it isn't on your list
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriskay_Pony.

Apparently they are not recognized by the NPS, but if asked, I, in my ignorance (as I only know a minimal amount about them...off to Google in a bit) would have classed them a Highland 'type' therefore comparable to a Highland in hardiness given their environment.

MrsMozart
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No, not recognized by the NPS, yet.

If you want to upset an Eriskay owner just describe them as a 'Highland type'.
 
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