Newfoundland Pony

For more than two centuries, Newfoundlanders took their small native horse for granted, but a basic question is whether the Newfoundland exists as a true breed. This fascinating and well-researched book tells how the pony has been bred exclusively in this insular location, without significant introduction of fresh blood fo a hundred years. It is, therefore, a distinct breed of horses in all senses except for the existance of a stud book. Pedigree did not make a horse work better - performance was everything, papers were nothing in the reality of old Newfoundland life. Newfoundland ponies apparently have New Forest, Connemara, Welsh, Galloway and Highland influence showing in some individuals; Exmoor and Dartmoor in most. They represent a potpourri of Mountain and Moorland breeds fron the old British isles. Their physique and temperament are particularly well-suited to the environment; the rocky ground, the long winter, the strong winds off the cold Atlantic Ocean. In 1980 the Newfoundland Pony Society was officially formed. At that time it was estimated that the whole island had a population of about six thousand ponies; estimates in 1995 place the numbers remaining at below 200. This remarkable pony remains on the edge of extinction. Chapter content includes: Old Times Distant Pony Ancestry The Travelling Horse The Moorland Pony A Diffuse Equine Family The Newfoundland Pony Breed The Working Newfoundlander Pony Tales Raised In Newfoundland The Ways Of The Pony The Newfoundlands Future