SHETLAND PONIES. 



539 



least receive, little attention. Numbers of them live out of doors 

 all the year round, except in the severest weather. The time- 

 honored fiction that they are habitually left out in the snow, and 

 preserve themselves from being drifted over by walking constantly 

 in a circle, contradicts itself. As a matter of fact, snow often lies 

 for seven or eight weeks in Shetland, covering the ground to a 

 great depth. Under these circumstances the animals, if exposed, 

 would certainly succumb, and they are far too valuable to their 

 owners for this to be permitted. But they certainly do rough it 

 out of doors in very inclement weather, seeking the doubtful 

 shelter of dikes and out-houses ; while in hard seasons the stud of 

 the breeder is carefully housed in sheds made for the purpose. 

 Unquestionably these ponies can stand a great amount of expos- 

 ure, being fitted for this by a double or treble thickness of coat. 

 But it is very much to be questioned the popular belief to the 

 contrary notwithstanding 

 if any of them are the better 

 for being subjected to an 

 extreme test of this kind. 

 Ponies sent south at an 

 early age rarely, if ever, 

 pass through such an or- 

 deal, and it is not found, we 

 believe, that their natural 

 hardiness deserts them, or 

 even diminishes, when they 

 receive fair treatment and 

 proper shelter during in- 

 clement seasons. If stabled, 

 however, as in many cases 



they must necessarily be, by the southern buyer, they should 

 have abundance of fresh air ; a simple shed, by way of cover, is 

 almost all that is necessary for them. And it is imperative that 

 at all times they should have ready access to drinking-water. No 

 animal can exist so short a time without it unharmed. It is self- 

 evident that, if a pony be entirely dependent on outdoor feed, his 

 condition must necessarily vary with the season. Apoplectically 

 full in summer, he must be sorely reduced in winter. This must, 

 sooner or later, injure the health and stamina of the animal. 



The writer, who has had considerable experience in the keep- 

 ing of Shetland ponies, has carefully experimented as to the best 

 hygienic arrangements for their indoor accommodation. He 

 finds that a rough stone building, loosely cemented, so as to allow 

 a free current of air to pass through the walls, with ordinary 

 stable fittings on a small scale, and covered with a galvanized 

 iron roof, forms their best shelter. During the day, in almost all 



A Shetland Pony. 



