PONIES 93 



courage and generous temper. Unless crossed with the 

 thoroughbred the Northern ponies are not adepts at 

 galloping, their paces being the walk and the trot, but they 

 are very sure-footed, can carry great weight, and are docile 

 in the extreme. It is very rare to see a galloway from the 

 dale country either kick, rear, or shy, while they can live on 

 the roughest fare, and withstand the rigours of a very wet 

 and very cold climate. In the neighbourhood of the old- 

 established training stables at Middleham, Eichmond, and 

 Penrith, the fell galloways have often some good blood in 

 them, which is seen at once m their improved quality, and 

 many of these can gallop in good form. It is on these 

 limestone hills, where the native pony averages about 

 14.1 or 14.2, and very seldom reaches 15 hands, that 

 the weight-carrying polo pony should be bred from this 

 foundation stock, and kept and reared till he is three or 

 four years old. The stock was sadly diminished during the 

 Boer War, for from these mountains I purchased for the 

 War Office, and sent to Africa, many hundreds of the best of 

 the ponies ; the stock has never recovered the drain upon 

 it, and the great increase of cycling and motoring has so 

 restricted the demand for this class, that now compara- 

 tively few are being bred. The great annual fair for these 

 ponies is at Brough Hill, in Westmorland, in the autumn, 

 and they are also sold in considerable numbers at Kirby 

 Stephen, in the near vicinity, which fair precedes the other 

 by a few days. 



The Welsh ponies are of two distinct types. Those bred in 

 the low country do not show the quality of the mountain 

 ponies, but are much more powerful, rather cobby in 

 character, resembhng to a great extent the North Country 

 galloway. It is the mountain pony that Wales is more 

 especially famous for, small in stature so that it is difficult 

 to find one of pure blood 13 hands in height, but full of 

 fire, with pace, action, and good constitution. The feed- 

 ing on their own ranges is not sufficiently good to encourage 

 growth, but taken down to good pasturage they increase 

 rapidly in height in succeeding generations. The Conway 

 Show in the northern division, and the Welsh National Show, 



