108 THE HORSE. 
ponies, especially a stallion ridden by himself, of very fine symmetry and 
action. 
Tue New Forest pony will shortly be as seldom met with as the red 
deer in that district, that is to say, running wild, for the whole forest is to 
be broken up into farms, and as the land is valuable it will scarcely be 
devoted to breeding ponies. The breed is not much sought after, being 
more useful than ornamental, and not too highly gifted with the former 
quality either. ‘The head is large and coarse, the sides flat, and the feet 
and legs by no means what they should be, if appearances are to be taken 
as the guide. Nevertheless, they stand work better than might be ex- 
pected, and I have known several which were tolerably good-looking as 
well as extremely safe and pleasant hacks. 
Tur Exmoor pony is said to be particularly hardy, and his short thick 
middle would lead one to suppose that this character is well deserved. 
Most of them are capital jumpers, and it is said that they will carry a 
heavy man up and down the Devonshire hills in a most astonishing way. 
I have seen many of these ponies, but have never had an opportunity of 
judging how far report has exaggerated their powers. They are remark- 
able for a peculiarly light bay colour of the muzzle and legs. Mr. Knight, 
of Simonsbath Lodge, and his agent, Mr. Smith, have taken great pains 
to improve the breed, and have crossed the native Exmoor mares with 
good thoroughbred English stallions, as well as with trotters and Arabs. 
The result is the production of many good-looking ponies annually 
brought to the hammer, but the prices realized are scarcely such as to 
warrant a continuance of the experiment. 
THe HicgHLAND pony is remarkable for his docility and general good 
manners, by which circumstance he makes the best shooting pony in the 
world, and can be taught almost anything, except perhaps to gallop with 
the racehorse. ‘These ponies have, like the old Welsh breed, the forma- 
tion of hind-quarter called “cat hams,” but this only gives a greater power 
of using them and especially of creeping over broken ground, in which they 
are unapproachable. ‘Their intelligence alsu is so great that it is almost 
impossible to get them into a bog; and if by chance they find themselves 
sinking, they avoid the struggles which are instinctive in other breeds, and 
manage either to creep quietly out, or else wait patiently till assistance 
comes. In size they vary from twelve hands and a half to thirteen and a 
half, and in shape they present little to be remarked except their neat 
heads and cat hams. They are able to carry considerably more weight 
than their frames would lead one to expect, and sometimes a six-foot 
brawny Scotchman may be seen on one of them without causmg any 
apparent distress, and with difficulty keeping his legs off the gruund. 
LASTLY, THE SHETLANDER comes under review. He is the smallest 
variety of the British horse, and his appearance is well delineated in the 
annexed engraving. His head, almost concealed by his rough shagg 
mane and forelock, looks smaller than it really is, while his neck is ex- 
tremely well formed, and his shoulders are slanting, muscular, and full of 
liberty. In fact, these little animals have powers proportionally as great 
as that of a dray-horse, and appear to carry with ease a man of eleven or 
twelve stone, if only he can arrange his legs so as to avoid walking and 
riding at the same time. They vary in height from nine to eleven hands, 
or sometimes a little more, and hence they are admirably calculated in this 
respect for the use of children, while their tempers are generally so good 
that they may be pulled about with as much impunity as a Newfoundland 
dog, Their colours are chiefly bay, brown, or rusty black, chestnuts and 
