158 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



of most breeds of ponies. Distinct types of ponies are 

 found in almost every country, the chief types being the 

 Arab and his near allies, the Turks, Barbs and Persians, 

 the Mongolian, Japanese, Korean, Burma and Manipuri 

 pony, Sumatra and Java pony, Russian, Scandinavian or 

 Norwegian pony, the Celtic or pony of Iceland, the ponies 

 of the British Isles, and, in America, the ponies' of the 

 western states. While some of these, perhaps, are only 

 of remote interest in America at present, it has been 

 thought best to discuss most of them briefly. 



188. Use and value of the pony. The usefulness 

 and value of the pony is just beginning to be appreciated 

 in America. Ponies cost much less to feed, consume less 

 and thrive on rougher food than the large horse, and they 

 will travel as far; many, in fact, will outdistance the 

 large horse. The thirteen-hand pony will do a horse's 

 work on half his feed and requires less attendance. 

 Ponies have better feet, legs and wind, and are less sus- 

 ceptible to disease than large horses. They stand more 

 hardship, recover more quickly from fatigue and live 

 longer. They have, moreover, much greater intelligence, 

 and for this reason are much less likely to take fright at 

 objects on the road. 



The principal cause of the marked superiority in con- 

 stitution of the present-day pony over the horse, and 

 of his greater intelligence, is accounted for by his having 

 to shift for himself on the hills and wastes, and this 

 hardiness and intelligence is transmitted to generations 

 born in domestication. The horse reared in captivity 

 with everything done for his comfort, has not the same 

 toughness as the pony ; no demand is made on his intel- 

 ligence, and his mental faculties remain, to a great ex- 

 tent, undeveloped. In the pony, unsoundness *of wind 



