HISTORY AND USES OF THE BREED 475 



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breeds of ponies in existence, and one of the most sym- 

 metrically shaped and active, as well as the most useful and 

 hardy. The discovery in 1864 of the Bressay stone, on which 

 a horse is sculptured in relief, furnishes evidence that ponies 

 may have been in the Islands as early as the sixth century, 

 A.D. The ancient Norse name of the mainland of Orkney, 

 " Hrossey " or Horse Island, probably indicated the presence 

 of horses not far from Shetland as early as the Norwegian 

 invasion. The diminutive size and hardy constitution are 

 the product of the law of the " survival of the fittest " from 

 extremely trying conditions, especially during winter, when, 

 forced by starvation, they subsist on seaweed picked up on 

 the shore. The trying climate and scanty food are the safe- 

 guards of the purity of the breed, which has frequently in 

 ignorance been crossed with imported blood. The mongrel 

 progeny tend to die out in the course of time. Shetland ponies 

 live till they are thirty or forty years and more old, and they 

 are said to be " foaled in the field, live in the field, and die in 

 the field." A pony mare rarely produces more than one foal 

 every second year. Until foals are two years old " their cover- 

 ing is wool rather than hair." The natural coat in winter is 

 long and shaggy, while the new hair in summer is short and 

 sleek. The form resembles that of a well-shaped Clydesdale, 

 with good, characteristic action. The smallest recorded speci- 

 men is said to have been only 26 inches high. The average 

 height is 40 inches, and no pony of more than 32 inches can 

 be entered in the Stud Book, with the object of keeping down 

 the size, because large specimens sell at bad prices. Any 

 pony over four years old is capable of carrying a man, and 

 often his wife behind him, at a rapid pace. Although blacks, 

 bays, and browns, are favoured, mouse colours are said to 

 be most prevalent; but grey, cream, chestnut, and piebald 

 are also represented. There are about 5000 horses, including 

 ponies, in the Islands, or only half the recorded numbers in 

 1822. There is a excellent market in America and Canada 

 for registered Shetlands, and a good demand in Great Britain 

 for well-shaped specimens that move well in saddle or harness. 

 The inferior varieties, which fetch comparatively very small 

 prices, are put, in decreasing numbers, to work in coal mines. 

 Their low but powerfully built frames enable them to go 

 where taller ponies could not enter, and there do the work of 



