Whether it is the rocking horse or the circus that sparks off the idea, many a child dreams of 

 a pony of its own. The increasing popularity of riding for children is shown by the fact that 

 the Pony Club has become the largest horse association in the world, with branches in 

 countries as far apart as the United States and India. 



But if Henry VIII had had his way, at any rate in England, there would have been no 

 ponies to ride; for in order to improve the quality of the English horse he forbade the keeping 

 of horses under fifteen hands, or 'little stand horses and nags of small stature', as he called 

 them, and ordered any wild ones to be rounded up and killed. It is only because some of 

 these escaped to wilder places, such as Dartmoor and Exmoor and the Welsh hills, that any 

 of our native breeds of pony survive today. 



