198 THE SHETLAND PONY. 
the idea is a true and philosophical one. The Horse is mostly fierce because 
it is nervous ; and bites and kicks, not because it is enraged, but because it 
isalarmed. Restore confidence, and the creature becomes quiet, without any 
desire to use its hoofs and teeth in an aggressive manner. It is clearly im- 
possible to do so as long as the animal is at liberty to annihilate its teacher, 
and the strap is only used until the Horse is convinced that the presence of 
a human form, or the touch of a human hand, has nothing of the terrible in 
it. Confidence soon takes the place of fear, and the animal seems to receive 
its teacher at once into its good graces, following him like a dog, and rubbing 
its nose against his shoulder. 
SEVERAL breeds of partially wild Horses are still found in the British 
Islands, the best known of which is the SHETLAND PONY. 
This odd, quaint, spirited little animal is an inhabitant of the islands at 
the northern extremity of Scotland, where it runs wild, and may be owned 
SHETLAND PONY. 
by anyone who can catch and hold it. Considering its diminutive proportions 
which only average seven or eight hands in height, the Sheltie is wonderfully 
strong, and can trot away quite easily with a tolerably heavy man on its back. 
One of these little creatures carried a man of twelve stone weight for a 
distance of forty miles in a single day. The head of this little animal is 
small, the neck short and well arched, and covered with an abundance of 
heavy mane, that falls over the face and irresistibly reminds the spectator of 
a Skye terrier. It is an admirable draught-horse when harnessed to a 
carriage of proportionate size ; and a pair of these spirited little creatures 
when attached to a low lady’s carriage, have a remarkably piquant and 
Dretty appearance, 
