1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
13 
American-bred Shetland Ponies. 
We have few or no native ponies in this 
country. The Indian and Canadian ponies 
-are undersized horses. Mexican and Texan 
ponies are like those of the Indians, simply 
run out or bred down in size from the force 
of circumstances. In the extreme southern 
part of Mexico and the Isthmus, there is, how- 
over, a breed of genuine ponies, it may be 
produced by degeneration, but still fixed in 
bred by the late William Watson from stock 
imported by him in 1851-2. He is of excel¬ 
lent form and style, fine action, spirited, and 
docile. He is 44 inches (11 hands) high, black 
in color and is an attractive and beautiful 
animal. He proves an excellent stock-getter, 
as shown by the two-year-old brown filly, 
“Cora,” also 44 inches high — a daughter 
of his, out of “Minnie.” The other mare, 
“Lucy,” is chestnut and white, 7 years old, 
40 inches high, and was imported last sum- 
We might make much greater use of ponies 
than we do, especially where the roads are 
good. The first cross of the larger pony 
mares with undersized Arabian stallions pro¬ 
duces a beautiful, active pony of about 
twelve and a half hands high, of great style, 
and often of superior trotting action, and 
notable speed. These half-bred Shetland 
mares, bred to small jacks, produce small 
mules which are stocky and strong, very 
docile, and in more or less demand for use in 
A GROUP OF AMERICAN BRED SHETLAND PONIES . —Drawn by Edwin Forbes and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
’their stature and other characteristics. This 
(lack of ponies is not due to the fact that the 
■country is ill adapted to breeding them, but 
because we have never done it. In Great Brit¬ 
ain there are nearly as many breeds of ponies 
as of horses; there are the Shetland, Highland, 
Welsh, New Forest, Dartmoor, and other po¬ 
nies, each having individual merit and marked 
by peculiarities which give them value. 
The late William Watson, of New York, 
well known as an importer and breeder of 
Ayrshire cattle, was engaged as early as 1849 in 
importing and breeding the Shetland ponies. 
His youngest son, Mr. H. R. C. Watson, con¬ 
tinues to breed them. We present portraits 
.from photographs of Mr. Watson’s animals. 
The seven-year-old stallion, “Jim,” was 
mer. When bred in this country, with good 
feed, stabling, and care, the Shetlands lose 
much of the characteristic roughness and 
shagginess which gives imported ones such a 
peculiar sheepish look, and appear much 
more horse like, with a thorough-bred look 
which is quite noticeable. They grow a little 
larger also as a rule, but the increased size is 
not in all cases a disadvantage, for with it 
comes increased strength and speed, and 
adaptation to a variety of uses to which the 
very small ponies cannot be put. Mr. Wat¬ 
son’s drove now consists of seventeen head, 
and includes a number of imported ones, 
added last summer. The ponies are broken 
to saddle and harness, single and double, are 
tough, and thrive on common coarse fare- 
some mines. Altogether the field of pony 
breeding seems to be a most promising one. 
Now, as to the use of ponies. We commonly 
regard ponies as pets for children of ten to 
fifteen years or so, making safe and pleasant 
ones ; they also give them boldness as riders, 
fondness for animals, and knowledge of how 
to care for them properly. There are, how¬ 
ever, services which ponies may perform, 
more safely, more quickly, and better than 
full-sized horses. Grocers, butchers, and 
other shop-keepers might make convenient 
use of smart, quick-stepping ponies. There is 
a demand for phaeton ponies, which would 
be greatly increased were handsome ones 
abundant enough to make them fashionable, 
and this pony-breeders should accomplish. 
