New Forest Pony

History
 The New Forest Pony is native to England, and was first found roaming the New Forest by William the Conqueror. It is estimated that the ponies were there as much as sixty years before being discovered, allowing them time to adapt to rough, low-nutrient plants and develop into hardy little ponies. From time to time, other breeds were added to the native ponies, including Arabians, Throughbreds, and Welsh ponies, all of which contributed to making a diverse, hardy breed.

New Forest Pony credit

 In 1910, around the time when the breeding of the ponies was taken more seriously, the government decided to record the New Forest Ponies in the National Studbook, which meant that any native pony could cross-breed with the New Forest Ponies. This was later stopped when the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society opened its own New Forest Pony stud book.

 In the 1950s, England had begun exporting their ponies to other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Originally, only 22 New Forest ponies, three of which were geldings, were exported to the U.S., and 12 to Canada. Now, there are over 300 in North America.

 The New Forest Pony Association was founded in 1989, by Mrs. Lucille Guilbault and Jody Waltz, and is open to New Forest Ponies throughout North America.

Breed Description and Uses
 Though pony-sized at an average of 11 to 14.2 hands, the New Forest Pony resembles a horse more than any other breed from the UK. The shoulders slope into the withers, which is more common in horses than ponies. Life in the forest has caused the pony to develop in to a robust, sure-footed pony that is both strong and docile.

 Today, most New Forest Ponies roam southern England, though some are used for show jumping, dressage, driving, and as pleasure mounts.

Fell Pony

History
The Fell Pony is an ancient breed from the United Kingdom. For almost 2,000 years, the breed has developed and adapted to the harsh climate of northern England, becoming a tough pony able to thrive under such conditions.

 Before the 18th century, well-maintained paved roads were a rarity, so people needed sturdy, strong ponies as transportation. Many people decided upon the Fell Pony, who fit the criteria. As time passed, whoever, roads improved and people needed faster horses for long distance travel. At that point, the Fell transitioned to a farm horse for farms living in the hilly northern England.

 Then, in the 19th century, the use of Fell Ponies for pleasure, such as trotting races and other sports events, began. Fells were also used for shipping goods. During the late-19th century, Fells began pulling cartloads of coal out of mines and working with the machinery nearby the mines. In 1916, the Fell Pony Society was founded.

 Only about 700 Fell mares are registered worldwide.

Breed Description and Uses
 The Fell Pony, standing 12.2 to 13.3 hands high, is a muscular, draft-like pony. Their hooves are hardy, thighs strong, and haunches muscular. Because of their strength and sturdiness, they can carry heavy weights. Commonly, Fells are black, although brown, bay, and gray are occasionally seen.

Fell Ponies resemble miniature Friesians, though many breeders
doubt that any Friesian blood is present. credit

 Fells have calm, even temperaments and are willing to work hard. They are intelligent and love activities that engage their mind.

Today, the versatile Fells are most commonly used for combined driving, though they also excel at jumping, dressage, and endurance racing.

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Secretariat: Woodward Stakes

On September 29, just a few weeks after his incredible win in the Marlboro Cup, Secretariat returned to  Belmont Park to race in the Woodward Stakes. The race was 1 1/2 miles. "It shouldn't be hard after defeating the nation's top horses in the Marlboro Cup," his avid fans thought. However, despite someone's expectations on a horse"s performance, the racing world is full of surprises and unexpected twists. Nothing is ever certain.

  At the start of the race, Jorge Velasquez urged his mount to take an early lead, which is exactly what Onion had done before defeating Secretariat in the Whitney Stakes. Prove Out(Velasquez's mount) ran along the rail the while race. He remained unhurried, even after Secretariat had passed him. Suddenly, halfway through the homestretch, he shot ahead, passing Secretariat and winning by 4 1/2 lengths!

 Second place was just not good enough for many of Secretariat's fans. Even though the second place prize was $100,000 dollars, the loss hit them hard. Once again, the great Secretariat had lost to a horse with very bad odds of winning.

 Meanwhile, Allen Jerkens, the trainer of both Onion and Prove Out, had gained quite a reputation. Two different horses that he had trained had vanquished Secretariat on two different tracks! No wonder he had been given the nickname the "Giant Killer", which he still holds.

 Secretariat had been beaten twice in that past month, but he would return. Then he would win once more.

The Shire and Clydesdale: a Comparison

Imagine that you see two horses--a Shire and a Clydesdale. At first, if you know little about horses, you may say that they are the same horse. Though they are certainly quite similar physically, their historically backward has several differences.

Historical Background

Clydesdale(credit)

  First, the Clydesdale comes from Scotland, not England. The breed was first introduced in the early 19th century after many years of selectively breeding local mares to Flemish stallions. By the late 19th century, Clydesdales had become extremely popular.  Both Scotland and North America had there own breeding association for the horse. After World War I, the number of Clydesdales dramatically declined due to the fact that most farmers had stopped using horse drawn plows. It wasn't until 1975 that they were considered on the brink of extinction and people began to breed them in order to save the species. Thirty years late the number of Clydesdale was greatly increased, and today there is estimated to be about 5,000 worldwide.


 Shires, which originate from England, have a different story. They are believed to be descendants of the Old English Black Horse, which was used in the 17th century. Later on, Friesians, as well as Dutch horses, were bred with the English horse and by the mid-17th century, the Shire was first mentioned. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the breed was officially formed. In the early 1900s, the Shire became popular in the U.S. Then, during World War II, draft horses began to disappear because of purchase of livestock feed was strict. Finally, in the '70s, the horse became popular once more in both America and England.

Shire(credit)

Appearance

  In appearance, the horses are almost the same,  which is probably because of Clydesdale influence in the Shire. Both are big-boned and average  17 hands or more(a hand is four inches). Also, they  commonly have white markings on the legs and face with "feathers" around the ankles.

Uses Today

Today, both horses are commonly used for similar activities. Clydesdales often make great riding and sport horses and are often seen pulling carts or even doing agricultural work.  Shires, too, are used in sports such as cross country and obstacle driving, or just for everyday riding. 

Dales Pony

The Dales pony is a native British breed that has never been wild, being bred by man in captivity. It has descended from the Celtic pony, like many other British breeds. It also has other breeds mixed into it.

Long ago, the Fell pony and the Dales pony were pretty much the same breed. The Fell pony came from the west of the Pennine hills and the Dales from the east(the Pennine hills stretch through the northern half of England)Back then, both ponies were called Pennine ponies.

Dales ponies, known for being both good trotters and for their ability to pull heavy loads, were used by the army to carry ammunition to soldiers as well as to pull mine carts full of lead or coal. Also, it was ridden by farmers. Dales ponies can run a mile in three minutes and can carry up to 220 pounds.

Characteristics

The Dales pony is strongly built and has sturdy joints. Its hooves are hard and have bluish tint to them;feathers grow on the fetlock. Its face shows alertness, its ears are short, and its eyes are bright. The mane and tail are wavy. It can grow to be up to 14.2 hands tall. The pony can be either black, brown, bay, or grey.

Ancestry

The Celtic pony was crossed with a Friesian-Ariegeois cross bred horse that was brought to england by the Romans. In the 1800s, a Welsh Cob was added to the mix, and finally, Clydesdales were added for size.

Dales Pony's Uses Today

The Dales pony is mostly used as a trekking pony or a driving pony.