Highland Pony

 History
The Highland Pony has been in Scotland for centuries, changing a little bit each time an invading army  came to the area, bringing with them horses native to their country. Among those horses include Percherons, Hackneys, Fell Ponies, and Dales Ponies. Because of the many different bloodlines of horses within the breed, the breed has developed into two: a small, light one and a large, muscular one.

 Due to their stamina, strength, and sure-footedness, the ponies were used for farm work, such as plowing, as well as hauling timber across the land and carrying deer back home after a hunting trip. During the second World War, the pony was used as a war horse.

Today, the pony is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, who owns the largest herd of stallions, which are bred during the breeding season.

Highland Pony credit

Breed Description and Uses
 The Highland Pony is small, standing only 13 to 14.2 hands high. His hooves are hard and solid, perfect for climbing the Highlands, and feathering covers his fetlocks. His hindquarters are powerful, chest deep, shoulder large, and neck arched with a pretty little head.

 Highlands come in dun, gray, black, chestnut, and cream, and some come with dorsal stripes or zebra stripes on their legs.

Highland Ponies are still used as hunting ponies–not the jumping, though they are good at that too, but the kind when you stalk and shoot animals. They are also as a pack pony, and those crossed with Thoroughbreds make great eventers.

Eriskay

History
 The Eriskay pony, related to the ancient Celtic ponies, originated in northern Scotland, in the Isle of Eriskay. For centuries, they were captured and used for everyday work: farm work, pulling carts, taking children to school, and many other tasks. Since they had to work all day, only those with kind, hard-working temperaments were kept, and as a result, the Eriskay we know today emerged. This work continued up to the mid-1800s, when bigger horses, such as Clydesdales and Fjords, were added to the breed to create a larger pony. The number of purebred Eriskays dropped dramatically. Before long, the  purebred Eriskays could only be found on one hard to reach island.

 By the mid 1900s, when machines began taking the place of horses, the breed took yet another hit. In 1970, there were only twenty left. A small group who loved the breed began working hard to save it, and over the past forty years, the number of Eriskays increased more then tenfold.

Today,  approximately 420 ponies can be found worldwide and the breed is considered to be on the critical list. The Eriskay Pony Society continues to help breeders make the best decisions. They give them advice on which stallion to breed to, and even transport stallions across the country to make breeding easier.

credit

Breed Description and Uses
 Eriskays stand 12 to 13 hands high on average. They a large head, short neck, deep chest, muscular shoulders, straight legs, complete with flat knees; short pasterns, small, flat frogs; and hard hoof horns. Much like Lipizzaners, they are born black and become grey as they age, though other colors may appear. Their thick winter coat protects them from bad weather, such as rain and snow. Their temperament is calm, easygoing, and willing to please.

Due to their rough natural habitat, Eriskays are strong enough to carry an adult and are very versatile, making them excellent for any discipline, including jumping, dressage, driving, and trail riding. Their gaits are smooth with little knee action.

Clydesdale

History
 The Clydesdale is the United Kingdom's youngest draft breed, with it becoming a breed only 150 years ago. To create the breed, calm mares from Lanarkshire(the Clyde Valley) were bred with the type of English draft stallions that were often found carrying knights bravely into battle. Also in the bloodline was several Flemish stallions imported to Scotland in the late 1700s.

 Several stallons are noted to have had a great influence on the breed. One includes a brown imported by the Duke of Hamilton in the 18th century. The other two include a black Flemish with white stockings and a white face, as well as Blaze, a 16.1 hand high black horse thought to have the blood of a coach horse. He marked the Clydesdale with his flashy knee action.

 In 1806s, a filly, the descendant of the black flemish stallion, was foaled. She became very influential to the breed, producing sturdy offspring with strong legs. These offspring, too, made a mark on the Clydesdale we know today.

 In the early 1900s, the Clydesdale had reached its peek. There were an estimated 140,000 horses, with about 1,600 stallions being exported in 1911 alone. However, things began to look down for the famous draft by the end of World War I. The '20s brought on the use of machines for farm work, and, consequently, drafts were simply left to run free in certain countries. By the end of World War II, only 200 hundred Clydesdales were licensed to work in England. By 1949, the number plummeted to 80.

A team of Clydesdales pull a wagon. source

 In the '60s, the breed took another hit as more and more machines were used, and their numbers began to swiftly decline. Only several hundred existed in the UK. In 1975, the breed was categorized as "vulnerable," though over the past four decades, the number has increased a little. Now, with approximately 5,000 Clydesdales registered worldwide, the breed has advanced to "at risk."

 Today, Clydesdale are extremely popular throughout North America due to the famous Budweiser horses.

Breed Description and Uses
 Clydesdales, unlike most other draft breeds, are more slim than burly, though don't underestimate their strength. They were bred to work hard a carry heavy loads of coal, produce, and even beer. Their gaits are high-stepping and flashy, their neck high-set, and their stockings and blaze eye-catching, making them elegant enough to be nice carriage horses. Also, their feet are huge, which complicates using them to pull plows. Because of that, these tall, 16 to 19 hands high drafts were commonly found in cities.

 Most commonly, Clydesdales are bay with white stockings, a blaze, and heavy feathering around the fetlocks. Sometimes, sabino coloring occurs, with white stretching up as far as the belly. Other colors include roan, black, and gray.

 Clydesdales are mostly used for driving, though if crossbred with another breed, like the Arabian, a common choice, they make prized eventing horses.

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