Fur pony
| Fur pony | |
|---|---|
Fellpony Longstreamlet Kim |
|
| Important data | |
| Origin: | England, c. 100 AD |
| Main breeding area: | England |
| Distribution: | England |
| Stick measure : | 135-142 cm |
| Colors : | Blacks, black-browns, browns, molds |
| Main application area: | Driving and leisure horse, load horse, draft horse, agricultural work |
The fur pony is a robust pony breed from the Northern English Fell Mountains . The name Fell-Pony indicates on the one hand the possible area of origin, a range of hills in the county of Cumbria west of the Pennines , called Fells, and on the other hand the size of the horse. Traditionally, all horse breeds under a height of 148.5 cm are called ponies.
Background information on horse evaluation and breeding can be found under: Exterior , interior and horse breeding .
Exterior
The fur pony is one of the nine British pony breeds with which it shares essential exterior characteristics (see pony type ), especially the rumpy body on relatively short legs. The fur is still available in different types, some seem to resemble the Frisians at first glance. However, the gait mechanics in particular are significantly different. The coat colors are black , black and brown , brown and gray . Black horses are the most common, while gray and brown horses are extremely rare. The relatively heavy, round-ribbed ponies weigh an average of around 450 kg. Great importance is attached to the strong foundation, the circumference of the flat tube should not be less than 20 cm if possible. The often lush droppings are thrown off in the summer of some animals except for the drop on the droppings head. The long hair is usually long and lush, but should not have curls or frizz, but rather be straight. A small head with a broad forehead sits on a relatively high neck.
interior
Fur ponies are mainly used as leisure ponies. They are considered to be robust, calm, balanced, sure-footed and, with correct handling and appropriate posture, have a friendly, intelligent nature. They are well suited for all riding styles, but also as a driving horse. Fur ponies are easy to feed compared to large horses, but require just as much feed as ponies of comparable size, and are content with an open stable even in winter under appropriate housing conditions . Particularly noteworthy is the intelligence of the ponies, which are still largely characterized by the half-feral rearing. They are also very suitable as riding horses for children because they are very strong and well-behaved. But you can also carry light adults. One trait that applies to many, if not all, fur ponies is that they are eager and quick.
Breeding history
The ancestors of the fur pony were the native ponies of the English north, the British Hill ponies (see Sue Baker, Survival of the Fittest). The crossing of the horses of Frisian auxiliaries, which was often cited earlier, is based on research results from the 1950s and is no longer tenable today. What is certain is that the native Hill Pony has undergone some changes over the past 2000 years. Just as the coat contributed to the creation of the Hackney pony , the blood of the old English trotter breeds ( Norfolk Trotter etc.) can be assumed in the coat.
As long as the Anglo-Scottish border area was in constant turmoil, the fur was used, respectively. its predecessor - possibly under the name Galloway - primarily as a mount. Later, the robust and sure-footed ponies served as workhorses for mountain farmers and shepherds who looked after their herds in the inaccessible area of the Fell Mountains. Protected by the long hair and the curtains, these ponies could not harm the cold weather. At the beginning of the 19th century the fur was used for work in the mines and lead mines . In small groups of around 20, the ponies, each loaded with around 100 kg, covered distances of up to 400 km from the mines to the port cities.
The increasing mechanization caused the population of fur ponies to decline. It is said that there were only five stallions left between the two world wars. In 1960 they were still one of the domestic animal breeds threatened with extinction. Because of the fur-foal syndrome, a genetically determined immune deficiency of the foals, which is noticeable between the third and sixth week of life and from which the foals die around the third month, the fur is now known by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as " rare and endangered ”(rare and threatened). In the meantime, the breed has recovered to such an extent that it is assumed that there are around 4,000 fur ponies today. Exact numbers cannot be determined because of the somewhat different English breeding system. More details can be said about the number of breeding animals, the stock includes about 300 to 400 broodmares worldwide, about 150 stallions are recognized worldwide by the dam book, the Fell Pony Society. Around 300 to 350 foals are born every year. The number of traditional "hill breeders" and thus the number of semi-wild herds is falling sharply. Today the fur is bred in Great Britain, Holland, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the USA.
See also
literature
- Alberto Soldi: The great nature guide - horses . Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2003, ISBN 3-7043-1365-3 .
