The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-02-05

6AstiaaA Fsalss.- s-~,-~-
THE ponies are not an agricultural,
but domestic, necessity. In shetland,
~ In paris Of ireland, every family do.
ponds for its supply Of ilRl on peat, and
~ the peat Is seldom found near ct hand
on the shore where the houses stand,
but ON the hill behind them--there is IL,
ways hill in the rear in Shetland; ev.
cry island consisting mainly Of hill, with
. patch or two Of "smOoth" land in q
few snug hooks by tho shore-and as it
often il ut . distance Of several steep
and stony miles, each house requires
several ponies, the number depending
on the distance and the character Of the
road. A family living "convenient :"
to the peat may require only two peat
carriers, and another family may re-
quire half dozen. The material, after
Il has been dug AID dried in the usual
manner, 10 carried home on the backs Of
the ponies In baskets, called " cassies. :"
II Is obvious that the back which has TO
perform this kind Of service should be
broad and strong. The Shetland pony
Is striking example Of development;
for generations past he has been bred
and reared and trained with unif0rmi-
ty which could not have been secured in
any other part OF the United Kingdom.
Hence his physique and general char.
acter, bis hereditary instincts and intel.
iigence, his small size, and his purity
and hxity Of type. A pony belonging
to . breed which has had to pick its
Igzsg way down . steep decliyity dur.
ing many generations must b sure
footed. BY the same rule pony whose
grooms and playmates include = dozen
juveniles-the children Of the neighbOr.
hood, who roll about underneath him or
upon his back-must Do gentle, and the
same pony, living on tho scathold on air
sometimes rather than on heritage, must
be hardy. The pony of the Shetland
Isles Is, In fact, the offspring of
circumstances. He Is the pct Of
the family, gentle rs the Arabs steed
,puder similar training. He viii follow
bis friends indoors like a dog, and lick
the platters or the childrenx faces, He
he's no more kick In him than . cat, and
10 more bite than puppy. He is a
noble example Of the complete suppress.
sion Of these vicious propensities that
some Of his kind exhibit when they arc
ill-treatcd, and OF the intelligence and
good temper that may be Developed in
horses BY kindness. There Is no prece.
dent for his running away, nor, for his
becoming frightened or tired, even when
10 has carried some stout laird from
Lerwick to his house, many Scotch miles
across the hills. He moves down the
rugged hillsides with admirable circum.
spection, loaded panuier, fashion with
two heavy "cassies of peat, picking
his way step BY step, sometimes side
Wxys. In crossing Doggy spots, where
the water Is retained, and q green car.
pet of aquatic ga'ass might deceive some
steeds and bring them headlopg 10 grief
in the spongy trap, he carefully smells
the surface, and u thus enabled To cir.
oumvent the danger. In the winter the
Shetland pony wears . coat made Of
felted hair, and specially suited for the
season. His thick winter garment is
we'll adapted for protecting him against
the fogs and damps Of the climate. Il
Is exceedingly warm and comfortable;
fits close to the wearer's dapper form,
and is not bad.looking when new. But
when the coat grows Old toward spring,
ct tho season when the new ono should
appear, II becomes the shabbiest gar.
ment Of the kind that you often s>e. Its
very amplitude and the abundance Of
the material render it the more con.
spicuous, when It peels and hangs for
awhile ragged and worn out, and then
falls bit by bit till the whole of it disap.
pears. No horse looks at his best when
losing his old coat, and the more coat
there may be to lose the worse he looks.