Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1883-09-20
THE SHETLAND PONY.

THE SHETLAND PONY.
characteristics of the Little Animal
Entirely Devoid of VicioUsness.
The native live stock of Shetland
cannot generally be commended. but
the well known pony of that part of
the world is perfect of its kind. As
carts would he out of place on the
| steep sides of the hills, ponies are kept
by every family for the purpose of car
rying peat for the winter. The fuel,
after being dried. is placed in baskets
called "CaSsies," one of which hangs on
each side of the animals back. a strong.
broad back, admirably adapted for tho
purpose of bearing heavy burdens.
The "Sheltie" is an animal which for
many generations has been bred and
trained under special and peculiar cir
cumstances. and hence his physique
and general character, his hereditary
instincts and intelligence, his small
size and his purity and fiXity of type.
a pony belonging to breed which
has had to pick its zigzag way down a
steep declivity during many genera
hOns, must be sure footed. BY the
same rule, pony, whose grooms and
playmates include dozen juveniles
the children of the neighborhood, who
roll about underneath him, or upon his
back-must be gentle, and the same
pony, living on the scathold on air
sometimes, rather than on herbage.
must be hardy. The pony of the Shet.
land Isles is in fact the offspring of
circumstances. He is the pet of the
family, gentle as the Arab steed under
similar training. he will follow his
friends indoors like dog, and lick the
platters or the children's faces. He
has no more kick in him than a cat
and no more bite in him than puppy
He is noble example of the complete
suppression of those vicious propensi-
ties that some of his kind exhibit when
they are ill-treated, and of the intelli-
gence and good temper that may be
developed in horses by kindness.
There is no precedent for his running
away, nor for his becoming frightened
or tired, even when he has carried
some stout laird from Lerwick to his
house, many Scotch miles across the
hills. He moves down the rugged
hillsides with admirable circumspec-
tion, loaded pannier fashion with two
heavy "cassies'' of peat, picking his way
step by step, sometimes sideways. In
crossing boggy spots, where the water
is retained and a.green carpet of aqua
tic grass might deceive some steeds,
and bring them headlong to grief in
the spongy trap, he carefully smells
the surface, and is thus enabled to cir
CumVent the danger. In the winter
the Shetland pony wears a coat made
of felted hair, and specially suited for
the occasion. His thick winter gar
ment is well adapted for protecting
him against the fogs and damps of the
climate It's exceedingly warm and
comfortable, fits close to the wearers
dapper form, and is not bad looking
when new. But when the coat grows
old toward spring-at the season when
the new one should appear-it becomes
the shabbiest garment of the kind that
you often see. Its very amplitude
and the abundance of the material,
render it conspicuous when it peels
and hangs for while ragged and worn
out, and then falls bit by bit, till the
whole of it disappears. The number
of ponies bred in different districts de
pends upon circumstances. A good
breeding district must possess a good
hill-that is, hill lying well for shell
ter. and well clothed with native vege-
tation, such as heather.-FOreSt7y