The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-10-20
The Shetland Pony.

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 be out
of place on the steep sides of the hills,
ponies are kept by every family for the pur-
pose of carrying 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, strong,
broad back, admirably adapted for the pur-
pose of bearing heavy burdens The
"Sheltie" is an animal which for many
generations has been bred and trained un-
der special and peculiar circumstances, and
hence his physique and general character,
his hereditary instincts and intelligence, his
small size and his purity and ixity of type.
A pony belonging to breed which has
to pick its zigzag way down steep decliv
ity during many generations, must be sure
footed. By the same rule, pony, whose
grooms and playmates include dozen
juveniles 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 some
times, rather than on herbage, must be
hardy The pony of the Shetland 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 fol-
low 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 a puppy. He is
noble example of the complete suppression
of those vicious propensities that some of
his kind exhibit when they are ill-treated,
and of the intelligence and good temper
that may be developed in horses by kind
ness. There is no precedent for his run
ming away, nor for his becoming frighten-
ed or tired, even when he has carried some
stout lark from Lerwick to his house.
many Scotch miles across the hills. He
moves down the rugged hilIsides with ad-
mirable circumspection, 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
aquatic 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 circumvent the dan
ger In the winter the Shetland pony
wears coat made of felted hair, and spe-
cially suited for the occasion. His thick
winter garment is well adapted for protec-
ting him against the fogs and damps of the
climate 1t is exceedingly warm and COM
Portable, fits close to the wearer's dapper
form, and is not bad looking when new.
But when the coat grows old toward dspring
at the season when the new one should
appear-it becomes the shabbiest garment
of the kind that you. often sec. Its very
amplitude and the abundance of the ma
terial, render it conspicuous when it peels
and hangs for a 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 depends upon
circumstances. A good breeding district
must possess good hill-that is, hill
lying well for shelter, and well clothed with
native vegetation, such as heather.-Fores-
fTU