Rock Island daily Argus., 1892-11-01
CUNNING CREATURES.
SHETLAND PONIES ARE RAISED IN
THIS COUNTRY TO SOME EXTENT.
Captain Turner's Bunch of LiIliputian
Horses at Marietta, Mo-, Is Curios-
ity-Inter~sting Facts About the Little
Fellows and Their Homo.


country. The owner of the herd is Cap
tain Thomas Il. Turner, and the Lilliputiar
horses are Il familiar sight TO the many St.
LouiSans who have visited the Turner
homestead at Marietta, near Normandy.
The breeding of the Shetland pony in the
United States has been brought about only
within recent years, and, though it pays
well, the breeders are not numerous, and a
collection of the animals anywhere outside
a circus is still curiosity. Mares are very
scarce and buyers from the United States
come in competition with the eager search
of horsemen from Scotland, Germany,
South America and even Australia.
The entire annual pony product of the
Shetland islands is estimated at about SOC
head, and this scarcely supplies the de
mand However, the business in the
United States has assumed such proper
tions as justify an association of breed
ers and Captain Turner is on the list of
local vice presidents of the American Shet-
land Pony club.
The ponies at Marietta live in clover
figuratively. That is, they live on blue
grass, and blue grass is to the stomach of
the shaggy Shetlander what lark's tongues
were to Lucullus. On his native heath
unless he happens to be on terms of an
cestral equality with the Marquis of Lon.
donderry's herd-the Shetlander has a
hard time of it. Like his hardy broncho
cousin of the American prairies, he must
rustic in winter and under greater dis
advantages. The barren Shetland islands
afford scant sustenance, and when snow
covers the heather on the hillsides the
native pony will not turn up his nose at
seaweed.
The Marietta herd was started in 1875
when Captain Turner paid more attention
to farming than he does now. In that
year his first importation-ten mares and
n stallion-were obtained through Il Cana
dian, and later he purchased twenty-three
more on board ship at New York. The
stallion that accompanied this second draft
of mares was from Lord Londonderry's
island herd and cost $500. Though S years
of age and full grown, he measured but
thirty-four inches About two years ago
Captain Turner, having less time than for
merly 10 devote to the raising of blOoded
live stock, put up at auction on the s..
Louis market fortytwo head of Shetland
ponies.
This sale attracted many people who
Were on the lookout for bargains, and who
expected TO get AT auction for about
twenty-five dollars each ponies that
had either commanded several times
that sum or We're not for sale
ut all These bargain hunters We're disap-
pointed, and the owner himself was much
surprised at the result. Buyers had come
from distance, and the average price paid
for each pony under the auctioneer's ham
mer was 500 50. One spotted mare named
Queenette fetched SG0T, and the cheapest of
the lot was IL blemished colt that sold for
$50.
There are now about thirty ponies roam
ing the wooded lawn ut Marietta. Tue
farm of some go acres i all pasture land.
but the Shetlunds' stamping ground is
chiefly the seventy acres of shaded grass
surrounding the house. No lawn mower
or scythe is required to keep this lawn in
order. The ponies attend TO that. They
eat close TO the ground, much in the man
ner of sheep, and their constant nibbling
keeps the grass well trimmed. Concerning
their care there i not much TO relate.
Practically they take care of themselves.
In summer their only food is the blue
grass. In winter they are allowed some
hay, which they MUNICH at the stocks on a
hill that overlooks the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, rivers, and is the highest point in St
Louis county.
Under these conditions the Shetland
pony yields his owner a reasonable income
without any especial outlay beyond the
original investment. These ponies are not
afflicted with the diseases that make sheep
raising nuisance, nor do they, like sheep,
fall a prey to savage dogs. The mares
rarely fail to foal, and their offspring
wort from SO to 500, while she Spotted
mares and horses command twics these
prices.
though of fine extraction, are not eonven-
tional in appearance. Their names and
tails are not of that prodigious growth
which one sees pictured in the circus post
ers, but when groomed and in working
for saddle and harness their as
Dect uD1efUOeS n cbanpa Rounded m for |
jhe inspection of visitors, they axe interest |
ng in variety of color and size Conspicu- |
ous in the bunch is the lord of the herd |
an albino stallion, regarded as something |
IF freak by reason of his unusual hue. |
He was bred by Dan Swigert, of Spring |
Station, KY, and only the brown tip of one |
,ar mars the prevailing pink tint. The
,oloring of the Shetland ponies varies |
a very light fawn to brown
md black, and the cream aud piehald coats
ire by some persons attributed to a sup
POSED Arabian cross
When the Shetland pony was even more
and scarce than he is today there
vas confusion of facts concerning his I
IDENTIFY in the mind of the public, and
many fanciful things found their way into
'rint about his origin, habits, cost and
disposition. But the sturdy little fellow
s better known now, and several herds in |
owa-already numbering from so to $50
lead, will no doubt cheaper the price of
his precious pet. AS yet his rearing is
till looked upon by some men Of means as
profitable pastime. Mckee Rankin, the
Ictor, has a herd on an island in New York
tate, and Stilson Hutchins, the editor, is
tOcking an island in one of the great |
akes.-St Louis Republic
The Euclid Avenue Opera house, Cleve-