The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-03-10
CUNNING CREATURES.
BHETLANp PONIES ARE RAISED IN
THIS COUNTRY TO SOME EXTENT.

Captain Turner's Bunch Of Lllliputlan
Horses ut Marietta, Mo-, IL a Curios-
ity--hteresting Facts About the Little
Fellows and Their Home.
st. Louis county lays claim to the only
herd of Shetland ponies in this part Of the
country. The owner Of the herd is Cap
tain Thomas 7 Turner, and the Lilliputian
horses are familiar sight TO the many st.
Louisans who have visited the Turner
homestead at Marietta, near Normandy.
The breeding Of the Shetland pony the
United States has been brought about only
within recent years, and, though 1t pays
well, the breeders are not numerous, and .
collection Of the animals anywhere outside
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 600
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'stongues
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 berd-rthe Shetlander has a
hard time of it. Like his hardy broncho
cousin of the American prairies, he must
''rustle" 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. Fi # VI
The Marietta herd was started in 1876,
when Captain Turner paid more attention
to farming than he does now. In that
year his first importation mares and
stallion-were obtained through q Cana
dian, and later he purchased twenty-three
more on board ship at New York. The
stallion that accompanied thissecond draft
OF mares was from Lord Londonderry
island herd and cost $780, Though 8 years
Of age and full grown, he measured but
thirty-four inches. About two years ago
Captain Turner, having less time than for
merly to devote to the raising OF blooded
live stock, put up at auction on the St.
Louis market forty-two 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 were not for sale
at all. These bargain hunters were 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 auctioDeer's ham
mer was s2o750 One spotted mare named
Queenette fetched s6O7, and the cheapest Of
the lot was! a bIemlshed colt that sold for
$50. ,-.l...
There are now about thirty ponies roam
ing the wooded lawn at Marietta. The
farm of some 270 acres is all pasture land.
but the Sbetlands 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 che grass well trimmed. Concerning
theft care there is 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 ut the stocks on a
bill that overlooks the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, rivers, and is the highest point in ST,
Louis county. .af
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 a nuisance, nor do they, like sheep
fall prey to, savage dogs. The mares
rarely fail to- foal, and their offspring
when year1ings and Of average merit are
worth from S75 to 800, while the spotted
mares and horses command twice these
prices hSA 9sa.iiIE
The ponies in Captain Turner'S, herd,
though Of fine extraction, are not conyen-
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 nGworking
condition for saddle and harness their as
pectl unaergoes change. Rounded up for
the inspection Of visitors, they are interest
ing in variety of color and size, Conspicu-
GUS in the bunch is the lord Of the eherd--
an albino stallion, regarded AS something
Of freak by reason Of his unusual hue.
He was bred by Dan Swigert, of Spring
Station, Ky, and only the brown tip of one
ear mars the prevailing pink tint The
coloring of the Shetland ponies varies
greatly from yery light fawn TO brown
and black, aud the cream and piebald coats
are by some persons attributed TO sup
posed Arabian cross .rt,fs
When the Shetland pony was even more
valuable and scarce than he is today there
was confusion of facts concerning his
identity in the mind of the public, and
many fanciful things found their way into