Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-11-18
ICELAND PONIES.
Equiue Maryels of Strength and Endur-


Equluo maTfeiS OF oIfenStN anu EnuuT.
ance.
If the camel is the ship of the des-
ert, the Iceland pony is the cab, train,
omnibus and tramcar of the wonderful
country to which he belongs. To be-
gin with, he is misnomer. He is not
a pony in the ordinary sense of the
word; he is a horse; in bone and
sinew, in strength and endurance, in
manners and Department. horse in
everything, in fact, except inches, and
sober, steady Woodworking horse
too. He is concentrated essence
of horsefesh. He can swim like
fish, climb like a goat and jump like
a deer. He sticks at nothing, and
takes every variety of travel-bog,
lava bed, sand, powders and grass
mounds-with undistrubed equanimi-
ty. If he has to ford one or two riv-
ers, with strong currents flowing
girth-deep, it is all in the days work.
Only give him time and periodical
halts for refreshment, and he will do
upon it.
Iceland ponies are bred in hundreds
in the large grass plains in the south
ern districts of the island. Little or
no care is taken in selection, so the
breed remains unaltered and unlm-
proved, the average pony standing
from eleven and a half to twelve and
a half hands, though here and there
one will reach to nearly thirteen
hands. Every variety of color is seen,
but skewbalds of many shades are the
commonest. The chestnuts, as rule,
are the finest and the browns the har-
diest. Beautiful cream colors, with
light points, are not infrequent; black
is very rare and roam also. Their PAGES
are fast, considering the size of the
animal, a journey of thirty-two miles
being often done in six hours or less,
with heavy baggage. They trot, can
ter and gallop, but the pace most es-
teemed by the natives is the amble or
"skeid," in which the fore and hind
legs on a side are advanced stimuli
taneously, giving running action. A
good "pacer" is considered very valu-
able, and is often sold for high price.
Some of these ponies amble so fast
that they keep ahead of another 60
ing at hand-gallop, and they main
tain the pace for days journey under
a weight of eleven to fourteen stone.
Iceland ponies are steady and fast In
harness, though wheels are a compare
lively new departure in their country.
They travel mostly in strings, often
tied head and tail. Hay, baggage and
household goods are thus transported,
anu building materials also. You meet
'tim bur-lestur," or timber team, OF
from eight to ten ponies, one carrying
blanks trailing on each side, another
strips of iron, another bundles OF
tools; a certain number of spare ami
mails running loose, and not infre-
quently foal or two.
It is as rare to see a dead Iceland
pony as dead donkey, though
their skulls are often visible, half
trodden into the miry ways surround
ing the farms. The pony begins work
at six or seven years-hard work,
that is to say. He IS early apprenticed
to his trade by following his mother
at her avocations, and when ne IS
foot-sore is strapped upon her BACK.
He works we'll up to twenty years ana
over, and often remains sound to a
ripe old age. He feeds on the fat OF
the land in summer, and in winter, II
his owner is poor, must live on his
wits and his stored condition. Far
mers who are fairly well on keep
their animals in during winter and
feed them on hay; but, notWithstand-
ing. many of the ponies have hard
time of it. The Icelanders, however,
keep their steeds as we'll as their
means allow, and treat them alto
gether in a brotherly fashion.-Lon-
don Globe