Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1897-11-13
PONIES OF ICELAND.
PERFECT maRvels OF ENDURANCE.
Thew Have 4 Peculiar Pacing Gait Which
Under Crea. Weigat Conouers Space
Can Swim Like Fish and Climb like

Under Great Weight Conouers Space
Can Swim Like Fish and Climb like
Coat.
IL the cames is the ship OF the desert.
the Iceland pony is the cab. train.
omnibus and tramcsr OF the wonderful
country to which he belongs. To be
gin with. he is a miSnomer. He Is not
a pony. in the ordinary sense OF the
word: he is a horse: in bone and
sinew. liz strength and endurance. in
manners and Department. horse In
everything. in fact. except in inches;
and a sober. steady. hard-worNing
horse. too. He is very "multum IN
parvo. a concentrated essence of
horsefesh. He can swim like fish.
climb like a goat and jump like deer.
lie sticks at nothing. and takes every
variety OF travel--bog. lava bed. sand.
powders and grass mounds-with un-
disturbed eQuanimity. II he has 10
ford one or two rivers with strong cur
rents flowing girth-deep. il is all in
the days work. Only give him time
and periodical halts for refreshment.
and he viii DO his fifty miles per day.
and thrive upon Il.
Iceland ponies are bred in hundreds
IN the large grass plains in the south
ern districts OF the islands Little or
no care is taken in selection. so thai
half hands. though here and there one
improved. the average pony standing
srom eleven and half 20 twelve and q
half hands. though here and there one
viii reach 10 nearly thirteen hands.
Every variety OF color Is seen. but
skewbalds OF many shades are the
~ommonest The chestnuts. as a ruiC.
are the finest. and the browns the
hardest Beautiful cream coiors. with
light points. are not infreQuent. biacd
IS very rare. and roam also Their
PAGES are fast. considering the size
OF the animal. journey OF thirty-two
miles being often done in six hours or
less. with heavy baggage. They trot.
Canter and gailop. but the pace most
esteemed by the natives is the amble
or ~skeid." in which the fore and hind
legs on q side are advanced stimuli
taneousiy. giving running action.
very smooth 20 the rider. \ good
PAGER is considered very valuable
and often sold for a high figure. Some
CT these ponies amble SO fast that they
hand Eallop. and they maintain the
pace for a days journey under d
weight OF eleven 10 fourteen stone. Ice
land ponies are steady and fast in hoT-
ness. though wheels are a compare
lively new departure in their country
They travel mostly in strings. often
tied head and tail. Hay. baggage aud
household goods are thus transported
and building material also. You meet
a 'timburiestur. or timber team. OF
from eight 10 ten ponies. one carrying
planks trailing on each side. another
strips OF iron. another bundles oftools.
number OF spare animals run
ming loose. and not infrequentiy foa
CT Two.
Il IS a. rare 20 see dead Iceland
pony as dead donkey though Their
SKULLS are often visible. half trOGdeI
into the miry ways surrounding th.
farms. The pony begins work az ST,
or seven years -harG work that is {,
say. he is early approached 10 his
trade by following his mother M he
avocations. and when he Is foot sor.
u strapped upon her back. Ee WORKS
well up 10 twenty years and over. an'
often remains fairly sound 90 a rip
old age. He feeds on the fat OF th
land in the summer. and ia the winter
I II his owner is poor. must live on hl
F wits and his stored condition. Farm
/ ers who are fairly we'll of keep thei
animals in during the winter and fee
them on hay: but Notwithstanding
many OF the ponies have hard tim
! OF IT, The IcelandeTs.h owever. kee
+ their steeds as well as their means al
I low. and treat them altogether IN
( trotherly fashion.