The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-02-12

groves ranging In numbers from 100
to $50. They average in size from l2
to l3 hands, and in weight from 400 to
600 pounds. They are agile creatures,
and, being more or less accustomed
to the sight of men, are not more
shy at his approach than any farmers
colts that are permitted to run in the
fields without being halter-broken or
handled in any way. Their heads are
nodded on the lines of the Arabian, or
thoroughbred. Their ears are slender
and finely pointed at the tips; their
necks slender and of good length, and
their heads we'll set on as general
thing. A few of the little creatures
are inclined to be ewe-necked. When
well bitted, however, the Chincoteague
pony frequently carries his head in
very graceful curves, whether driven
or ridden.
The bodies of the ponies, when not
starved, are full and rounded, withers
low, and the saddle part short. The
loins and rump are fairly good, and
the tailpiece fairly well set on. When
you come to their legs and feet you
are compelled to admit that they are
of the very best. No Arabian ever
foaled has better legs and feet than
these ponies, and l never yet have
seen one with spayin, curb or ring
bone. The names and tales of the lit
tie creatures are heavier than those of
the Arabian, but the hair is straight
and the tails sweep the ground. In
native state they carry heavy coat
in the winter season. The prevailing
colors are bay,i brown. chestnut and
light sorrel. l have never yet seen a
gray, piebald, dun or yellow purely
bred island pony. Some man residing
on Assateague few years since imag-
ined he could improve the breed by
importing Candianbred pony stall
lion. He was turned loose upon
band of mares, the result being coarse
haired, gummy legged and larger
brute. Instead of improvement there
was retrogression. In other words,
the innovation did not prove success,
as the Canadian not only did not i'm
prove bone, body and symmetry OF the
native horse, but detracted from the
high-mettled and game disposition of
the island pony. The natural gait of
the island pony is the trot, gallop and
run. l have never scen-and | have
lived for years near these islands,
purely bred island pace. A few is
land ponies pace, but they carry an
infusion of Canadian scrub blood.
The island pony is Of tractable dis
position and easily broken, and when
broken remains So He has none of
the tricks of the Texan pony. He can
be broken as easily as any colt that
has run wild on the farm. He can
run an eight or quarter like quar-
ter horse. A few years since owned
one that usually held her own against
all comers for a quarter of mile.
Some of them can trot right good
clip. Sadie Bell, purely bred Chin
colleague, ten or twelve years ago,
trotted the Maryland, Virginia and
Delaware circuits. My impression is
she has record of 2.24. She was
campaigned far beyond what her size
and strength would warrant, and final
ly went wrong. l have heard that
Mr.. Robert Bonner got her about the
time she was retired from the turf,
but | have no reliable evidence that
such is the fact. Anyway, she was
good, square and reliable trotter and
campaigner of the whalebone variety.
The ponies of the islands Craze the
whole year round. The grass is of a
peculiar wild kind, and not very nu-
tritious, and grows sparsely, so sparce-
lv and gets so short that the ponies
usually wear off their nippers. Hence
it is that few can tell the age of pony
at first glance at his teeth. During
the winter end spring seasons the po-
nies Craze on the coarse grasses of the
marshes. Sometimes the winters in
that latitude are severe, and large num-
bers perish in the marshes, being too
weak to extricate themselves from the
mud and mire. Sometimes, too, the
more venturesome ponies feeding in
the marshes are overtaken by the an
gry waves that lash the coasts and
are carried out to sea and destroyed.
A score of years ago the island ponies
were quite the fad, and agents from
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington regularly visited the
islands in the early spring and select
ed for city customers such as suited
them. The price in those days rang
ed, for good pony of the right size,
color and gait, from $50 to 500. The
importations of the Shetland and the
hard times have both operated against
the sale Of the island ponies to re-