New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-17
ICELAND PONIES.
MARvEIs OF STRENGTH AND ENDUe.xc.


From The London Globe.
II the camel is the ship OF the desert the To-.
land pony is the cab. train omnibus and tram
car Of the wonderful country to which be h.
longs. To begin with, he Is a misnomer Hs =
not pony. in the ordinary sense OF the WORD
he is a horse; in bone and sinew, in strenetr
and endurance. in manners and department.
horse in everything. in fact except inches: ana
a SOBER steady, hardworking horse too He =
very ''multum in paryo. concentrated e.
sence" Of horsefesh. He can swim like fish
climb like a goat. and jump like deer. H.
sticks at nothing. and takes every variety ~
travel-bog. lava bed. sand. powders and grass
mounds-with undisturbed equanimity. IL he has
to ford one or two rivers. with strong currents
flowing girth-deep. it is all in the days work
Only give him time and periodical halts for re-
freshment and he will do his fifty miles pe,
day, and thrive upon it.
Iceland ponies bred in hundreds in thu
large grass plains in the southern districts n
tho island. Little or no care is taken in selec
ton, so the breed remains unaltered and unin.
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 skew.
balds of many shades are the commonest. The
chestnuts as a rule, are the finest. and the
browns the hardest Beautiful cream colors
with light points, are not nfrequent; black IA
very rare. and roam also Their PAGES are fast
considering the size Of the animal, journey OF
thirtv-tWO miles being often done in six hours
or less. with heavy baggage They trot canter
and gallOp, but the pace most esteemed by the
natives is the amble or ''sked. in which the
fore and hind legs on side are advanced sim.
ultaneOusly, giving running action, very
smooth to the rider A good PAGER is consid
cred very valuable and often sold for a high
price. Some of these ponies amble 50 fast that
they keep ahead of another going at hand.
gallOp. and they maintain the pace for days
tourney under a weight OF eleven TO fourteen
stone Iceland ponies are STEADY and fast in
harness. though wheels are comparatively new
departure in their country. They travel mostly
in strings often tied head and tan. Hay bag
gage and household goods are thus transported
and building materials also You meet tim.
bur-lestur." or timber team. or from eight to ten
ponies. one carrying planks tralllng on each
side another strips OF iron. another bundles Of
tools: a certain number Of spare animals run.
ming loose. and not infrequently foal or two
II is as rare to dead Iceland pony as a
dead donkey though their skulls often visl
bic half trodden into the miry ways surrounding
the farms The pony begins work at six OF
seven ytars-hard work. that is TO say. He is
mother at her avocatiOnS. ana When ne is FOOT
early apprenticed to his trade by following his
sore is strapped upon her back. He works well
I'D TO twenty years and over. and often remains
fairly 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 i've on MS wis ana MS
stored condition. Farmers who are fairly well
off keep their animals in during winter and feed
them on hay: but. notwithstanding. many OF the
ponies have hard time OF II. The lcelanders
however. keep their steeds as well as their means
allow and treat them altogether in a brotherly
fashion: and the S. =. c. A. would seldom find
scope for it's activity. except possibly. in the
improvement Of biting and gearing. Taking il
all around the Iceland pony is certainly not less
happy-very often far happier-than his bigger
brothers in the South: and his endurance. pla-
cdty and docity make him favorte In other
lands besides his own, while hitting nm FOR his
home duties In a manner which could not be
surpassed and must be tested to be fully under.
stood.