The Washington herald., 1910-11-13

George w. Goodacre. owner of DR..
Chase, 2:l0 and prominent figure on the
Potomac Speedway. has introduced into
the District of Columbia new industry.
Mr.. Goodacre proposes to devote much
of his time ia the future to the breeding
iof Shetland ponies, and has recently i'm
ported twelve head Of beautiful animals
which he has located on his handsome
estate in the vicinity of Brightwood.
Since their arrival these ponies have ex-
cited much admiration on account of their
|gentleness and intelligence.
With one or two exceptions, the ponies
are Of the tiny kind, az the illustrations
show; in fact, they are so small that
the major portion of them could pass
between the legs of man OF average
size without the rufie Of hair The
lord of the harem is a perfectly made
tiny specimen of the Shetland tribe called
Billie. black IN color. and he can do al
most anything he is called upon TO do
except talk and pay taxes.
The cutest In the band is a tiny SYM
postum of horsefiesh called Or, Chase, jr.,
so named because he resembles the Doc
tor in color, being a golden sorrel, and
again because his markings are similar 10
those worn by the great Speedway trotter.
All of the ponies except two are of the
popular color being either white and
black or bay and white.
Small Ponies the Fashion.
The fashion in ponies runs strongly to-
ward the extremely small ones. They
bring fabulous prices when OF right size
and color in all large cities In this coun-
try, not only on account OF their oddity.
but because the size desired is hard 10
produce. The primitive home Of the Shet
land is in the islands. which lie off the
extreme northern coast Of Scotland.
Bleak and desolate are these islands, even
in the midst Of summer The grass is
sparse and not overnuuitious. IL is In
winter. however, that the sagacity and
endurance of the Shetland is put 10 the
test. He is compelled 20 dig through the
snow for the forage he gets. or. maybe,
if the snow is too deep for him TO reach
the ground. he lives on twigs and sea
weed.
In the case OF the Shetland pony. it is
truly a survival of the fittest. The ponies
are kept by their breeders in dT0ves, and.
when in Tile spring they wander 10 the
waters edge 10 get taste OF seaweed
to supplement their radons, scores OF
them perish as the treacherous tides fire.
quently catch them unawares and the
weakest are carried out into the ocean.
Where They Come From.
The oft-asked question: From whence
did the Shetlands come has been answer
ed in different ways The commonly ac-
cepted explanation Is that they were
taken to the Islands from the mainland
many centuries ago; that they were
originally Il horse. instead of a pony and
that the hardships they have been com
PEELED to endure have diminished their
size. This belief is fortified by the fact
that when the shetland is generously fed
he increases in size and bulk, and this
fact also has brought disaster TO a num-
Der of breeders in this country.
Whatever fashion demands, breeders
must supply or so out of business.
pony that is not much taller than a
great Dane will bring 500 more in the
market than one that measures six
inches higher. Rich fathers and rich
mothers seek the tiny ones fer their
children and they do not stand on the
matter of price when they find what they
are seeking The Shetland Is the most
docile of the equine tribe, and. seem
ingiy, the most sagacious. Doubtless,
his environments have sharpened his in
stincts to a remarkable degree. In blood
he is the plebeian Of the plebeians. as we
moderns count horsefesh, for his breed
ing is only one degree higher than that
Of The OK or the ass; that is, the true
shetland The ass excepted, he is among
the most stubborn of brutes, while his
congener, the blooded horse. while nerv-
Gus and spirited, win tight if aroused.
but is easily paciied.
The Shetland will fatten on what will
starve goat or a sheep. Breeders now
adays who hope TO be successful and
meet the demands of the market are
careful not 10 overfeed. One large
breeder in South Dakota recently in
formed the writer that the only way he
could meet the public demand was to
starve his Shetlands, and that this was
10 him so painful he had decided to quit
the business of breeding them. One of
the largest breeders OF Shetlands at one
time in the United States was ex-Repre-
sentative Joseph Sibley, of Pennsylvania
No part of his large fortune came from
his experiment. as 1t proved a dismal
failure. His ponies grew too large.
Finally, he decided that he would let the
tail go with the hide, and crossed his
famous trotting stallion, St Bell, on his
pony mares, and produced a very hand
some animal of higher spirit and action,
superior form and size, and some speed.