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Shetland pony
The Shetland Islands gave this small pony its name. The breed standard caps its height at 42 inches. Its compact shape and strength made it useful underground, where Shetlands hauled loads in coal mines. A thick winter coat tells you more about its life on the islands.
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Exmoor pony
Look for the pale coloring around the muzzle and eyes, which stands out against a dark coat. On the moors of Somerset and Devon, Exmoors carried peat and other loads over rough ground. The Rare Breeds Survival Trust gives a typical height of 12 to 13 hands and 2 inches.
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Dartmoor pony
The registered breed from Devon’s moorland stands no more than 50 inches at the shoulder. Look for a small head and short, alert ears. The breed society distinguishes registered Dartmoor Ponies from other ponies grazing on the moor, a useful difference when reading a show catalog or looking at a herd.
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New Forest pony
New Forest ponies have a maximum height of 148 centimeters, with no minimum in the breed standard. The ponies grazing the Forest’s commons are owned and managed by commoners. The breed has a history of several kinds of work, from pulling a light carriage to moving timber.
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Welsh Pony and Cob
Start with the Welsh Mountain Pony. The studbook calls it Section A and caps its height at 12 hands. The other sections include a taller riding pony and the heavier cob types. Welsh ponies and cobs historically did farm work and carried people, which helps explain why the same studbook has room for such different builds.
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Fell pony
Fells from northern England, particularly Cumbria, carried wool, food and metal ores in pack trains. That history makes the breed standard’s steady, ground-covering movement worth looking for. The standard caps the Fell at 14 hands, with a long mane and tail and fine hair at the heels.
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Dales Pony
The Dales Pony’s history follows the lead trade through the Pennines, where pack ponies carried loads from the mines. The society prefers 14 hands to 14 hands and 2 inches. Its standard calls for a strong pony with an active gait, a combination that helps explain its old work.
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Highland pony
On Scottish sporting estates, Highland ponies carried deer down from the hills. The breed standard calls for a compact, sturdy pony no taller than 148 centimeters. The winter coat has a soft underlayer beneath tougher outer hair, and many Highlands have a dark stripe along the back.
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Connemara pony
This pony takes its name from the west of County Galway, where small farms used it for work. The Irish studbook’s standard gives a height of 128 to 148 centimeters. The breeders’ society draws attention to its long stride for its size and ability over jumps, useful clues to what the breed brings to a riding ring.
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Eriskay Pony
In Scotland’s Western Isles, crofters sent these ponies home with peat or seaweed in baskets called creels. The breed society gives a height range of 12 hands to 13 hands and 2 inches. Its dense winter coat is a useful companion to that history of outdoor work in exposed conditions.
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Kerry Bog Pony
Kerry Bog Ponies brought peat in from the bog, carried milk to creameries, and helped with seaweed harvests. The breed standard puts stallions and geldings at 102 to 117 centimeters and mares at 102 to 112. Compare those figures with the Connemara to see how much smaller the Kerry Bog Pony is.
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