The Shetland pony, as now produced on the British mainland, is chiefly derived from the stud established by the Marquis of Londonderry in the Islands of Bressay and Noss in 1870,[45] and carried on by him there under the management of Mr Robert Brydon and the late Mr Meiklejohn until its dispersal in 1899. It was in this stud that the standard was set by which showyard judging has proceeded during the last twenty years; and it was here also that the type of the modern pony was created and fixed by selection and close inbreeding.

The stud was originally intended for the purpose of breeding pit-ponies for its owner’s collieries in Northumberland; and this purpose is reflected in the type which is characteristic of the “Londonderry” pony. It is commonly said that the governing formula of the stud was “as much weight as possible, and as near the ground as it can be got”; and, so far as it goes, this formula—admirably adapted as it is for defining a pit-pony—is no bad description of the result attained in many instances. While the original object of the stud was never lost sight of in its policy and management, it was carried out by skilful and enthusiastic breeders, who set themselves to eliminate defects of conformation which were common among the Island ponies. The consequence was a degree of breed improvement which is perhaps without a parallel as the result of less than thirty years of breeding and management.

But not only is the source of improvement in the modern pony to be found chiefly in this one stud. It is also traceable—as in so many other breeds—mainly to a single animal.

If it be true that the modern pony is substantially the “Londonderry” pony, it is hardly less true that the “Londonderry” pony is the pony that is bred from the horse Jack (16), foaled in 1871, which came into Lord Londonderry’s possession as a colt, and was the sire or grandsire of almost all the stallions used in the stud, as well as of a third of all the mares that are recorded as belonging to it.

Some idea of the extraordinary predominance of Jack in the stud may be gathered from the entries in the first nine volumes of the ‘Shetland Pony Stud-Book,’ in whose tenth volume the dispersal sale of the stud at Seaham Harbour is recorded. We find that in the period covered by these entries, nineteen stud horses were used to a greater or less extent. Of these, in addition to Jack himself, there were his three sons, Laird of Noss (20), Lord of the Isles (26), and Odin (32); and his eight grandsons, Thor (83), Sigurd (103), Emeer (131), Runolf (62), Najal (75), Lava (121), and Otkell; while Oman (33), his great-grandson on the dam’s side, was also considerably used. We find also that these ponies related to Jack were much more extensively bred from than the unrelated sires, so that of the four hundred and ninety foals entered as produce, two hundred and forty-eight are by Jack and his three sons, and a hundred and sixty by his eight grandsons; while thirty-six are by Oman, and only forty-six by sires wholly unrelated to Jack.

An analysis of the list of dams bred from in the stud accentuates the meaning of these figures; since out of a total of a hundred and twenty-five entered in the Stud-Book, seventy-six are by Jack and his three sons, while ten are by his grandsons.

The result of this selection of breeding stock appears in the extent to which the progeny are inbred to Jack. Of the hundred and twenty-five mares, fifty are sired by Jack, his sons, and grandsons, out of dams similarly sired; while forty are sired by Jack and his three sons, out of mares sired by them. Of the four hundred and ninety foals entered, two hundred and eighty-two are sired by Jack and his sons and grandsons, out of mares by the same list of sires.

Of the fifty-one mares not bred from Jack and his direct descendants, twelve were daughters of Prince of Thule (36), and thirty-six by his son Oman.

Prince of Thule is thus, next to Jack and his sons, the most important sire element in the stud. His influence, however, is considerably reduced by the almost exclusive extent to which he was mated with mares sired by Jack and his sons. Of the twelve mares sired by him, seven are from daughters of Jack, one from a daughter of Odin, and one from a daughter of Laird of Noss; while twenty-four of the dams of his thirty-four foals are daughters of Jack and his three sons.

The influence of his son Oman is similarly discounted, five of his six daughters bred from being daughters of Jack’s sons, while twenty-eight of all his thirty-six foals have dams similarly bred.

It is probable that the results of an out-cross of this kind upon an inbred stock like that created by the continuous use of Jack and his sons will be slight and transient; and in point of fact the general influence of Prince of Thule upon the Londonderry Stud has not been greater than might have been expected.

The singular predominance of the Jack race in the modern pony is illustrated by the showyard results of recent years.

At twelve shows of the Highland and Agricultural Society held since the Londonderry Stud was broken up in 1899, a hundred and sixteen first and second prizes have been awarded in Shetland pony classes. Of these, a hundred and fourteen have been gained by the progeny of sires actually in use in the Londonderry Stud: Laird of Noss, Lord of the Isles, Odin, Oman, and Thor; and of their sons and grandsons. Laird of Noss, his sons Harold (117), Duncan (147), and Hector (183), and his grandson Merry Hero (244), sired fifteen; Lord of the Isles, his sons Multum in Parvo (28), Sigurd (103), Vespa (166), and Naughty (204), and his grandson Rattler (210), twenty-one; Odin, his sons Olaf (59), Bonaparte (168), Uniacke (177), Palmer (228), Besieger (235), Diamond (257), and Peace (325), and his grandsons Monkshood (274) and Norman (276), twenty-eight; Oman, his sons Frederick (223) and Seaweed (333), and his grandson Glencairn (314), twenty-five; while Thor was himself sire of twenty-five; and it is noteworthy that the winner of the two distinctions not gained by the offspring of Londonderry sires was bred from a dam inbred to Jack’s grandson Multum in Parvo. Taken as a whole, this practically exclusive domination of the showyard, for twelve years, by twenty-six sires of Londonderry origin, of which three are sons and fifteen are grandsons of Jack, while the remaining eight are descended from him, and all of them without exception are otherwise closely related to his stock, is a remarkable demonstration of the influence of a single stud and a single horse upon the breed as we have it to-day.

Of Jack’s parentage nothing is known. It is probable, however, that he was himself an inbred animal; for close inbreeding is still, and always has been, the general practice among pony breeders in Shetland, probably rather through necessity or carelessness than as the result of deliberate intention; and Jack’s prepotency as a sire lends colour to this supposition.

He was a black, 40 inches high, and the only portrait of him which we possess shows him to have been a short-backed and close-coupled horse of remarkable bone and substance, finely proportioned, and with a bold and upright carriage. He must have had a sound and vigorous constitution, since he lived to the age of thirty, and was at stud to the end of his life.

His most famous son, Odin, also a black horse, was 38 inches high. Odin’s dam, Nugget, was sired by Tom Thumb (44), whose height is stated as 34 inches, and who was brought back from work in the pits in 1879 with the view of producing ponies of small size.

Odin was a horse of immense power and robustness, and great masculinity of appearance. His bone and weight were his most salient characteristics; but he was a vigorous and active mover, with strong hock action, though not perfectly straight in his going. He was disfigured by a head heavy even out of proportion to his general bulk and weight. He was probably the most successful sire among Jack’s sons, his male descendants being conspicuously better than the females.

Laird of Noss, also a son of Jack, was a black pony, 38 inches high, with some white marks on his near side. He was a pony of somewhat lighter build and more upstanding carriage than Odin, with a finer head and less bone. He is best known as the sire of the famous horse Harold, of Duncan, and of Hector; and it is through them that his strain is perpetuated.

Jack’s other son, among the Londonderry sires, was Lord of the Isles, a pony which, like his brothers, was black, but was two inches smaller than they, his height being given as 36 inches. He was a thick and compact pony, less used in the stud than Odin, who appears to have been most approved by the stud management, as only sixty-three foals by Lord of the Isles are recorded against a hundred and nineteen by Odin. Lord of the Isles is chiefly interesting as the first instance of the introduction into the blood of the Londonderry sires of the cross of Prince of Thule, which has already been referred to. His dam Handy was a daughter of Prince of Thule; and it may perhaps have been from this source that his reduced size came, for Prince of Thule was himself only 36 inches high. It is significant, too, that Multum in Parvo, a brown horse 37 inches high, sired by Lord of the Isles out of his own dam Dandy, is described by those who knew Prince of Thule well as being exceedingly like him.

Multum in Parvo is probably the best-known son of Lord of the Isles, whose blood is otherwise mainly transmitted through the descendants of his daughters. He died in 1912 at the age of twenty-eight, having been foaled in 1884. His crest had latterly fallen over; but he still retained a singular air of distinction and a picturesque quality hardly to be discerned in many of the more massive ponies. He must always have lacked power and weight and strength of action; but his look of breeding, his quality, and the magnificent abundance and straightness of his curtain-like mane and forelock, attested an element in his breeding which should not be lost sight of.

This estimate of Lord of the Isles as a sire is borne out by the conspicuous qualities of his daughter Boadicea (998). This beautiful black mare, 36 inches high, is no doubt somewhat deficient in bone. But she stands almost by herself among Shetland ponies as an example, approaching closely to perfection, of what a riding-pony ought to be, with a small and exquisitely shaped head carried high on a clean-cut and well-arched neck, shoulders that would not disgrace a good thoroughbred, fine withers and short strong back, and the safe and easy action that properly belongs to an animal of her type.

Lord of the Isles’ name appears in the pedigrees of a large proportion of the best Shetland ponies, especially through his famous daughter Beauty (167); but apart from every other claim that he may have, and in spite of his perhaps too limited use in the Londonderry Stud, the fact that he is the sire of Multum in Parvo and of Boadicea entitles him to rank as a stallion of the first importance.

With these sons of Jack used in the Londonderry Stud must be mentioned his grandson Thor, now the sole survivor of the original Londonderry stallions. He is a son of Odin out of Fra (185), and is a brown horse 38 inches high. Like Lord of the Isles, he is related on his dam’s side to Prince of Thule, her sire; and he represents, therefore, almost the same combination of strains as Lord of the Isles. At twenty-seven years old he retains in a remarkable degree the vigour and vitality of youth. Slightly grey now over the cheekbones, and fallen a little in his spine, he still holds his crest erect, and moves with freedom, speed, and gaiety. He is perhaps a little larger in head than is desirable; but he is a pony of great substance and power, with abundance of well-shaped bone; and he displays very pure Shetland character. He was freely used in the Londonderry Stud, fifty-six of his foals being entered in the Stud-Book—a larger number than is credited to any other stallion except the sons of Jack.

He has hitherto excelled as a sire of mares rather than of stallions—Beatrice (1533), Bracelet (1604), Perfection (1489), and Stella (1496) being among the most famous of his daughters. For about six years after the Londonderry Stud was broken up he appears to have been comparatively little bred from; but during the last six seasons he has been more largely used.

A still greater degree of the Prince of Thule cross was introduced in Oman, a dark-brown horse 34 inches high. Oman was a son of Prince of Thule; and his dam Norna was a daughter of Lord of the Isles, himself, it will be remembered, a son of a Prince of Thule mare. Oman was a compact and massive pony, showing great quality and good action. Among his best-known sons have been Frederick (223) and Seaweed (333); while he was the sire of such mares as Belle of Bressay (1192), Sea Serpent (1535), Silver Queen (1197), and Harriet (1194).

Prince of Thule represents the one considerable element in the Londonderry Stud which was unconnected with Jack, and tended perhaps to counteract his influence. He is described by those who knew him as a pony of exquisite quality, with a small thoroughbred head, prominent wide-set reddish hazel eyes, and an exceedingly fine muzzle. He was short-backed, with strong quarters, somewhat inclined to droop, but finished with a well-carried tail; and he was somewhat cow-hocked. He had big wide feet; and his bone was strong, with large joints. His rein was long and his withers high, though his shoulders were somewhat straight; he was a conspicuously close mover. In colour he was a seal brown, with very bright tan muzzle and flanks; and his mane hung to his knees and his forelock below his nose.

Another sire which had a much less important place in the stud was Lion, a dun pony 36 inches high, bred by Mr Bruce of Sumburgh. He is described as a well-coupled pony, but rather long and low.

It will be recognised that Prince of Thule is the source, and probably the only immediate source among the Londonderry sires, of whatever may be found in the modern pony to represent that “oriental” type which it has already been said has all along been an integral element in the Island pony. The Jack blood is mainly, if not indeed exclusively, that of the Scandinavian type as opposed to the other type, which is depicted on the Bressay stone, and which is represented in modern times by Multum in Parvo and Boadicea. In Prince of Thule, and whatever impression he may have made on the pony of to-day, is to be found the main source, within the Londonderry strain, to which those must turn who desire to produce the riding as distinct from the draught or pit-pony. It has already been said that his influence is largely counteracted by the extent to which he and his son Oman were mated with mares by Jack and his sons. But his stock remain the best hope of breeding ponies which should combine the many excellences of the typical “Londonderry” pony with the quality and activity in which it is apt to be somewhat lacking. It is worthy of note that the combination of Prince of Thule and Odin blood has always produced a large proportion of good foals.

When we come to examine the female lines in the Londonderry Stud, we find, as has already been noted, that they are largely the produce of the sires which we have just reviewed; and we find also that a great proportion of the best animals produced trace from a few of the original mares. No complete analysis in this respect can be attempted; but it will be found that four mares bulk largely in the formation of the stud.

I. Darling (174), by Jack (16), was the dam of Darling II. (175), by Laird of Noss, of Dixie (664), by Odin, and of Beauty (167), by Lord of the Isles—Beauty being the dam of Besieger (235) and Bretta (811), both by Odin; while Bretta became the dam of Beatrice and Bracelet by Thor, and of Belle of Bressay (1192) by Oman.

II. Fra (185), by Prince of Thule, was the dam of Thor by Odin, of Harold by Laird of Noss, of Frederick by Oman, and of Hildigunna (668) by Lord of the Isles.

III. Peggy, by Jack, was the dam of Pride (202) and Princess (203), both by Prince of Thule—Pride being the dam of Petite (1196) by Odin, and Princess being the dam of Pansy (1282) by Oman, and of Perfection (1489) by Thor.

IV. Swertha (211), by Odin, was the dam of Silver Queen (1197) by Oman, and of Sigurd (103) and Sweetie (676), both by Lord of the Isles—Sweetie being the dam of Strawberry (1635) and Sapphire (1276), both by Odin, and of Snowdon (1112) by Thor.

These are the leading mares of the stud. It will be observed that two of them are daughters of Jack, one of his son Odin, and one of Prince of Thule; while two of their dams are daughters of Jack, one of his son Lord of the Isles, and one of Prince of Thule.

The development of the Shetland pony in the studs of present-day breeders has been greatly advanced by the ‘Shetland Pony Stud-Book,’ which was first issued in 1890, and which has since been published annually with increasing usefulness and success. The twenty-three volumes which have now appeared form a record invaluable to breeders. Dissatisfaction on the part of certain breeders in Shetland, who found out too late the ill effect of neglecting to enter their ponies (a dissatisfaction stimulated perhaps by interested persons), has recently led to the formation of a ‘Shetland Island Pony Stud-Book,’ registering only ponies bred in the Shetland Islands. This book, however, is of very secondary interest and importance, and its restricted scope naturally prevents it from becoming a complete Stud-Book of the breed. Multiplication of Stud-Books is evidently disadvantageous to a breed; and it is to be hoped that the Stud-Book proper may soon become once more the combined record of all pedigreed ponies in Shetland as well as in other parts of Britain.

Useful Stud-Books of the breed are published in the United States of America and in Canada.

The pony as we find it in the showyards of Britain and in the studs of the principal breeders exhibits, in the main, the characteristics of the Londonderry strain.

Its size remains, as it always has been, its most marked characteristic. No ponies over 42 inches in height are admitted to the Stud-Book; and a height of more than 40 inches is properly regarded as a serious fault. This, indeed, is a matter of vital importance, since any considerable increase of size deprives the pony of its individuality and brings it into comparison with other breeds. On the other hand, there has, in recent years, been a tendency to undue diminution of size—the former desire of breeders to increase height having given place to a morbid ambition to produce pigmy ponies. It must be kept in mind that ponies of sizes less than 34 inches are of little use for practical purposes, since, unless they are quite disproportionately massive, they cannot have sufficient weight and strength for draught, while the undue shortening of their legs deprives them of the leverage and activity necessary for saddle or harness. It must also be remembered that the cannon-bone cannot be shortened beyond a certain point, and that any exaggerated shortness of the fore-leg is therefore only to be obtained by a disproportionate reduction of length of arm, fatal to symmetry and productive of cripples. Anything which tends to make the pony merely an oddity and a toy, and to take it out of the category of useful or usable horses, is fatal to the prospects of the breed and should be resisted by breeders and judges.

Speaking generally, about 38 inches is the height which will be found, while retaining the individual character of the breed, to lend itself best to symmetry and activity. There are, no doubt, excellent ponies both larger and smaller; but a study of the recorded measurements of the best animals will uphold the view that this is the height at which, speaking generally, the pony can be produced at its best.

The most salient and essential feature of the Shetland pony, next to its size, is its general air of hardihood and vitality. Stamina and robustness—capacity to endure both work and hardship—are among its most essential merits; and they should appear in its demeanour, displayed in spirit, boldness, and a high though docile and generous temper. Ponies which show feebleness of appearance or constitution should be rigidly excluded from the stud and the show-ring, and soundness should be made essential.

The Shetland pony is one of the soundest of horses—bone defects being almost unknown in it; and a vigilant watch should be maintained against anything that might impair its character in this respect. But second only in importance to physical soundness is the temper and disposition of the pony; and sluggishness and a lethargic mien should be counted as serious faults.

The general symmetry of all good horses is very much the same; and the Shetland pony is no exception. But, in particular, he should be deep through the heart, short and strong in back, well ribbed up, and well sprung in barrel. The shoulders should be long and well sloped, showing sharp and distinct withers. The quarters should be broad and long, and well filled up, with the tail set high and carried gaily. The neck should be long, well arched, and powerful, fine at the gullet, and carrying the head high and well forward.

Perhaps in no point is the present-day Shetland pony so often defective as in shoulder. Many of the most substantial and characteristic ponies of the “Londonderry” strain are short and straight in shoulder and wholly lacking in withers. Such ponies as these may be useful in the coal-pits, but they are useless above ground. They can never be really fine and active movers; and they can never be—what the Shetland pony ought to be—the child’s riding-pony. Shoulders and withers that will hold a saddle should be regarded as a sine qu non of a really good pony. In this respect much yet remains to be done in the improvement of the breed. In other directions great advance has been made; and long backs, flat sides, and short and drooping quarters are less in evidence every year. The general style and symmetry of the pony are steadily improving.

Nothing in the proportions of a pony more affects his appearance than the size, form, and carriage of his head. Undoubtedly many of the most massive and powerful of present-day Shetland ponies are disfigured by heads which are not merely out of proportion to their size, but which are also carried much too low. This last defect commonly arises from; and goes with, defective shoulders; but, from whatever cause it proceeds, it must be regarded as a most serious blemish, fatal alike to the appearance of the pony and to his safety and pleasantness as a mount. To eliminate it from the breed without sacrificing the substance and power with which it is often associated may be a matter of skill, time, and patience; but breeders ought not to be satisfied until this object has been attained.

The head itself should be small and short, wide across the forehead, relatively long from ear to eye, with a muzzle short and fine and somewhat hollowed, or almost “dished,” immediately below the eyes, which should be large, full, and prominent, looking well forward, so as to be clearly seen from in front. “Ringle” or “wall” eyes are a serious though not a common defect and should be discouraged. The ears should be small and erect, wide set, but pointing well forward, the nostrils wide and open. The shape and carriage of the head are even more important than its size.

It is perhaps in limbs and joints that the modern pony marks the largest advance upon his unimproved Island forefathers. Reference has already been made to the apparent “curbiness” of the hocks of many Island ponies. This is a defect that has very largely been bred out of the Londonderry strain, in which good joints, and particularly good hocks, have, with occasional exceptions no doubt, become well established. Strong and muscular limbs should characterise the Shetland pony—long and powerful forearms and thighs, large, low-set knees and hocks, flat and clean bone below them, and fairly long pasterns. A common fault in some strains is lack of muscle in the second thighs, which is often so exaggerated that the pony has the appearance of having a deep hollow behind the thigh instead of an easy line from the quarters to the hocks.

On the whole, the feet of the Shetland pony are good—large, round, and open, of fairly hard and very sound texture. Occasionally, however, narrow and contracted feet are found; and these should be regarded as a serious defect.

The coat of the pony is one of its most familiar and characteristic peculiarities, consisting as it does of fine thick fur below and an outer covering of longer and harder hair growing through it. Any weakness of coat is a serious fault, not only as being a departure from a deep-rooted characteristic of the breed, but also on the most practical grounds. No better protection could be imagined against wind and rain than the thick undercoat, waterproofed by the outer hair, from whose damped locks the water drips along the pony’s sides, while the under parts of the body remain dry and warm. In summer the shaggy coat,—falling off in ragged masses, is replaced by a sleek and fine hair. At all seasons the tail, mane, and forelock are as picturesque as they are useful in protecting the pony against weather and flies. They should be abundant, the hair strong in texture, and straight, falling flat, and, like the foot hair, free from any tendency to curl. It is an interesting characteristic of the Shetland pony that many animals shed in autumn the upper lock of the tail in such a way as to look as though the hair had been scrubbed off, although on actual examination it will be found that the hair is cast from the root and grows in again. A similar appearance is undoubtedly represented in prehistoric horse-portraits.

All colours are permissible in the Shetland pony, although black and dark-brown are now most common, and are preferred in the Islands by the oldest traditions, which associate piebald and skewbald colours with softness of temper and with a strong suspicion of Norwegian cross. White markings in ponies other than piebalds and skewbalds are an undeniable blemish, particularly if they take the form of white stockings and the accompanying white hoofs. Dun, grey roan, and dappled grey are good colours, which should not be allowed to die out: the dappled grey should have blue hoofs.

Action is increasingly regarded, and rightly so, by judges in the showyard; and it is of the utmost importance in practice. It should, of course, be perfectly true and straight: dishing, straddling, and wide hock action are glaring faults. But action should also be vigorous, light, and springy, not showing the roundness that often disfigures hackney gait, but with fore-legs well thrown forward from the shoulder both in walking and trotting, while knees, pasterns, and hocks are freely and powerfully flexed. It must be admitted that in many Shetland ponies activity has been unduly sacrificed to abnormal shortness of limb. This is a point which demands careful attention; and it may be worth while to note that the ponies in the Islands are, as a rule, singularly active, as indeed the conditions of their existence require that they should be.

In one other respect modern show standards and conditions threaten rather to impair than to improve the breed. The appearance of the pony in the Islands almost invariably suggests a strong and vigorous frame: in the showyard there are few ponies whose appearance suggests any frame at all. This is, no doubt, greatly aggravated by the extreme and excessive fatness of most ponies in the ring; but it points to a real defect also. Every good horse ought to suggest to the imagination the general structure of his bony framework; and it ought scarcely to be possible to conceal this by any reasonable degree of condition, or to bring about, in a horse, a general appearance of bonelessness such as might be proper to the carcase of a perfectly fattened Aberdeen-Angus bullock. Partly from the practice of showing ponies much too fat, and partly also from the fact that breeders have neglected to seek for strength of frame as distinct from mere thickness of bones, the Shetland pony in the showyard has undergone some little deterioration in this respect. It should not be forgotten by breeders or judges that a pony whose shoulders, hips, and stifles are not prominent in his appearance, is either defective in structure or very improperly overfed.

It may well be the case that a rather too exclusive use of the excellent “Londonderry” strain of ponies requires now to be corrected by a careful introduction of new blood, and that it is desirable to make use for that purpose of active, large-framed, vigorous mares of other Island strains. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that no risk should be run of sacrificing the results already attained—the power substance and well-formed joints and limbs, in which the “Londonderry” ponies excel. On the other hand, there is room, in very important respects, for progress and improvement in order to bring the Shetland pony to perfection.