American Shetland Pony

The American Shetland Pony is an American breed of pony. It derives from the traditional Shetland Pony from the Shetland Isles of Scotland, but as a result of cross-breeding with other horse and pony breeds, is taller and more elegant.[1]:435 It does not have the thick coat of the traditional Shetland, and in conformation is more similar to the Hackney Pony, with some Arab influence.[2]:243 It is the most numerous pony breed in the United States; numbers in 1994 were estimated at over 50,000. It is one of two American pony breeds derived from the traditional Shetland, the other being the Pony of the Americas.[2]:243

American Shetland Pony
Harnessed to a sulky, Great Falls, Montana
Country of originUnited States
DistributionUnited States
Useriding, driving
Traits
Height
Colorany color but spotted

History
A stallion imported to the United States by Eli Elliot

The first documented importation of Shetland Ponies to the United States was in 1885, when Eli Elliot imported seventy-five of them. A breed association, the American Shetland Pony Club, was formed in 1888.[2]:243 The original stock was crossbred with various other breeds, principally the Hackney Pony. Arabian, Harness Show Pony and Welsh breeds were also used. The result was a taller and more elegant pony than the classic Shetland, with longer legs and finer bone, high withers and a sloping shoulder, and a high action particularly well-suited to harness work.[2]:243 It does not have the thick coat of the traditional Shetland, but supposedly retains the hardiness and endurance of that breed; in conformation it is more similar to the Hackney Pony, also showing some Arab influence.[2]:243

It is the most numerous pony breed in the United States; numbers in 1994 were estimated at over 50,000. It is one of two American pony breeds derived from the traditional Shetland, the other being the Pony of the Americas.[2]:243 It was the principal influence on another Shetland-derived breed, the German Classic Pony.[3]:176

American Shetland Ponies may be registered in the American Shetland Pony Club stud book, in one of four sections: foundation, classic, modern, and modern pleasure; they are distinguished by minor variations in conformation, the "foundation" type being the smallest and most similar to the American Shetland of the 1950s.[4] In the past, American Shetlands were registered in section B of the stud book, and the traditional Shetland Pony in section A.[2]:243

Use

The American Shetland Pony is well-suited to harness use. It may be used as a roadster to pull sulkies, or in fine harness pulling two-wheeled or four-wheeled carts. It may be ridden under either a Western or English saddle, and is also shown at Halter.[2]:243

References
  1. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  2. Elwyn Hartley Edwards (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Horse. London; New York; Stuttgart; Moscow: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0751301159.
  3. Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691167206.
  4. ASPC Registry. American Shetland Pony Club. Accessed February 2019.
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