Breed of horse
Newfoundland Pony
|
Country of origin
| Canada
(
Newfoundland
)
|
---|
|
Distinguishing features
| Sturdy, hardy island pony
|
---|
|
|
|
The
Newfoundland pony
is a
breed
of
pony
originating in
Newfoundland
, Canada. They are sturdy and muscular ponies, found in many
colors
, including the relatively rare
white
coloration. The Newfoundland developed from a mix of
English, Irish, and Scottish pony breeds
brought to Newfoundland by settlers over a period of four centuries. Initially free-roaming, they
crossbred
to produce the modern type. They were used by settlers as
draft
and multi-purpose ponies until the
mid-20th century
century, when they were brought almost to the point of extinction by
mechanization
and
slaughter
. The population rebounded slightly after the formation of a
breed registry
in 1980, but still remains low. In 1997, the Newfoundland pony was declared a heritage breed of
Newfoundland and Labrador
, which afforded it protection under the law, but the breed has not yet been recognized under the Canadian federal Animal Pedigree Act. As of 2008, there were 248 registered ponies of breeding age, out of a total population of 361. In 2013, the widely dispersed breeding population is still estimated at between 200 and 250 animals.
Physical Characteristics
[
edit
]
Newfoundland ponies are usually 11 to 14.2
hands
(44 to 58 inches, 112 to 147 cm) tall and weight 400 to 800 pounds (180 to 360 kg). They are often
black
,
bay
or
brown
in color.
Roan
,
chestnut
,
gray
and
dun
are also seen.
White
coloration is occasionally found in the breed,
[1]
though white in horses is very rare. Gray horses, whose hair coats become white as they age, are much more common. Grays are born dark colored with dark skin and lighten in color as they age, retaining the dark skin. White horses are born and remain white in color, and have pink skin.
[2]
Pinto
color patterns are not eligible for registration.
White markings
are minimal, and seasonal color changes are often drastic.
[1]
The head is small, with thickly-furred ears that are small and quite pointed at the tips. Overall, the body is stocky and muscular, with a deep, narrow chest, short back, sloping
croup
and low-set tail. The coat and
mane
are thick, especially in winter.
[1]
In order to be registered with the Newfoundland Pony Society, ponies must "[have] a good temperament and [be] docile and easy to work with."
[3]
They are generally used as family horses for
pleasure riding
and
driving
, although they are also seen at
horse shows
.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
The ancestors of the Newfoundland pony arrived in Newfoundland from the
British Isles
, brought there by settlers between 1611 and the mid-1900s.
Dartmoor ponies
formed the initial shipment, imported by
John Guy
, the first
Proprietary Governor
of
Newfoundland
.
Lord Falkland
imported additional animals soon after, and these were followed by a spate of pony shipments from England, Ireland and Scotland. Additional breeds found in the shipments included the now-extinct
Galloway pony
, as well as
Connemara
,
Dartmoor
,
Exmoor
,
Fell
,
Highland
and
New Forest
ponies. Beginning with the first imports, the breeds
crossbred
, eventually forming the modern Newfoundland pony.
[1]
In the past, the Newfoundland pony was used for ploughing, assisting with gardens, hauling
kelp
from the beaches, gathering hay, and carrying wood, and they were also used for transportation. They were successfully used and bred to withstand the hard climate, and by 1935 there were over 9,000 ponies on the island. During the mid-20th century, however, increasing mechanization and a ban on free-roaming ponies contributed to a decline in the population, and increased exports to France for
horse meat
in the 1970s almost led to the extinction of the breed.
[1]
Shortly before the breed would have become extinct, several interested breeders came together and formed the Newfoundland Pony Society in 1980. The group was formed to gather the remaining free-roaming herds, register the horses and breed them in captivity, and was successful in locating around 300 animals. In 1997,
[1]
the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
passed the Heritage Animals Act, which made the Newfoundland pony the first (and, so far, only) heritage animal of Newfoundland and Labrador. A subsequent order designated the Newfoundland Pony Society as "the group which will maintain the registry of ponies and otherwise act for the preservation of the animal."
[4]
In part, this Act required anyone wishing to export ponies from Newfoundland to first acquire a permit; this ensured that ponies were going to private homes instead of slaughterhouses.
[3]
Also in 1997, the Newfoundland Pony Breed Association was formed. This group sought to have the Newfoundland pony recognized under the Canadian Animal Pedigree Act, which may have given it additional protection and recognition.
[5]
In March 2014, the Newfoundland Pony Society stated that they believed the breed should not have federal recognition, believing that the "federal act is meant for farm stock and breeding animals", not heritage breeds. Members of the society also fear that protection of the breed may be lessened under federal law when compared with current provincial regulations. However, the provincial government will make the final decision on whether to move forward with the process for federal recognition.
[6]
In a study of
mitochondrial DNA
published in 2012, the Newfoundland pony and
Canadian horse
were found to be the most genetically diverse of the Canadian breeds studied, which also included the
Sable Island horse
and the
Lac La Croix pony
. When an estimation was made using
microsatellite
loci, the Newfoundland was found to have high
autosomal diversity
and a high number of
haplotypes
, some of which overlapped with the
mountain and moorland pony breeds
(historically documented as the ancestors of the Newfoundland), Nordic breeds and a
feral
population at
Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
. Overlapping haplotypes also suggested a relationship with the
Standardbred
and
Clydesdale
, suggesting possible crossbreeding at some point, although previous studies using microsatellite markers had not come to this conclusion. Although the microsatellite loci showed a relationship between the Newfoundland and the Sable Island horse, the study did not find overlapping haplotypes that would support this, possibly due to the
population bottleneck
in the 1980s that may have resulted in such haplotypes being lost.
[7]
In order to be registered with the Newfoundland Pony Society, ponies must undergo DNA testing to verify Newfoundland parentage.
[3]
In 2011,
The Livestock Conservancy
(TLC) added the Newfoundland pony to their Conservation Priority List in the "study" category, as it worked to verify the breed's history and population numbers. In 2012, with studies completed, the breed was moved to the "critical" category,
[8]
meaning that the breed has a global population of less than 2,000 and annual registrations in the US of less than 200.
[9]
Rare Breeds Canada
also considers the breed critically endangered, with fewer than 15 annual registrations of purebred female breeding stock.
[10]
As of 2008, there were 248 registered ponies of breeding age, out of a total registered population of 361 ponies. The largest populations were in the provinces of
Newfoundland and Labrador
and
Ontario
, with smaller populations in seven other Canadian provinces and the United States.
[11]
As of 2013, TLC estimates that the widely dispersed breeding population consists of between 200 and 250 ponies.
[12]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Dutson, Judith (2005).
Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America
. Storey Publishing. pp. 318?320.
ISBN
1580176135
.
- ^
Hedge, Juliet; Wagoner, Don M., eds. (2004).
Horse Conformation: Structure, Soundness, and Performance
. Globe Pequot. p. 294.
ISBN
1592284876
.
- ^
a
b
c
Lynghaug, Fran (2009).
The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide: The Complete Guide to the Standards of All North American Equine Breed Associations
. Voyageur Press. pp. 510?512.
ISBN
978-0-7603-3499-7
.
- ^
"Heritage Animals"
. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. May 22, 2013. Archived from
the original
on September 21, 2013
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
- ^
"What is NPBA Doing?"
. Newfoundland Pony Breed Association
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
- ^
"Newfoundland Pony owners shun federal designation"
. CBC News. March 1, 2014
. Retrieved
2014-03-24
.
- ^
Prystupa, Jaclyn Mercedes; Hind, Pamela; Cothran, E. Gus; Plante, Yves (May?June 2012).
"Maternal Lineages in Native Canadian Equine Populations and Their Relationship to the Nordic and Mountain and Moorland Pony Breeds"
.
Journal of Heredity
.
103
(3): 380?390.
doi
:
10.1093/jhered/ess003
.
PMID
22504109
.
- ^
"Changes to the Conservation Priority List for 2012"
. The Livestock Conservancy. March?April 2012
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
- ^
"Conservation Priority Equine Breeds, 2013"
(PDF)
. The Livestock Conservancy. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2013-09-21
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
- ^
"Horse Breeds"
. Rare Breeds Canada
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
- ^
"Newfoundland Pony: Population and Distribution 2008"
(PDF)
. Newfoundland Pony Society. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2013-09-21
. Retrieved
2013-09-19
.
- ^
"Newfoundland Pony"
. The Livestock Conservancy
. Retrieved
2013-09-18
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Fraser, Andrew F. (1992),
The Newfoundland Pony: The Lone Member of the Moorland Family of Horses in North America, Now on the Verge of Extinction
, Creative Publishers,
ISBN
1895387140
External links
[
edit
]