An Eye-Opener : Shetland Ponies

When we were all little kids, we used to bum rides on the local shetland ponies - you know, those cute chubby little ponies with an attitude. Later I learned to drive as an intern at a farm who had, among it's other horses, some show shetlands. These ponies were still smallish, but with more refinement and leg than the "neighborhood chubsters." They were like driving little responsive sports cars, a real blast!

Fast forward thirty years - I had the opportunity to watch a modern shetland show this past weekend. I can't believe that those were shetlands. There were 4 divisions that were explained to me as follows - 1) Modern Shetland - the fanciest movers, BIG (up to 48" tall) and carryng the highest percentage of hackney blood (and to my unaccustomed eye - indistinguishable from the hackneys at the same show. Evidently they could have at least one hackney parent), 2) Modern Pleasure - kind of equivalent to our EP horses and carrying the next highest percentage of hackney blood, 3) Modern Classic - kind of like our CEP horses and with the next to the lowest percentage of hackney blood, and 4) Foundation - these were the smallest and most closely resembled the show shetlands that I had remembered...they can't have hackney blood for 4 generations back. With the exception of the "Foundation" shetlands they all appeared to be Hackney Wannabe's. I do not understand why they wanted to change an old breed so completely. The modern shetlands even wore fake tails like little saddlebreds. Legs were horrendous....the winners were pretty much the fanciest movers. Some of them came to the gate wearing stretchies which were taken off at the gate and reapplied upon exiting. They used "tailers" and most of the ponies would leap into the air or kick out anytime those whips got anywhere near their back legs...and they were shown in little bridles with curb bits....may be the only way to hang onto them while bouncing around. They were definitely some little hot, hothouse ponies.

My take home thought; we must really be vigilant to guard the integrity of the Arabian and not permit ourselves to be led by fads to change a breed that is the foundation of all of our modern light horses. It is not a SB, or QH, or NSH or.....IT IS AN ARABIAN and to try to emulate anything else is to diminish it.

Well said and couldn't agree more. But that begs the question, would the Arabians we breed today be recognizable to breeders from 30-40-50 years ago, and what we have bred, have we bred to improve? The English horses of today are far from those when I started riding/showing 26 years ago. So, that being said, as you stated, WE MUST GUARD THE INTEGRITY OF OUR BREED!

Sadly, some of our "Modern" Arabs CAN pass for something else. There have been less than honest breeders, mistakes, and ID problems over the years. It is unfortunate that freeze branding, or another ID program is still not being used on the degree that it was years ago. It not only cuts down on thievery, but also helps keep a horse and it's heritage united (thinking here of the Passion Arabian dispersal, and others, where it was a real mess trying to sort out IDs/registrations for the new owners).

On the other hand, where there have been no difficulties, the industry as a whole has bred to meet current fads. We are seeing clear divergences of type, halter vs. WP, etc. Maybe it is unavoidable as horses that have a greater talent for one field do have physical differences that make that particular job easier for them, and if we have a desire to supply horses that do that job well, that entire pool of horses will eventually all have that difference. BUT what was wrong with, and why were we lured away from the great english horses, or the halter horses, or _____? of the past? How are our present horses better, if they are? If they aren't, how do we go back......can we go back?

It was a shock to see those ponies.........

wow I totally understand what you mean. There were some ponies at the NYS Fair this year that I could even tell what they were. Apparently they were what you call "modern Shetlands" too weird I want to see the cute round,chubby, short legged shetlands. Though I cant say much my arab barely has a arab face. I swear if it wasnt for her gaits,tail or papers I wouldnt even know she was a pb arab.