Fell Pony Society and Conservancy of the Americas
775 Flippin Road
Lowgap, North Carolina 27024
www.fellpony.org
Fell Pony Society
Ion House, Great Asby
Appleby, Cumbria CA16 6HD
United Kingdom
www.fellponysociety.org
Although Fells have become popular show and pleasure riding ponies in England, it has always been their work ethic that the hill breeders of Cumbria have admired and taken pains to preserve. As the world shrinks and the ponies’ territory enlarges, true stewards of the breed are looking for innovative ways to maintain the heart and soul of this blue-collar pony.
The Fell Pony is one of the nine recognized Mountain and Moorland pony breeds of Britain. It is a hardy and versatile working breed of exceedingly good temperament and intelligence. With sturdy legs, hard hooves, and plenty of dense, flat bone below the knee, it is a wonderfully strong pony. Tireless, surefooted, and thrifty, the Fell Pony is renowned for its ground-covering trot, straight, silky feathering, and profuse mane and tail. The lay of its shoulder makes the pony a comfortable long-distance riding mount, and the depth of its girth and soundness of limbs make it a trouble-free competitor for driving, jumping, or dressage.
History
Fell Pony mare at a trot. National Trust (UK)
This rare pony hails from Northern England and the Scottish border, where they derive their name, Fell, from the Norse word for “hill.” The breed’s origins go back to the four centuries of Roman occupation on this border, when auxiliary troops were brought in to help at Hadrian’s Wall, which separated the two countries of England and Scotland. The troops also maintained law and order throughout the area, as they did in most of the British Isles. French, Dutch, German, Polish, Spanish, and Eastern European cavalrymen were posted there, as were their horses. Also foreign horses of several types, from slender Arab types to coarse workhorses, are known to have been there from archaeology in northern Britain.
Fells grazing. Fells come in different colors, but black is the prevailing color. National Trust (UK)
A cross between those foreign horses and the Celtic pony might have produced an animal closer to horse size, but anything over 13.2 hands high was not suited to the northern fells. Big animals could not survive without extra feeding, so by natural selection, the breed stabilized as a pony.
By the second century, the Galloway pony in southern Scotland was established as a breed, as was the Fell across the northern counties of England. The two were geographically close and are said to have been very similar, probably bred from the same stock and containing types ranging from the taller Dales and Highland Ponies, to the smaller end of the Fells. Old farmers still sometimes refer to a Fell as a Galloway. Most of the ponies were probably of subdued colors such as brown, dun, black, or dark bay with limited white markings.
Gray was the common horse color for those in the north of England in the early 1500s. It is believed that gray in the Fell breed partly traces back to those owned by the Cistercian Order or Grey Friars, who resided in the Lake District in Northwest England.
From the time of the Roman withdrawal in the fourth century until the eighteenth century, well maintained road surfaces were few and far between, and pack ponies were the only reliable means of transporting goods. The Fell was particularly useful for this purpose, being a fast and steady walker.
Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when canals, roadways, and train lines were developed, the ponies were gradually superseded for distance transport and became once more mainly local assets. In the nineteenth century, Fell Ponies were utilized for trotting races and sports events, as well as light arable farm work, shepherding, and transport such as carrying mail or goods to market by trap.
In the twentieth century, Fell Ponies were used only occasionally as pit ponies (in mines) due to their taller pony height. In some areas, they were used for deer stalking, an endeavor that required a steady, surefooted pack pony that could carry the dead stag down hill inclines for the hunter.
The Fell Pony Society (FPS) was formed in 1916. It now has Queen Elizabeth II as its patron, who is a knowledgeable owner and breeder. Her husband, Prince Philip, often competes in driving events with a four-in-hand Fell team.
Today’s Fell Pony
Although most Fell Ponies today are bred in Cumbria, Southwest Scotland, and the North of England, there are also Fells all over the United Kingdom, with studs established in Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Denmark, Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Fells still have the reputation of being easy to maintain and able to work all day on a small ration, thriving where a more highly bred animal would find it difficult just to survive. They average from 13.1 to 13.2 hands high and are allowed a maximum height of 14 hands. Fells come in four different colors, with black becoming the predominant color over the last few decades, followed by brown, bay, and gray. A star and/or a little white on or below the hind fetlock are acceptable. Although an excess of white markings is discouraged, such ponies are still eligible for registration.
Fell Ponies, like some horses, mature late—sometimes not until seven years of age. Most Fells in their native country are left to run free until the age of two or three and are not overfed. At that time, they are lightly trained and then often turned back out until four to five years, when they begin light and straight riding without much bending of their spines. In general, they do not start any weight bearing training until three years of age. These precautions are generally adhered to, except for the Fells bred on the hills, which may well be sold at weaning (usually in October) unless they are retained as future breeding stock. It is suggested that mares should not be bred until they are at least three years of age, or otherwise irreparable damage may be done to their internal and reproductive organs and it may restrict their own growth and maturity.
Making this breed come off of their native fells to be raised and introduced to new environments and trends can be a detriment to the retention of traditional breed type. One such dangerous trend is the notion that Fells are a small version of the Friesian Horse. This perception is partially due to the fact that black is now the most common color for Fells, as well as the growing popular awareness of the Friesian breed.
The FPS strongly disapproves of the comparison with other breeds to describe the Fell, which is not a mini version of any other breed. If the focus and presentation of a breed is compromised by such a perception, it may lead to a change in the direction of breeding standards, as has happened with many other breeds in the past. A careful study of the Fell Pony breed standard reveals that the body type, structure, and movement of the Fell Pony clearly differ from those of the Friesian horse. DNA studies also bear this out. By observing the Fell in its natural environment with its various body types and range of colors, its true unique nature and scope becomes apparent.
The unseen traits are as important as the outer traits, as Sue Millard, a British author, pony judge, FPS Council member, and driving enthusiast points out in her remarks that the Fells have “sensible temperaments, hardiness, vigor, self reliance and brains. These are vital to the breed but are not visible. They’re the inner pony, the bits that you only get to know by doing the job and living the life. These invisible characteristics can’t be retained without giving the pony a job of work to do and, if possible, allowing it to live and reproduce as its ancestors did and still do.”
The traditional hill breeders of Britain have carefully conserved this rare breed’s ancestral type, as well as the hardiness and savvy of the Celtic mountain ponies—and so the purebred Fell should remain. It is currently used in activities such as pleasure riding, endurance riding, competitive driving, showing, and farming. For work or play, it has often been said, “You cannot put a Fell to the wrong job.”
A Fell Pony is capable of carrying a grown man all day with ease; many are gentle enough for capable children and, with correct training, are perfect for the disabled. Their temperament is like that of other British native pony breeds, whose instinct for survival has been essential to them for centuries. This instinct, combined with the intelligence, curiosity, stamina, and mischievousness of a Fell, can pose unique challenges to the inexperienced or over confident person. Sensible horse training is always paramount, but when working with a Fell, there needs to be a cooperative partnership mentality. Fells, just like all equines, are individuals, and each can vary in temperament. They could be compared to working dog breeds, in that they are meant for activity that engages their mind and curiosity.
Registry
All Fell Ponies in North America are currently registered via the mother registry in England, the FPS. The FPS does recognize support groups in foreign countries as overseas branches. The Fell Pony Society and Conservancy of the Americas is the oldest Fell pony organization in North America and is an approved overseas branch of the FPS. Originally known as the Fell Pony Conservancy of North America, it was founded in 1999 and included all the known North American breeders at that time. It was officially restructured and incorporated as an educational organization in 2004 with the sanctioning of the mother society, and it hosted the first Fell Pony Nationals of North America in 2008.
Globally there are fewer than five hundred registered breeding mares; however, the integrity and usefulness of the breed has recently come to light and exportations are on the rise. Numbers of ponies in North America, while still relatively low, continue to rise steadily. Currently, there are about 350 Fell Ponies in North America and an estimated figure of 6,000 worldwide.
Fells are registered in the Fell Pony Society Studbook in Britain, the recognized authority on the breed.
Breed Description
Fell Ponies are presented at shows well groomed, yet untrimmed to emphasize their natural state. They should always be presented as an example of their own breed and not a version of another.
• Height: Not exceeding 14 hands (142.2 centimeters)
• Color: Black, brown, bay, and gray; chestnuts, piebalds, and skewbalds are debarred; a star and/or a little white on or below the hind fetlock is acceptable; excess of white markings is discouraged, but such ponies are still eligible for registration
• Head: Small, well chiseled in outline, well set on, forehead broad, tapering to nose
• Nostrils: Large and expanding
• Eyes: Prominent, bright, mild, and intelligent
• Ears: Neatly set, well formed, and small
• Throat and jaw: Fine, showing no signs of throatiness or coarseness
• Neck: Of proportionate length, giving good length of rein; strong and not too heavy; moderate crest in case of a stallion
• Shoulders: Most important feature; well laid back and sloping; not too fine at withers or loaded at the points; a good, long shoulder blade; muscles well developed
• Carcass (underlying structure or frame): Good strong back of good outline; muscular loins; deep carcass; thick through the heart; round ribbed from shoulders to flank; short and well coupled; hindquarters square and strong with tail well set on
• Feet, legs, and joints: Feet of good size, round and well formed, open at heels with the characteristic blue horn (keratin that makes up the hoof); fair sloping pasterns but not too long; forelegs straight, well placed, not tied at elbows; big well-formed knees, short cannon bone, plenty of good flat bone below knees (8 inches at least); great muscularity of arm
Fell Ponies serving as pack ponies. National Trust (UK)
• Hind legs: Good thighs and second thighs, very muscular; hocks well let down and clean-cut; plenty of bone below the joint; no sickle-hocks or cow-hocks
• Mane, tail, and feather: Plenty of fine hair at heels; coarse hair objectionable; all fine hair except that at point of heel may be cast (shed) in summer; mane and tail left to grow long
• Action: Walk, smart and true; trot, well-balanced all round, with good knee and hock action going well from the shoulder and flexing the hocks; not going too wide or near behind; should show great pace and endurance, bringing the hind legs well under the body when going
• General character: Constitutionally as hard as iron and should show good pony characteristics with unmistakable appearance of hardiness peculiar to mountain ponies; lively and alert appearance and great bone
Scale of points
Height and color 5
Head, nostrils, eyes, ears, throat/jaw, and neck 10
Shoulders 15
Carcass 20
Feet, legs, joints, and hind legs 25
Action 25
General characteristics 25
Credit: Fell Pony Society and Conservancy of the Americas