Highland Pony Enthusiasts Club of America
1651 Barren Road
Oxford, Pennsylvania 19363
www.hpeca.org
Scottish Highland Pony Society of North America
P.O. Box 425
Boonville, California 95415
www.highland-pony.org
The Highland Pony is an ancient and versatile breed native to Scotland and has been found in its Highlands since the eighth century BC. Many ponies had also existed in the Hebrides, which are Scottish islands off the northwest coast of the mainland. Wild, hardy ponies lived for centuries on the highlands in the northern mountains of Scotland, which consists mostly of rough, windswept moors or heaths with high peaks, steep hills, and deep valleys. Conditions are cold and harsh, but the native ponies adapted to the severity of conditions by developing into rugged, robust animals. The Highland Pony came from these tough, survivors and inherited their endurance, making it a good choice for any work in adverse conditions. It is a compact, kind, and strong breed.
History
Highland Ponies are the descendants of crofters’ (Scottish farmers) ponies, so they were subjected to little controlled breeding. For hundreds of years they were used for transportation and as an all-purpose draft animal on the small Highland farms, or crofts. They became a dependable asset for agricultural needs in the highlands and islands of Scotland. The ease of their upkeep, as well as their sturdiness and courage, was much preferred over horses. They were an integral part of the crofter’s family, without which life would have been more extreme and difficult. Their strength and abilities were much appreciated and well known throughout the country by rural folk and royalty alike.
Curious Highland foals. Highlands are a muscular and substantial breed. Courtesy the Highland Pony Society
Besides being used as agricultural animals, they were utilized as mounts during wartime. In 1314, Robert the Bruce allegedly rode a Highland Pony to fight Sir Henry de Bohun, who was riding a larger warhorse and was in full armor. Robert won on his much smaller Highland Pony, a great tribute to its tenacity. Highlands were also reportedly used in the Boer Wars in the late nineteenth century. Agriculture surveys and travel accounts from the eighteenth century describe a pony smaller in stature than present-day Highland Ponies. Most likely at that time, they were still primarily an unimproved product of their harsh environment. The original Highland Ponies were athletic as well as smaller, perhaps more similar to the now extinct Scottish Galloway that was used by Scottish cattle drovers. The larger Highlands of today would not have maintained their height and size on the terrain they traditionally lived on, so the breed has been “improved” since the 1700s. Consequently, the pony that Robert the Bruce rode would not have been instantly recognizable as a Highland Pony to people today.
Lingcropper, a famous stallion dating back to 1745, was one of these older, smaller types, probably of Scottish origin and most likely a Scottish Galloway. He was a sire of great importance to the Highland breed, also having a substantial influence on the Fell Pony breed, though he predated the first registered Fells by 150 years. He was undoubtedly a pony of some distinction, as his name is mentioned regularly in ballads and stories popular at the time.
Following the Scottish uprising of 1745, there was a change in the land tenure system, and with that came oppression. In the late 1770 to the 1800s, Scottish landlords drove thousands of crofters from the Highlands. Highland pony numbers declined throughout this period, as land previously available to cattle and ponies was turned into large-scale sheep farms. In 1886, the Crofters’ Act gave the crofters more rights to what little land remained, but the depopulation of the Highland Ponies continued even into the twentieth century, as voluntary emigration replaced forced emigration.
Highland Ponies experienced an upswing in propagation when Queen Victoria patronized them and bred many of them after 1850 at Balmoral Castle and Estate. Today, Queen Elizabeth II is their patron and continues the breeding of Highland Ponies, maintaining a herd on the Balmoral Estate.
Although the Highland Pony has traceable bloodlines dating back to the 1830s, the studbook was not established until the 1880s. Recording pedigrees began in 1896, and the Highland Pony Society was founded in 1923.
Like many other British native ponies, Highlands saw a steep decline in numbers after World War II and with the coming of mechanization. Then in the 1950s, trekking (trail riding) through rough Scottish terrain became popular; thus the pony’s quiet nature, surefootedness, and weight-carrying capabilities were once again in demand. Highlands were patient with every kind of rider and could carry the heaviest to the lightest, from the expert rider to the amateur. Tourism flourished with trekking, and many ponies were bought by their riders. Since then, Highlands have experienced a resurgence in numbers.
Highland Uses
Overall, Highland Ponies are hardy, docile, healthy, and fun to have. They live long and are generally introduced to ride by tack at age three, but used only sparingly. By five or six, they are mature enough to begin many productive years of life. Even today, they can handle all severe weather conditions, subsisting easily where horses would find it too difficult. They are easy keepers, thriving on coarse grazing and usually foaling without difficulty.
For centuries, Highland Ponies were, and still are, used on the Scottish crofts for farm work, pulling carts and logging (called snigging). Besides working the land, they were also relied on as pack animals. Often they hauled peat used for fuel, packing it home from the marshy bogs. Highlands have continued to be used for plowing, pulling carts on small crofts, and transporting materials and people. They are also used for forestry work, being much easier to navigate in thick forests and more economical than a tractor. Additionally, they do not destroy the underbrush like a tractor would and can drag and haul in places too marshy or steep for a tractor.
Highland Ponies have short, pretty heads. Gray is a common color. Linda Macpherson/Shutterstock
For the past two centuries, Highland Ponies, using special pack saddles, have been the primary means of transporting deer and other game off the hills. Hunting is a necessary sport in the Highlands, and the ponies are efficient and helpful partners. They are still used for carrying grouse panniers on many Scottish estates to this day, as well as bringing the “bag” (stags) down from the hills. They are not used much for hunting with hounds (which was banned in Scotland and throughout Britain in 2005), but they are utilized for shooting, trekking, and packing where their great strength for carrying heavy loads over rough cover is valued. Their intelligence, ability for hauling bulky loads, and calm personalities are appreciated by hunters.
They are ideal for families with members of all ages and sizes due to their strength, surefootedness, dependability, and quiet nature. They have been used safely for the disabled for whom their unflappable temperament is paramount. They can stand patiently for hours, and their size is ideal for easy mounting, while their strength and broad backs can handle varying weights.
Some Highlands pull specially built carts that can hold both the disabled person in his or her wheelchair and a companion. This allows the disabled to experience the independence of driving the pony by himself or herself, providing a much appreciated and thrilling time. The Highland’s burly strength is perfect for this, and such activities have increased its popularity.
As an occasional hack, Highlands are exceptional. If they are needed for more extensive work, they can easily make a quick transition. They adapt effortlessly to equestrian disciplines as diverse as Pony Club events, trail riding, dressage, driving, western riding, and long distance endurance or cross-country riding. They are also respectable jumpers. Their talents are appreciated especially in harness, as their consistency in color makes a matched pair easy to find. They are also used in tandems and four-in-hand teams.
Their substance, bone, and temperament also mean they cross well with other breeds, both horse and pony sized. In Britain, Highlands and Thoroughbreds are a popular cross, producing warmblood type performance horses for eventing, show jumping, and dressage.
In the United States
The first Highlands brought to the United States came with the colonial settlers. More evidence of recent importations goes back to the early 1960s, when various individuals imported Highlands, a few of which went to the Maryland area. Some of these ponies competed in driving classes at the Devon, Pennsylvania, show.
Most early Highlands were imported as safe driving ponies or for interbreeding to others. In the last decade or so, however, foundation breeding lines have experienced more stability in North America, though numbers are still low. Presently, there are an estimated seventy Highlands in North America as of 2008, making them a very rare breed for the continent. They are listed as vulnerable on the Equus Survival Trust list, with most Highlands still residing in Scotland.
The Highland Pony Enthusiasts Club of America (HPEC) was founded in 2004 and is affiliated with the Highland Pony Society of Scotland (HPS). As with all other Highland Pony Society affiliated Enthusiast Clubs worldwide, the HPEC is a social club designed to promote the principles of HPS. It encourages registrations with it and has sponsored Mountain and Moorland classes in the United States. (Mountain and Moorland breeds are the native ponies of the British Isles.)
The Scottish Highland Pony Society of North America (SHPSNA) was established in 2001. It has registration services, documentation of bloodlines, and census-taking for Highlands in North America. It has separate studbooks for purebred Highland ponies and part-bred Highlands. DNA testing is done under contract with the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, for identification and parentage verification purposes.
Presently, SHPSNA is not affiliated with the United Kingdom’s registry, the Highland Pony Society, but it does encourage members to support the Highland breed internationally by joining the Highland Pony Society, which is considered the world Highland Pony authority. SHPSNA has also sponsored Mountain and Moorland classes in the United States.
The National Pony Society in the United Kingdom has approved sanctioned shows throughout the United States and offers award programs for all Mountain and Moorland breeds, including Highland ponies and other British riding ponies.
Breed Description
The Highland Pony developed as a landrace—a breed that has evolved primarily as a product of its environment, and to a smaller degree by its agricultural usage or shaping by humans. As such, it has developed several survival type characteristics.
Overall, it is muscular with plenty of substantial bone and exhibits powerful strength with the commonly accepted standards of good conformation. It has plenty of substance, along with the classic beauty of a native pony. The Highland Pony should have compact conformation that is shorter legged than the length of its body, making it longer in body than its height. Yet the Highland presents a balanced, pleasant appearance.
Coat: The Highland Pony has a winter coat of stiff coarse hair covering a soft thick undercoat. This enables the pony to thrive in all kinds of cold and wet conditions that other breeds cannot tolerate, with both coats giving ample protection. The outer coat sheds out in spring to a smooth summer coat.
Leg feathering is only a tuft of straight hair in the summer, but winter feathering can go all the way up to the knees. Manes and tails are thick, long and full.
Colors: Gray and various shades of dun are the most common coat colors. These can range from various shades of mouse, yellow, and cream dun to black. Sometimes a bay or a liver chestnut with a silver mane and tail can be found. Some have dorsal stripes, some have shoulders stripes, and some even have zebra markings on their legs.
Broken colors are not allowed. A small star is acceptable, but other white markings, such as white legs or hooves, are not allowed in the show ring. Stallions with white markings other than a small star are not licensed for breeding.
Foals typically experience color changes, as do some adults as they grow older. Some can go through color changes with the seasons. Gray is by far the most common color in the breed, and those with the gray gene can be born any color and fade to gray over time. The silver dilution is often found in ponies with island bloodlines. The Isle of Rum ponies are especially known for this.
Size: The breed standard encourages the size of ponies to be between 13 hands and 14.2 hands, but many registered ponies are outside this range.
A beautiful Highland herd. Highlands are rugged and robust. Paula Gent/Shutterstock
Head: The head is well carried and alert. It is small and short with width between the eyes and is fairly long from ear to eye. It has a square, broad muzzle, large nostrils, and large, kind eyes. Ears are set wide and erect and are not too large. The jowls are deep.
Neck: The neck is of medium length and is well set in the withers; it is powerful and naturally arched, but clearly tapering at the throatlatch. The head is carried high and forward.
Body: The body should have a deep chest and barrel, a short, strong back, and ribs that are well sprung. The shoulders are long and slope well with very defined withers. The quarters are broad and long with the tail set not too low.
Legs: The forearms are well placed, long, and strong. The hind legs also are strong with powerful thighs, strong second thighs, and flat hocks. The legs have flat, hard bone, broad knees, and short cannon bones. Knees and hocks are large and low set, with lots of clean, flat bone below them. Pasterns are medium long and oblique. The hooves are large, well shaped and open, as well as dark colored and comparatively hard.
Movement: The Highland’s movement is straight and powerful without high knee action. The walk is naturally fast, a trait that historically suited the work once required of the pony. Here is where the Highland excels like no other. It can travel a steady 4 miles per hour at a quick, rhythmic walk, hauling loads through the roughest of terrains.
The other gaits should be correct and straight. Dishing, straddling, and wide hock movements are obvious faults. Knees, pasterns, and hocks should be freely and powerfully flexed. The action is free moving without any undue knee action.
Disposition: The Highland’s hardiness and stable, even temperament has established it as the mount of choice.
It is a sensible, brave companion, willing and steady, yet full of personality.
Credit: Victoria Tollman, Equus Survival Trust