Fell Pony
Name:
Fell Pony
Lifespan:
20-40+ years
Height:
14 h.h.
Appearance:
Small quality head with intelligent, kind eyes and a well-shaped neck.Long through the back with muscular hindquarters and a sloping shoulder.Deep and broad through the chest with sturdy legs and feathering around the fetlocks.
Markings:
Rarely
Color:
Predominantly black though can be brown, bay or grey
Aptiude:
Riding, Light draft, Packing, Showing, Dressage, Jumping, Competitive horse sports
Where from:
England
Facts:
The early fell pony type of animal made an ideal working animal, it was strong and sure-footed, placid in nature and not too big to make loading and unloading difficult while being up to the weight of a full load. Unlike the small native ponies of pre-Roman times, the improved Fell type was large enough for a man to ride and was recognised as a dual-purpose breed.
A Fell, no matter how sweet natured, is NOT a pushover by any means. A Fell is smarter than the average horse and has the attitude to match. You cannot gain his respect and trust simply by sending him to a trainer; on his return he will quickly size up your capabilities and behave accordingly. A Fell requires that you be a good, firm yet kindly horseman and also have a sense of humour!
A Fell pony owner needs to be: goal-oriented, creative, confidence, “relaxed” but firm, PATIENT, realistic in their expectations, appreciative of their pony's intelligence and innate judgment, alert and prepared for his survival reactions, sensible/reasonable, and informed about the breed.
Super facts:
Fell ponies were used to transport slate, copper, and lead as well as iron ore and may well have done so since Roman Times. The advent of the Industrial Revolution was a comparatively rapid innovation but one that, directly or otherwise, affected the whole country. Its initial effect on the Fell pony came by way of iron-ore mines situated in the north-west of England. Once excavated the ore had to be transported across country to the smelting works of the north-east coast, and because of the uneven topography of the country and complete lack of suitable roads and canals, other feasible methods of transport had to be found. The coming of the railways meant redundancy for many of the pony teams and their dependant tradesmen, within an incredibly short period of time hundreds of ponies disappeared, many being sold abroad for slaughter. Fortunately the Fell pony was still surviving in its native Lakeland home, and despite its dramatic rise and fall at the hands of the industrialists, as a breed it was quite unchanged, for the disbanding of pony teams had not affected the true pony breeding stock at home on the Cumbrian hills.
Fell Pony
Lifespan:
20-40+ years
Height:
14 h.h.
Appearance:
Small quality head with intelligent, kind eyes and a well-shaped neck.Long through the back with muscular hindquarters and a sloping shoulder.Deep and broad through the chest with sturdy legs and feathering around the fetlocks.
Markings:
Rarely
Color:
Predominantly black though can be brown, bay or grey
Aptiude:
Riding, Light draft, Packing, Showing, Dressage, Jumping, Competitive horse sports
Where from:
England
Facts:
The early fell pony type of animal made an ideal working animal, it was strong and sure-footed, placid in nature and not too big to make loading and unloading difficult while being up to the weight of a full load. Unlike the small native ponies of pre-Roman times, the improved Fell type was large enough for a man to ride and was recognised as a dual-purpose breed.
A Fell, no matter how sweet natured, is NOT a pushover by any means. A Fell is smarter than the average horse and has the attitude to match. You cannot gain his respect and trust simply by sending him to a trainer; on his return he will quickly size up your capabilities and behave accordingly. A Fell requires that you be a good, firm yet kindly horseman and also have a sense of humour!
A Fell pony owner needs to be: goal-oriented, creative, confidence, “relaxed” but firm, PATIENT, realistic in their expectations, appreciative of their pony's intelligence and innate judgment, alert and prepared for his survival reactions, sensible/reasonable, and informed about the breed.
Super facts:
Fell ponies were used to transport slate, copper, and lead as well as iron ore and may well have done so since Roman Times. The advent of the Industrial Revolution was a comparatively rapid innovation but one that, directly or otherwise, affected the whole country. Its initial effect on the Fell pony came by way of iron-ore mines situated in the north-west of England. Once excavated the ore had to be transported across country to the smelting works of the north-east coast, and because of the uneven topography of the country and complete lack of suitable roads and canals, other feasible methods of transport had to be found. The coming of the railways meant redundancy for many of the pony teams and their dependant tradesmen, within an incredibly short period of time hundreds of ponies disappeared, many being sold abroad for slaughter. Fortunately the Fell pony was still surviving in its native Lakeland home, and despite its dramatic rise and fall at the hands of the industrialists, as a breed it was quite unchanged, for the disbanding of pony teams had not affected the true pony breeding stock at home on the Cumbrian hills.