Shetland Ponies from Shetland

To fully understand the Shetland pony you need to know their natural habitat. It is difficult to imagine the severity of the winter storms and the hazards of the rugged boggy heath and rock strewn hills. It is these conditions which have, over countless centuries, moulded the animal we know today – both physically and mentally. The final product, with flowing mane and tail, designer winter coat and uncanny intelligence is no accident, for weakness of any part meant certain death. The Shetland pony has gone on to prosper world-wide. From a trickle of ponies from the islands across the North Sea with the Hanseatic traders and Dutch fishermen to a present global population of some one hundred thousand is a success story that speaks for itself. Perhaps adaptability is one of the Shetland pony’s greatest assets. An animal that can thrive in the tropical heat of Queensland, or the sub zero temperatures of Northern Scandinavia, or keep its cool in the noisy depths of a coal mine is a remarkable one indeed. Shetland Ponies from Shetland is a slice of history as well as a tribute to this unique breed and its devotees. Margaret Hunter was born in Whalsay, Shetland, in 1939. She became a teacher, married Brian and after living and working in London for a spell they moved back to Unst in 1962 to the family’s farm. So began a lifelong involvement with ponies. She retired in 1991 due to ill health – later found to be cancer. Research for this book took over two years and had proved a great incentive to keep going through illness and subsequent treatment. This research has led her to the conclusion that Shetland ponies are one of the islands’ greatest assets. Shetland is in a unique position of being their home and their natural habitat, an advantage which should have a much higher profile and could be further developed.