Highland Pony

Horses have been in Scotland since at least the 8th century BCE, though nobody knows whether those were wild or brought in. Pict horses of the 5th to 8th centuries CE may have fed into the breed, and French and Spanish stock including the Percheron arrived in the 1500s. There is no proper record of the pony until the 1800s, when Scottish ponies were also being crossed with Fells and Dales. The registry opened in the 1830s.

The society's pedigree records run back to the 1880s, and the modern stud book is kept by the Highland Pony Society.

They stand 13 to 14.2 hands and weigh 1,100 to 1,320 pounds, which makes them one of the largest of the British native breeds: compact, strong, short in the cannon bone, with a deep chest and hard round feet.

The winter coat is badger-like over a dense undercoat and sheds smooth in spring. Duns of several shades dominate, usually with a dorsal stripe and sometimes zebra markings on the legs; gray, brown, black, bay and liver chestnut with a silver mane and tail all occur. White markings beyond a small star are discouraged, and a stallion with extensive white cannot be licensed.

One thing that sets the breed apart is what breeders have not done. There is no approved or selected stallion scheme, so the breed keeps a wide range of acceptable types and more genetic diversity than most.

Quiet and friendly, with a kindly nature and an even temper: the descriptions agree.

The caveat is consistent too: they can be stubborn, so start the training early.

The historic jobs were plowing, hauling timber and carrying deer off the hill. The current ones are driving, trekking and general riding.

Queen Elizabeth kept a large working stud of them at Balmoral.

Not much. They are easy keepers, economical, and rarely need shoeing.

The bill for that thriftiness is weight: they are prone to obesity, so restrict the grazing rather than improving it.

In North America the breed is critical on The Livestock Conservancy's Conservation Priority List, with only a few US breeders. Worldwide there are about 5,500, most of them in Europe, and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust carries the breed on its watchlist as at risk.

The Conservancy's ask is direct: the breed needs more stewards here.

The Highland Pony Society in Scotland keeps the stud book, and the Highland Pony Enthusiasts Club of America is the US contact. Check the registration, and if you are buying a stallion prospect, remember the white-markings licensing rule.

Plan the grazing before the pony arrives: an easy keeper gains weight fast on good pasture.

And be sure of your species when you search. Highland cattle are a different animal entirely.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.