"The Earth and Animals can survive without People
But People can't survive without the Earth and Animals."
Emily Chetkowski
But People can't survive without the Earth and Animals."
Emily Chetkowski
Photo credit and copyright - Maud Peters, 2014.
FACTS ABOUT THE NEWFOUNDLAND PONY
The Newfoundland Pony originated in Newfoundland. The result of interbreeding between a variety of ponies brought to Newfoundland over 400 years, and shaped by the effects of Newfoundland's rugged climate and environment, the Newfoundland Pony is a distinct landrace breed, the epitome of survival of the fittest reproduction. It was used for plowing, hauling fishing nets, gathering hay, carrying and hauling wood and also for transportation either ridden or pulling carts. It was and remains an all purpose pony due of it's stamina, strength, intelligence, courage, obedience, willingness and common sense.
Thousands of Newfoundland ponies once roamed Newfoundland. They were fenced out, not in. In the 1960s, the Newfoundland pony was replaced by ATVs, tractors, snowmobiles and other mechanical equipment. Fencing laws were enacted and breeding was discouraged. Many ponies were sold by their owners who thought they were going to new homes but in fact most were sent to horse slaughter and meat processing plants in Quebec. They were taken off the island in tractor trailer loads.
Only about 500 survive today with approximately 250 left of breeding age. Groups such as the Newfoundland Pony Society, the officially designated and only registry for the pony, based in Newfoundland are hard at work taking measures to save the breed.
Shaped by nature, their distinctive traits are designed by and for enduring the elements.
Their temperament is most remarkable and stands out distinctly. Very people friendly, trusting and willing, they are described as having more dog-like personalities than horses. They have a strong sense of herd, of family. They readily accept people into their "family" as well. They generally think before reacting, are very curious and not easily frightened. Stallions tend to be sweet and docile.
Also "inside" is a very diverse base of genetics, carried forward from their ancestors - Exmoor, Dartmoor, Kerry Bog, Eriskay, New Forest, Scottish Galloway (extinct), Dales, Highland, Fell, Connemara, Welsh Mountain.
The Newfoundland Pony is a 4-legged time capsule of antique genetics, having not had their genetics manipulated by people, as the majority of their ancestors did. Most of those breeds are not the same today as they were during the Newfoundland Pony's creation. People changed these ancestral breeds by adding outside blood to their gene pools to make them suit their needs, not nature's needs. Some of those "improvements" also added undesirable traits and health issues to those breeds.
There are 5 classifications of breeds: Landrace, Standard, Modern, Industrial, and Feral. Landraces are created by nature, via survival of the fittest.
The Newfoundland Pony has no known health issues or genetic problems.
As more and more standard, modern and industrial breeds are created, we further dilute and weaken the overall gene pool, we weaken the entire species, making it more vulnerable to extinction. However, it's breeds such as the Newfoundland Pony that can keep the species strong. Sadly, almost all landraces have been turned into modern breeds; the Newfoundland pony is said to be the last remaining landrace pony on this continent that has not had its genes tampered with. This is a pony that is crucial to save and preserve it, as is.
Today, though the big trucks no longer haul them off in droves, the pony faces extinction from other sources, the biggest being misconception, an ignorance to what the breed truly is and why it is important to save.
Ironically, the same traits that Nature created to allow them to survive, have also gotten many of them destroyed. Knowing only man-made breeds, i.e. "purebreds" with their look-based "conformation" rules, people believe the Newfoundland Pony is a "mutt". They say it doesn't have value because it isn't really a breed, it is a "type." Yes, it is a type, a type of BREED, a Landrace breed. This mutt misconception has lead to ponies being sent to slaughter, put down, gelded, not bred, tossed aside as worthless. Their narrow chests, low set tails, close set front legs of this perfect pony, are considered by the unenlightened as "conformation" defects in today's equine world, a world that only knows and is designed for genetically inferior Standard breeds. The Newfoundland Pony does not "Conform" to standard breed conformation because it isn't one, it is something FAR superior. It is the original breed. Standard breeds would do well to conform to landrace "standards" but we cannot undo the genetic damage we have already done. Once genes are lost, they are lost forever.
Most people have never heard of a landrace, nor do many understand how landraces should be managed. Some think saving the Newfoundland Pony means turning it into a standard breed to give it "breed status" therefore giving it monetary value and people will want it. What they don't get is that making it conform to standard breed requirements will be putting a square peg in a round hole, shaving off many of its diverse traits to make it fit, destroying its gene pool, and effectively killing the breed, all for show ring requirements.
Ribbons don't save an animal from extinction, preserving healthy genetics do.
Allowing the grading up of part-bred ponies to full-blooded is also a serious threat to the breed. A part-bred pony is always a part-bred pony. Even a 7/8th pony, which some registries consider full-blooded, is damaging to the breed. Allowing modern breed genetics, many of which carry modern genetic problems, is allowing negative genetics into their pristine gene pool. History has shown what that does; there are breeds today facing extinction for that very reason. Think of it this way...If someone owed you $80, and paid you in seven $10 bills and one $10 Monopoly money bill - is that a full payment? No. A 7/8th pony or 7/8th payment is not full, both the pony and the payment carry a negative component and always will.
Even breeding a full Newfoundland Pony to one of their ancestral breeds still creates a part bred. Their ancestral breeds today are not the same pony as the ones who formed the Newfoundland pony so many years ago; they had their genetics changed. You are once again polluting the gene pool that makes the Newfoundland Pony so unique, with modern genetics carrying modern problems, resulting in the same thing: destruction of the breed.
As it stands, the Newfoundland pony has a diverse genetic base, so diverse that even at low numbers it does not need other blood/breeds to be added to it, in order to increase it's numbers.
The Newfoundland Pony is truly a treasure, rare amongst the rare,
and it is Villi Poni Farm's mission to show that to the world.
Acknowledgements:
*Breed definition from "Managing Breeds for a Secure Future" by Dr Phillip Sponenberg, Donald Bixby.
"A Conservation Breeding Handbook" by D.P. Sponenberg, Carolyn J. Christman.
Special thanks to Equus Survival Trust, Dr. Gus Cothran, and The Livestock Conservancy for the research and support of this breed and rare breeds in general.
The Newfoundland Pony originated in Newfoundland. The result of interbreeding between a variety of ponies brought to Newfoundland over 400 years, and shaped by the effects of Newfoundland's rugged climate and environment, the Newfoundland Pony is a distinct landrace breed, the epitome of survival of the fittest reproduction. It was used for plowing, hauling fishing nets, gathering hay, carrying and hauling wood and also for transportation either ridden or pulling carts. It was and remains an all purpose pony due of it's stamina, strength, intelligence, courage, obedience, willingness and common sense.
Thousands of Newfoundland ponies once roamed Newfoundland. They were fenced out, not in. In the 1960s, the Newfoundland pony was replaced by ATVs, tractors, snowmobiles and other mechanical equipment. Fencing laws were enacted and breeding was discouraged. Many ponies were sold by their owners who thought they were going to new homes but in fact most were sent to horse slaughter and meat processing plants in Quebec. They were taken off the island in tractor trailer loads.
Only about 500 survive today with approximately 250 left of breeding age. Groups such as the Newfoundland Pony Society, the officially designated and only registry for the pony, based in Newfoundland are hard at work taking measures to save the breed.
Shaped by nature, their distinctive traits are designed by and for enduring the elements.
- Weighing between 400 and 800 pounds, and standing 11 hands to 14.2 hands, they have thick manes and very thick coats in the winter.
- Their characteristic low-set tails allow snow to shed more easily.
- Their distinct narrow chests allow for better cooling and warming.
- Close set front legs make them agile and sturdy on the rocky ground and able to navigate tight spaces.
- Their hooves are hard and slow growing.
- They have some feathering on their lower legs.
- Short, furry, thick ears are more frostbite resistant and the hooding over their eyes protects them from rain, ice and snow.
- Commonly brownish in color, other colors such as roan, grey, chestnut, black, bay, and buckskin are found.
- Some ponies are mild to drastic roan color changers, changing colors from season to season.
Their temperament is most remarkable and stands out distinctly. Very people friendly, trusting and willing, they are described as having more dog-like personalities than horses. They have a strong sense of herd, of family. They readily accept people into their "family" as well. They generally think before reacting, are very curious and not easily frightened. Stallions tend to be sweet and docile.
Also "inside" is a very diverse base of genetics, carried forward from their ancestors - Exmoor, Dartmoor, Kerry Bog, Eriskay, New Forest, Scottish Galloway (extinct), Dales, Highland, Fell, Connemara, Welsh Mountain.
The Newfoundland Pony is a 4-legged time capsule of antique genetics, having not had their genetics manipulated by people, as the majority of their ancestors did. Most of those breeds are not the same today as they were during the Newfoundland Pony's creation. People changed these ancestral breeds by adding outside blood to their gene pools to make them suit their needs, not nature's needs. Some of those "improvements" also added undesirable traits and health issues to those breeds.
There are 5 classifications of breeds: Landrace, Standard, Modern, Industrial, and Feral. Landraces are created by nature, via survival of the fittest.
- Landrace Breeds are what the remaining 4 breed classifications are created from, they are the origin, and nature sure knows what he/she is doing. These animals (and plants) are healthy, hardy, adaptable because if they aren't, nature sees to it that they are weeded out. Only the best survive.
- Standard Breeds are what most people consider a "purebred," a type of breed whose attributes are selected out by people to fit LOOK-BASED breed standards that we can measure.
- Modern Breeds are a type of standard breed that are based on certain shared characteristic (such as color for instance) and don't have to share common genes. Industrial breeds are man-made, selected for the speed and amount of produce they provide us.
- Industrial Breeds are genetically inferior. Their purpose is production, not long-term survival because frankly we aren't concerned about their ability to survive on their own; we eat them. Genetically watered down Industrial breeds make up the majority of our livestock breeds today.
- Feral Breeds are man-made breeds who return to the wild, with varying genetics.
The Newfoundland Pony has no known health issues or genetic problems.
As more and more standard, modern and industrial breeds are created, we further dilute and weaken the overall gene pool, we weaken the entire species, making it more vulnerable to extinction. However, it's breeds such as the Newfoundland Pony that can keep the species strong. Sadly, almost all landraces have been turned into modern breeds; the Newfoundland pony is said to be the last remaining landrace pony on this continent that has not had its genes tampered with. This is a pony that is crucial to save and preserve it, as is.
Today, though the big trucks no longer haul them off in droves, the pony faces extinction from other sources, the biggest being misconception, an ignorance to what the breed truly is and why it is important to save.
Ironically, the same traits that Nature created to allow them to survive, have also gotten many of them destroyed. Knowing only man-made breeds, i.e. "purebreds" with their look-based "conformation" rules, people believe the Newfoundland Pony is a "mutt". They say it doesn't have value because it isn't really a breed, it is a "type." Yes, it is a type, a type of BREED, a Landrace breed. This mutt misconception has lead to ponies being sent to slaughter, put down, gelded, not bred, tossed aside as worthless. Their narrow chests, low set tails, close set front legs of this perfect pony, are considered by the unenlightened as "conformation" defects in today's equine world, a world that only knows and is designed for genetically inferior Standard breeds. The Newfoundland Pony does not "Conform" to standard breed conformation because it isn't one, it is something FAR superior. It is the original breed. Standard breeds would do well to conform to landrace "standards" but we cannot undo the genetic damage we have already done. Once genes are lost, they are lost forever.
Most people have never heard of a landrace, nor do many understand how landraces should be managed. Some think saving the Newfoundland Pony means turning it into a standard breed to give it "breed status" therefore giving it monetary value and people will want it. What they don't get is that making it conform to standard breed requirements will be putting a square peg in a round hole, shaving off many of its diverse traits to make it fit, destroying its gene pool, and effectively killing the breed, all for show ring requirements.
Ribbons don't save an animal from extinction, preserving healthy genetics do.
Allowing the grading up of part-bred ponies to full-blooded is also a serious threat to the breed. A part-bred pony is always a part-bred pony. Even a 7/8th pony, which some registries consider full-blooded, is damaging to the breed. Allowing modern breed genetics, many of which carry modern genetic problems, is allowing negative genetics into their pristine gene pool. History has shown what that does; there are breeds today facing extinction for that very reason. Think of it this way...If someone owed you $80, and paid you in seven $10 bills and one $10 Monopoly money bill - is that a full payment? No. A 7/8th pony or 7/8th payment is not full, both the pony and the payment carry a negative component and always will.
Even breeding a full Newfoundland Pony to one of their ancestral breeds still creates a part bred. Their ancestral breeds today are not the same pony as the ones who formed the Newfoundland pony so many years ago; they had their genetics changed. You are once again polluting the gene pool that makes the Newfoundland Pony so unique, with modern genetics carrying modern problems, resulting in the same thing: destruction of the breed.
As it stands, the Newfoundland pony has a diverse genetic base, so diverse that even at low numbers it does not need other blood/breeds to be added to it, in order to increase it's numbers.
The Newfoundland Pony is truly a treasure, rare amongst the rare,
and it is Villi Poni Farm's mission to show that to the world.
Acknowledgements:
*Breed definition from "Managing Breeds for a Secure Future" by Dr Phillip Sponenberg, Donald Bixby.
"A Conservation Breeding Handbook" by D.P. Sponenberg, Carolyn J. Christman.
Special thanks to Equus Survival Trust, Dr. Gus Cothran, and The Livestock Conservancy for the research and support of this breed and rare breeds in general.