Kerry bog pony
Encyclopedia
The Kerry Bog Pony is a very old Mountain and Moorland
breed of pony
originating in Ireland
, and traditionally used for hauling peat from the bogs, as well as for general work on small holdings. The breed has a reputation for gentle temperament and versatility, originally used as a small draft animal
during the week but also to drive
a family to church on Sunday. It is smaller and distinct in appearance from Ireland's more widely known Connemara pony
.
In the 1990s the tireless efforts of a Kerryman named John Mulvihill put the Kerry Bog Pony in the public eye as a breed still in existence and worthy of saving. To obtain evidence in support of preservation, a genetic analysis of these survivors was undertaken by Weatherbys Laboratoryhttp://www.irish-equine-centre.ie/index.php?item_id=59 confirming unique genetic breed markers. Foundation ponies were identified and blood typed to re-establish the breed. In 2003 the first breeding herd was imported into the United States. The Kerry Bog Pony, also known as the "hobby," was saved. Ireland has recognized the breed as its National Heritage Pony. Stud books and registries now exist for the ponies in Ireland and the United States. Through an extensive breeding program, the once small small herd is growing in number annually, with approximately 200 bog ponies today. According to the founder of the American Kerry Bog Pony Society, 52 Kerry Bogs are registered in the United States as of May 2011.
, stallions
and gelding
s up to
Colour: commonly black
, bay, or brown, but may be any whole colour including chestnut
, dun, and grey
. Tobiano
, sabino
and rabicano
colorations are also known to occur in the breed, and are accepted in the American registry.
Coat: long and dense, easily capable of surviving harsh winter conditions without shelter.
Head: average size, rather dished. Eyes small and pointed, nostrils large. Jaw strong and well-formed with excellent dentition.
Body: neck is strong and medium length. Shoulder rounded and muscular. Body compact and strong with deep chest of good girth and well-sprung ribs. Loins powerful, quarters strong and well-formed.
Legs: forelegs strong and muscular with strong forearm. Hindlegs muscular and powerful. Cannons short with flat hard bone of good size. Pasterns short, hooves well formed of hard horn requiring little trimming.
Action: powerful with great strength relative to its size. Combined with its excellent conformation, the pony has straight and level action with good balance. Intelligent and sure-footed, with good judgement in boggy terrain.
Temperament: kind, sensible, confident, and well-mannered, with great courage and endurance. Unsoundness and undesirable traits found in many pony breeds were bred out at a much earlier stage. Can be easily trained to harness or saddle
, and is suitable for work as a children's riding pony..
as well.
Mountain and moorland
Mountain and moorland or M&M ponies form a group of several breeds of ponies and small horses native to the British Isles. Many of these breeds are derived from semi-feral ponies kept on moorland or heathland, and some of them still live in this way, as well as being kept as fully domesticated...
breed of pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
originating in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and traditionally used for hauling peat from the bogs, as well as for general work on small holdings. The breed has a reputation for gentle temperament and versatility, originally used as a small draft animal
Draft horse
A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...
during the week but also to drive
Driving (horse)
Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way...
a family to church on Sunday. It is smaller and distinct in appearance from Ireland's more widely known Connemara pony
Connemara pony
The Connemara pony is a pony breed originating in Ireland. They are known for their athleticism, versatility and good disposition. The breed makes excellent show ponies.-History:...
.
History
The Kerry Bog Pony was commonly used on small farms. Its use was affected by the widespread famine in Ireland in the 19th century, when so many people left the land. The Napoleonic Wars further eroded the ponies' numbers in Ireland, as the British swept through and conscripted them for pack ponies in the army. By the 20th century, the breed had almost vanished, declining to as few as an estimated 40.In the 1990s the tireless efforts of a Kerryman named John Mulvihill put the Kerry Bog Pony in the public eye as a breed still in existence and worthy of saving. To obtain evidence in support of preservation, a genetic analysis of these survivors was undertaken by Weatherbys Laboratoryhttp://www.irish-equine-centre.ie/index.php?item_id=59 confirming unique genetic breed markers. Foundation ponies were identified and blood typed to re-establish the breed. In 2003 the first breeding herd was imported into the United States. The Kerry Bog Pony, also known as the "hobby," was saved. Ireland has recognized the breed as its National Heritage Pony. Stud books and registries now exist for the ponies in Ireland and the United States. Through an extensive breeding program, the once small small herd is growing in number annually, with approximately 200 bog ponies today. According to the founder of the American Kerry Bog Pony Society, 52 Kerry Bogs are registered in the United States as of May 2011.
Breed Characteristics
Size: maresMare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
, stallions
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
and gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
s up to
Colour: commonly black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
, bay, or brown, but may be any whole colour including chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
, dun, and grey
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
. Tobiano
Tobiano
Tobiano is a spotted color pattern commonly seen in Pinto horses, produced by a dominant gene. The tobiano gene produces white-haired, pink-skinned patches on a base coat color. The coloration is present from birth and does not change throughout the horse's lifetime, unless the horse also carries...
, sabino
Sabino horse
Sabino is a group of white spotting patterns in horses that affect the skin and hair. A wide variety of irregular color patterns are accepted as sabino. In the strictest sense, "sabino" refers to the white patterns produced by the Sabino 1 gene, for which there is a DNA test...
and rabicano
Rabicano
Rabicano, also called white ticking, is a horse coat color characterized by limited roaning in a specific pattern: interspersed white hairs most dense and originating from the flank and the tailhead...
colorations are also known to occur in the breed, and are accepted in the American registry.
Coat: long and dense, easily capable of surviving harsh winter conditions without shelter.
Head: average size, rather dished. Eyes small and pointed, nostrils large. Jaw strong and well-formed with excellent dentition.
Body: neck is strong and medium length. Shoulder rounded and muscular. Body compact and strong with deep chest of good girth and well-sprung ribs. Loins powerful, quarters strong and well-formed.
Legs: forelegs strong and muscular with strong forearm. Hindlegs muscular and powerful. Cannons short with flat hard bone of good size. Pasterns short, hooves well formed of hard horn requiring little trimming.
Action: powerful with great strength relative to its size. Combined with its excellent conformation, the pony has straight and level action with good balance. Intelligent and sure-footed, with good judgement in boggy terrain.
Temperament: kind, sensible, confident, and well-mannered, with great courage and endurance. Unsoundness and undesirable traits found in many pony breeds were bred out at a much earlier stage. Can be easily trained to harness or saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
, and is suitable for work as a children's riding pony..
Uses
The ponies are used not only by children, but are shown and driven by adults. They are also used as companion animals. The Kerry Bog Pony's disposition and size makes it suitable for therapy programsHippotherapy
Hippotherapy is a form of physical, occupational and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input. A foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing, which can be generalized to...
as well.