Faroe Pony

The Faroe Pony is a breed of pony derived from the Faroe Islands. It is one of the world’s oldest horse breeds, and it is often compared to Icelandic horse that has a similar appearance and a similar story with the same descendants. The Faroe Islands are such a cold and barren landscape to have such a hardy and healthy pony.

History

These semi-wild ponies in the Faroe Islands have the same descendants as horses in Iceland and the Shetland pony in the Shetland Islands off Scotland. These descendants were probably small ponies which were from Asia, brought by the nomadic peoples around the year 200 CE, who also settled throughout Europe. These little ponies had probably originated in the Mongolian wild when the Przewalski horse was crossed with other primitive horses along the way, for example, the extinct primitive Tarpan in Europe.

These ponies were likely brought to the Faroe Islands by the Celts and Scandinavians who settled on the islands and also in Iceland. In connection with the settlement of the islands the ponies began to be used on the farms that were raised. The landscape is largely entirely free from trees and large bushes, making the earth easy to cultivate for the small ponies. Growing up in the cold, windy climate, the horses persisted, as they were sound and durable.

During the early 1900s many Faroe ponies were exported to Britain for use in coal mines, as were many of the ponies bred in Shetland and other small breeds. By the 1960s, the population had reduced so drastically that there were only 5 or 6 specimens of the breed left. The situation was so acute that the authorities arranged an export ban on the ponies, and the islanders engaged to help raise the breed again. In 1988, the strain had grown slightly, to 27 copies.

The Faroe pony has often appeared on the island’s stamps as a tribute to the unique breed and its historical heritage. It is one of the most purebred horse breeds in the world and been accepted as one of its kind. Today there are about 50 specimens of the breed; it is still in acute danger of extinction. These ponies are divided into different areas and careful track is kept of how many horses are assigned to the different areas.

Most of the ponies, about 24 out of the 50 horses, are used for breeding while the rest have been placed as semi-wild ponies in the mountains or used as a riding pony for children at local riding schools. The Faroe pony is the pride of the Faroese and can not be found anywhere else because of the export ban in force today.

Attributes

The Faroe pony is robust and very resilient, and copes well in the arid climate in the Faroe Islands. It is a small and sturdy pony, which despite its size is very strong. It is nice and usually very docile and easy to handle. The cold climate has tempered pony; it has a thick coat to protect against wind and rain, in winter it may have a very long winter coat.

In appearance the Faroe pony resembles the Icelandic horse. It has a sharp exterior and a small head with very primitive features.