I met my first Shetland Pony when I was at Texas A&M University at Commerce. My now ex’s grandmother had a small cattle ranch not too terribly far from school and he and I went out there to spend some time with her. In addition to the small herd of cattle, she had two horses. One was a beautiful female chestnut who technically belonged to my ex. She was not very impressed by me. It seemed to me that she thought of me as a rival. I remember her name as being Suzie.
There was a male Shetland Pony there as well. He was quite friendly towards me. While my ex rode around on Suzie, the Shetland and I hung out together. He was the perfect size for me to ride, as I am small in stature and would sometimes struggle a bit with a full-sized horse. Shortly before high school graduation I had been on one who took off with me before the stirrups could be properly adjusted and I had ended up bouncing off of him. I wasn’t seriously injured, just cuts, sprains and bruises. I spent graduation day with bandages and wraps beneath my graduation gown.
I had a child-sized bicycle and a child-sized guitar, so why not a child-sized horse? This Shetland was very affectionate and seemed ready to go home with me.
On one of my visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland a few years ago, a couple of Shetlands trotted over to me to say “hello” when we stopped up on a mountain to take some photos of the gorgeous scenery from there. They too were very sweet and friendly.
Small ponies have existed on Shetland for more than 2,000 years. They are thought to have been in domestic use since the Bronze Age (between 3500 and 1200 BC). They are very hardy animals who were developed to withstand the harsh climate, rugged terrain, and scarce food. They were first used to haul peat and seaweed and for plowing land. They can easily live for more than 30 years.
Shetland ponies have short, muscular necks, compact bodies, and short, strong legs. They have small heads with wide-set eyes and small, alert ears. Their coats can be any color except spotted, but black and brown are the most common. In the winter, they grow a thick double coat to withstand the cold.
Shetland ponies are known for being friendly, good-natured, and confident. However, they can also be opinionated and headstrong, which can make them challenging for some owners.
Currently Shetland ponies are used for a variety of purposes, including working and recreational riding, dressage, show horses, and driving with small carts.
After having some lunch onboard the ship, we headed out north of Lerwick this time. Some photos of the scenery were included in the post titled “Fascinating Shetland” as I wanted to have just Shetland Pony pictures with this post. The Tingwall Valley, with its Norse heritage, and Girlsta, with its beautiful lochs and hillside scenery, plus Whiteness and Wormdale were some of the areas through which we traveled. We also stopped at Scalloway to take a photo of the castle there.
The Shetland ponies at the location where we stopped to hang out with a few of them didn’t seem to be all that interested in us. It was mid-afternoon and they had been greeting tourists for several hours by that point. So they just went on about their business while we watched them interact with one another and listened to their owners talk about them. I was imagining their conversations with each other about our group. “That one seems nice.” “That one has no fashion sense. Doesn’t she realize that those colors clash?” “Don’t you want to get petted?” “No. I’ve been petted quite enough today. Thanks.” “If one more person tells me what a pretty little horsie I am, I just might barf.”
I took loads of photos, not only for myself, but also to share with one of my sisters-in-law who had owned a delightful horse named George and is still very much a horse lover. I have to agree that they are wonderful animals. Highly intelligent, with clearly individual personalities.
During some free time out in the wilds of North Mainland, I went for a good walk in the area of a golf course. There were some men fly fishing in the river nearby. The afternoon wasn’t near as cold as the morning had been. It wasn’t raining either. So a very pleasant time out in the countryside before heading back to the ship. The following day I would be visiting Norway for the first time since some of my Norse ancestors moved down from a little north of the Bergen area to Orkney in the 10th century.
Next time – Farming on a Norwegian Fjord
