Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 280, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1914 — Home of the Shetland Pony [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Home of the Shetland Pony

THE best and most aristocratic families in London and New York have suddenly revived the old fashion of training their children on Shetland ponies, writes A. Elmslle Crabbe, in the Philadelphia Record. The shipment of these sturdy little animals for America is going up by leaps and bounds, and wherever you go amongst the smart set in England you will now see these handsome little beasts carrying the children of the household. In fact, if you really want .to be in the newest fashion and to give children the time of their lives you must have a string of Shetland ponies in your stables. Experts say Shetlands teach children self-reliance and domination and set off the natural beauties of the girls as they canter through the parks like no other ponies on earth. Shetland ponies, of course, are to some people merely a general name for a small type of pony, but this is a mistake. These small animals are bred with as much care in the Shetland islands as pheasants- are bred and reared in cover* 3 in England and other sporting countries. The Shetland islands themselves are composed of some thirty or forty small islands and three or four larger ones. The largest, called the “Mainland,” is a bleak, hilly island starting at the peninsula with Sumburgh Head as its commencement and ending at Unst, a.whale fishers’ port, the first they totrch on British soil. Opposite Lerwick, the capital of the Islands, lies Bressay, one of the larger islands, and the center of the ponybreeding industry. Here they are reared and eventually exported to the United States and to Scotland, England and other countries as required. A small, pure-bred specimen is somewhat valuable, fetching at the farm S2OO or $250. Larger ones are less costly and only make about $25. Ponies Dislike Strangers. These animals are usually dark brown, shaggy little beasts with long

black manes. Their temper is by some called playful, but vindictive would be more applicable. While walking along one of the roads near Lerwick I had to run to shelter, as one of these charming animals made a dead set at me with ears back and teeth showing. I was informed that that is their usual reception- of a stranger. They are owned by nearly everyone on the mainland, and act as draft horses, being particularly strong. As a rule they are unshod. To get to this interesting series of islands I took a boat from Limehouse dock, London, and in 36 hours arrived in Aberdeen. From thence I went by another steamer for 18 hourfc to Lerwick, the capital of the Shetlands. Before actually arriving at Lerwick, early travelers who wish to enjoy magnificent rock scenery have enough and to spare, for on sighting Sumburgh head, the most southerly point of the mainland, the eyes are literally fascinated by that headland surmounted by a magnificent lighthouse. The steamer follows this peninsula the whole way up—a distance of some thirty miles. Each mile presents new and delightful rock scenes unsurpassed on that southern coast. In Lerwick Harbor. Eventually I arrived in Lerwick harbor, which, by the way, is one of the best natural harbors in the United Kingdom. It is protected at its outlet by the Island Bressay, six miles in length, which is the one already mentioned as the center of the pony industry. This harbor is capable of 'sheltering the entire British fleet, and is used by the admiralty as a base during the maneuvers. Lerwick is a quaint town, nestling as it does round the harbor, with a background of heather-covered hills. The town is some three hundred years old, but contains few of the old horses, although the principal street —Commercial street —is a remnant of the old order of things, inasmuch as it is merely’ an irregularly winding alley,

about thirty feet wide, paved throughout with slabs of stone, there being no distinction between roadway and sidewalk. A store here-and there encroaches on the street, which gives one the impression, when walking along it for the first time, that this must be a blind alley. On coming to the supposed terminus, however, one finds there is a way round and that tile street meanders on. f The peasant population of the islands is extremely interesting. The male portion is mostly devoted to fishing and pony rearing. The female element stays at home, cures the fish, and, when that is done, carries peat, which is the only fuel used, in “creels,” slung on the back. While walking outside the town you see a regular procession of women coming and going, somewhat like ants moving their eggs.' They are all knitting as hard as they ■ can, never looking at" their work. The finished portion of the shawl is wound round their waist, leaving just enough free to work with. These are eventually taken to the stores and exchanged for the necessities of life. Barter is th/ usual mode of business among the poorer class. These people wear an extraordinary kind of shoe which a piece of untanned cowhide, the hairy side being outermost. I believe these rivelins are quite peculiar to the Shetlands. The ponies' are seen roaming about the hillsides quite uncared for, and seemingly wild, although they belong to the peasantry; these ponies, of course, are the larger and less expensive variety. Island Without Trees. There is one distinctive peculiarity of all' these islands and that is, that there are absolutely no trees of any description growing. The inhabitants aver that they would spoil the view. I took a small boat—which plies as often as required—across the harbor to Bressay,. and by the courtesy of the proprietor looked over the pony farm. (There were ponies of all ages and

sizes, the being the size of a large St. Bernard dog, and the foala were reminiscent of chamois. While on Bressay I also walked to the Orkneyman’s cave, which is situated at the extreme end of the island, with the Giant’s leg to guard the entrance —a small yacht can easily sail between rocks. Besides Lerwick, the capital, there is only one other town of any size, that being Schlloway. It Is seven miles from Lerwick across the peninsula and was the harbor town of Tingwall, the old capital of the islands. It boasts a castle which was built in 1640 and inhabitated by Patrick Stewart, then governor of the islands. He was- a particularly brutal and inhuman man, for there still remains a ring on one of the walls, through which a rope was run, to which he hanged a great numbe/of the Inhabitants for very trivial offenses, or none at all sometimes, so the legend goes, other than refusing to pay him unlawful tribute. These executions were of dally occurrence, and-matters came to such a pitch that petitions were sent* to parliament, which caused him to be called to Edinburgh, where an inquiry was held. Ultimately he was hanged. His memory was so odious that the, people destroyed the castle, and now all that remains are the four walls and the keep.

SHETLAND PONIES OF BRESSAY