Australian Pony
Welsh pony | |
The Australian Pony is a
Arabian
bloodlines.
Characteristics
The Australian Pony stands between 11 and 14
Welsh Mountain Pony
influence. The head is distinctly 'pony', full of show quality, with alert ears and large, dark eyes. The neck is relatively short but well-set and nicely rounded, the shoulders slope well back and the hindquarters are well rounded and proportioned. The tail should be well set on and gaily carried. The chest is deep, and the barrel is round. The legs are short and strong, with flat, dense bone.
The overall impression is a very attractive pony showing quality. Most representatives of the breed are
grey, although they may be any color.[1]
History
Since the continent had no native
Connemara Pony, Exmoor Pony, and from small Thoroughbreds
.
Stallions of influence included:
- Sir Thomas and Dennington Court: Two stallionsimported in the mid-19th century
- Bonnie Charlie (imp): Hungarian stallion thought to have been brought to Australia with a circus in the mid-19th century.[3]
- Dyoll Greylight: Welsh Mountain Ponywhich arrived in 1911, considered a founding sire.
- Little Jim (imp): a brown Hackneybloodlines was imported in 1909.
By 1920, a distinct type of pony had emerged in Australia, and in 1931, the first Australian pony stud book, the Australian Pony Stud Book Society, was formed. The Australian Pony section of the stud book incorporated all of the
Mountain and moorland pony breeds that had been imported from the turn of the 20th century as well as the pony breeds which had been developed in Australia.[3]
Some Arabian influence was introduced in the 1940s, when for a short time, breeders could use an Arabian stallion over APSB mares. In the mid-1960s the APSB opened sections for
Welsh Mountain
and Connemara ponies and catered for some other European breeds later.
Uses
Today, the pony is mainly used as a children's mount and for smaller adult riders. They compete in
gymkhana, mounted games, and horse shows
.
References
- ^ Breed Standards Archived April 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Australian Pony Stud Book Society.
- ISBN 0-646-44865-X
- ^ a b Hoofs & Horns, July 1994
- Howlett, Lorna and Phlip Mathews. Ponies in Australia, Milsons Point: 1979
See also
- Australian Riding Pony
- Pony
- Welsh pony
- Riding Pony