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Contrary to the popular belief that Scotland has three native equines, it actually has four; the Clydesdale, massive, powerful and originating from the central belt, the Highland pony, traditionally used for light draught, farm and hill work, the Shetland pony, tiny, useful and from the islands, and another island breed, the Eriskay pony.

Each breed has its own place in history and each has made its mark on Scotland’s development and continues to be of use in today’s world.

The Clydesdale horse is Scotland’s largest native equine, very distinctive and easily recognisable. With his huge dinner plate like feet and heavy feathering, the Clydesdale is usually bay or brown with white legs and possibly a white blaze to his face. He can though be roan, black or possibly even grey.

The breed derived from mares local to the Clydesdale area, now known as Lanarkshire, being crossed with imported Flemish Great Horses. From the offspring of these first crossings the horses that we know today as Clydesdales evolved. Though not as large as their English cousin, the Shire, the Clydesdale is a strong draught horse and can pull loads that are considered to be of great weight. His calm nature makes him easy to work with and although ousted in the main from Scottish farms after the second World War by the introduction of tractors following the effects of the disease known as grass sickness, which still causes many equine deaths each year, he can been seen working in the show ring and at ploughing matches.

One of the biggest turnouts of Clydesdale horses in Scotland each year is at the Royal Highland show held in June at Ingliston, Edinburgh. There horses are shown as teams of four, pairs and singles. Behind them they draw vehicles as diverse as farm carts and brewery drays. They are cheered in the ring as they perform and compete and are admired in their stables whilst being washed, groomed and prepared to perfection.

In common with other Scottish native breeds of horse and pony, many Clydesdale horses have been exported to other parts of the world. Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand all have active communities of Clydesdales. In these far off countries the Clydesdale horse has made his mark advancing agriculture and influencing breeding in these countries.

By comparison to the Clydesdale, the Highland pony is smaller. He is however Scotland’s largest pony standing up to 14.2hh and is quite capable of carrying an average adult in comfort. The breed has traditionally been used as a light draught horse on the farm, out on the hill for carrying deer carcasses, for trekking and pleasure riding and for shepherding. Even Queen Victoria regularly rode a Highland pony when at Balmoral and today HM The Queen still keeps Highland ponies there.

Thickset and resilient the Highland pony is capable of living out in all weathers and is happy to stand with his back against driving rain or sleet providing he is well fed and can find natural shelter. His generally tractable nature makes the Highland ideal as a family pony, indeed many can be ridden by an adult one day and by a child on a lead-rein the next. The breed also makes a good driving pony; not unusual when you stop to think that they were driven in farm carts to local markets as late as the 1940s.

A number of Highland ponies sport a dorsal stripe down the spine and zebra markings on the legs, only visible on light coloured ponies, some of which are various shades of dun. Many Highland pony foals lighten as they age.

Smallest and possibly cutest of the Scottish breeds is the Shetland. His tiny hooves, full mane and cheeky attitude endear him to adults and children alike; many of our top equestrians started out mounted on one of these active little ponies. There isn’t much that this diminutive pony can’t do and from driving to pack pony he’s been there, done it and got the tee-shirt.

The Shetland is a pretty pony and most colours, except spotted, are to be found in the breed. He stands no more than 42 inches at the wither and has a wonderful coat that sheds the weather and is able to protect him through a Scottish winter. He’s strong, tough and resilient, characteristics that made the breed attractive and desirable to mine owners in the 1800s for pulling tubs and moving coal below ground.

Bred on the Shetland isles the breed evolved to stand island storms and weather conditions. With grazing on the islands scarce and reserved for other livestock, Shetland ponies learned to eke out an existence on rough grazing, machair and the seashore. Crofters on Shetland utilised the immense strength of these ponies for work on the crofts, carrying creels, peat and seaweed. They were also used as riding ponies for adults and harnessed in teams or pairs for ploughing. Today these ponies are used for driving and as children’s riding ponies. They’ve also been used as circus ponies and each year many compete in the Shetland Grand National, a series of racing competitions drawing great crowds to witness the speed at which this breed can actually go.

The final of our Scottish native breeds is the Eriskay. Some doubt that this is in fact a separate breed. With many similarities to the Highland breed, the Eriskay originated on the Western Isles. Due to isolation that protected the breed from cross-breeding with imported stallions as happened on other more accessible islands, the Eriskay is the sole survivor of a range of Western Isles ponies. Such was the number of these ponies at one time that the Highland Pony Society recognised two types of Highland; the mainland and heavier type that we know as a Highland pony today and the lighter type of island pony now known as the Eriskay.

The Eriskay evolved to live with people and not for nothing was the breed known as the ‘back door pony’. His nature meant that he could be handled and used by the women and children of the family, useful when the men were away at sea. In common with the Shetland pony, the Eriskay was able to live off meagre rations and thrive on the worst of forage and was used to work the croft and as a general fetch and carry pony.

Wiry and standing at around 12.2hh, the breed is almost always grey in colour and he is a generally calm and quiet pony. He is also capable of withstanding the bad weather of the islands thanks to his coat and weather resistant mane and tail. The Eriskay makes an ideal ride or drive animal and can be ridden by lightweight adults successfully.

Sadly today three out of the four Scottish native breeds of equines are deemed rare. This ultimately means that the Clydesdale, Highland pony and Eriskay are low in numbers. There’s far more to increasing these breeds numerically than just breeding more of them; it isn’t that simple. Horses and ponies of all types are currently being handed in to rescue and re-homing centres all over the UK. This is due to over-breeding and a downturn in the economic situation that many horse owners find themselves in. Basically there are too many horses and ponies of all kinds out there and too few homes for them, to add more would simply perpetuate the problem.

What we must do is appreciate the Scottish native equines that we have and only breed when we need to, ensuring that these horses and ponies are wanted. Rare breeds can often have limited gene pools, this means that what breeding does take place must be done with care; inbreeding has in some instances and in other breeds of equines, caused life limiting health problems, something that no-one wants.

That all Scottish native breeds of equine have played a part in the history of the country is not in doubt. All of them have been at the backbone of Scottish agriculture in one way or another and some of them were at the for-front of Scottish industry in previous centuries being used in towns and emerging cities where goods needed to be moved. Scotland truly owes these native breeds of equines a debt of gratitude.

All rights reserved. © . Heidi M. Sands. 2016.