Pony Breeds from Around the World Quiz

Answer: New Forest pony

This is the indigenous breed of pony found roaming in the New Forest in Hampshire in southern England, the largest contiguous area of uncultivated forest in lowland Britain. Equine species have lived here since before the last Ice Age, with remains have been found dating back to 500,000 BC.
The ponies seen grazing in the New Forest are all owned by the "commoners" (people with rights of common pasture in the National Park). Numbers dwindled to as low as 600 in the middle of the 20th Century, but are now up well into the thousands.

Answer: Newfoundland pony

Standing 11-14 hands high and weighing 400-800 pounds, the Newfoundland pony can be black, brown, bay and even occasionally white. Known for their excellent temperament, they are often family horses kept for riding or driving. At their height in the early 20th century, there were estimated to be around 9,000 Newfoundland ponies in the province. Mechanization and slaughter for meat, though, bought them almost to the point of extinction by the middle of the 20th century.

In 1997 they were designated as the first 'heritage animal' in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador and most of the registered members of the breed still live within the province, although there are small numbers in other areas of Canada. Today, their numbers have recovered to around 350 total animals, 250 of which are of breeding age.

Answer: Dartmoor pony

Usually standing 11-12 hands high, Dartmoor ponies have small heads with wide-set eyes and full-flowing manes and tails. Bay, brown, black, grey, chestnut and roan are all recognized colors.
Equine bones dating back as far as 3,500 BC have been found on Dartmoor and there is evidence that domesticated ponies were living here as long ago as 1,500 BC.
There were more than 25,000 Dartmoor ponies early in the 20th century but less than 20% of that number survive today.

Answer: Pottok

Standing 11-14 hands high and averaging 650-770 pounds, the pottok has a large, square head, a short neck, a long back and short, slim legs. Their coat, which grows as long as four inches, is generally bay but sometimes black or brown with little or no patterning.
Semi-feral pottoks tend to avoid human contact and live in small, territorial herds. They move into the valleys in anticipation of bad weather and return to the higher slopes as the air pressure rises.
Over the centuries, pottoks have been used as circus ponies, in the mines across western Europe, and by smugglers traveling through the mountain regions. Today, they are particularly sought after as children's riding ponies. The breed is considered iconic by the Basque people of the region.

Answer: Shetland pony

The harsh weather conditions in which the breed developed on the Shetland Islands off Scotland's northern coast produced a breed which is hardy and strong despite their diminutive size. Pound for pound, Shetlands are the strongest of all equine breeds: while even the largest draft horses can pull only one and a half times their own weight, Shetlands can pull twice theirs.
Their dense, double-layered winter coats and their shaggy manes are also characteristics. They can be found in just about any color including piebald and skewbald.
Their docile temperament means that Shetlands make ideal ponies for children, although they do also have an obstinate streak that comes out if not well trained.

Answer: Garrano

Sometimes also called a Minho (after the old Portuguese province where it originated), the garrano is related to many other breeds of Iberian equine. Both the Galician pony and the Andalusian are originally descended from garranos.
Noted particularly for their speed, garranos are often used in trotting races today. They are also particularly sure-footed, able to travel over rough and steep terrain comfortably.

Answer: Kerry bog pony

The Kerry bog pony is a mountain and moorland breed of pony that began life as a feral species living in and around the peat bogs of Kerry County in the southwest of Ireland. Known for their hardiness and an ability to survive in harsh weather conditions, the Kerry bog pony has an unusually low height-to-weight ration and has also developed a unique walking style that enables it to move easily across the soft peat bogs. Today, there are more than 300 registered Kerry bog ponies. Teetering on extinction not so long ago, at one point there were only around twenty members of the species remaining.

Answer: Faroe pony

The Faroe pony, or 'F¸royski Hesturin' in the local language, is a breed found only on the Faroe Islands, a Danish-owned archipelago in the northern Atlantic between the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea.
Originally used to carry or haul heavy loads on the islands' farms, Faroe ponies were allowed to roam free across the island's mountainous region when there was no farm work for them. Many were also exported to the UK for use in the mining industry. Today, they are used as a children's riding horse.
It is estimated that the number of Faroe ponies once dwindled into single figures but today there are more than fifty animals remaining on their native islands.

Answer: Hokkaido pony

The Hokkaido pony stands at around 13 hands high and is particularly noted for their relative strength and for their excellent temperament. Left behind on the island of Hokkaidô by herring fishermen from Honshû, these ponies developed their hardy nature from having to survive long, snowy winters on the mountains with little vegetation.
With around 2000 animals surviving today, the Hokkaido pony is the most-plentiful of all the ancient Japanese pony breeds. They annually return from the mountains to the ranches every spring when the bears (who prey on their foals) awaken from hibernation.

Answer: Exmoor pony

The region of Exmoor in Somerset and North Devon in southwest England was designated as a National Park in 1954. The oldest recorded reference to wild ponies on Exmoor dates back to 1086 and the Domesday Book.
Having existed in relative peace for more than 800 years, World War II almost spelled the end of Exmoor ponies. The army used Exmoor as a training ground, and many ponies were eaten whilst others were used for target practice. Today, they are still considered an endangered species, with less than 500 animals remaining in the National Park.