Burscough, Lancashire, UK. UK Weather, 02 June 2021. Sunny start to the day for small Shetland Ponies in the summer meadow. Sunny conditions and clear skies with plenty of warm sunshine expected later. Credit; MediaWorldImages/AlamyLiveNews.
Small ponies have existed in the Shetland Isles for over 2000 years and probably much longer. Various excavations on the islands have revealed the bones of small ponies that existed during the Bronze Age and it is thought that ponies have been in domestic use there since this time. It is believed that the Shetland has its origin in the Cob type of Tundra and the Mountain Pony type from Southern Europe which migrated via the ice fields and land masses, with later introduction of a pony brought to the islands by the Celtic people which had evolved from crossing the same Mountain Pony type with the Oriental horse. Owing to its island existence the pony has evolved with relatively few importations and those that did arrive were by necessity small owing to the difficulties of transportation by sea. Two significant types established themselves within the breed, the heavier boned animal with a longer head and the lighter one with high tail carriage and small pretty head, and these have remained distinct characteristics which has stood the pony in very good stead for its changing roles in the service of mankind.
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Burscough, UK
Photo credit: © ZarkePix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, animals, breed, british, brown, chestnut, colt, country, cute, england, english, equestrian, equine, equus, farm, farming, farmland, farms, field, flower, foal, head, horse, horses, lancashire, mammal, mane, mare, meadow, morning, outdoors, palomino, pasture, pet, ponies, pony, portrait, rest, rural, scottish, shetland, shetty, small, spring, stallion, stock, summer, sunny, uk, young
