I originally wrote this article about George Washington’s horsemanship in 2013 for my publication The Partnered Pony Inquirer. I decided to share it again here because of recent developments in the life of Willowtrail Rory, my 2022 bay Fell Pony gelding. Rory has now gone to his new home, and he has as his best equine friend an American Mammoth Jack that is the same age named Noah. George Washington, before he became the first president of the United States, was involved in the development of the American Mammoth Jackstock breed. His interest was in creating an American donkey breed that could be used to produce strong working mules.

Six month old friends Noah (American Mammoth Jackstock) and Willowtrail Rory (Fell Pony). Courtesy Abby Joseph

I have visited Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate in Virginia, on a couple of occasions, and I have always enjoyed my time there. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when I learned that Mount Vernon is a member of The Livestock Conservancy and keeps heritage breeds of livestock.

Mount Vernon courtesy Tom Simpson

Young mules at Mount Vernon in 2004. Courtesy Tom Simpson

According to the Mount Vernon website, “Few mules existed in the early United States. Those that were available were of poor breeding as a result of the inferior quality and scarcity of jacks as well as jennets in the country. Washington believed that robustly bred mules would revolutionize agricultural work and transportation by improving the overall labor efficiency involved with these tasks, given its superior aptitudes and smaller food consumption than other beasts of burden.” (1)

* * * *

The connection between George Washington and horsemanship crossed my desk twice in rapid succession, and I’ve learned to pay attention to those sorts of synchronicities. I am indeed referring to the first President of the United States and a Revolutionary War hero. The first time the connection crossed my desk was when I was writing an article on the Montana Draft Teamsters Hall of Fame for Rural Heritage magazine (click here if you’d like to read that article). One of the teamsters I featured in the article was Tom Triplett who comes from a long line of remarkable horsemen. Back in Tom’s line was an ancestor who was a neighbor of George Washington who trained driving horses for him. (Washington apparently trained all his own riding horses.)

The first time I visited Mount Vernon, I remember seeing a mule in the stables at that time. George Washington is credited with introducing mules to American agriculture. Here is what the Mount Vernon website has to say about Washington’s horsemanship:

Thomas Jefferson once referred to George Washington as "the best horseman of his age, and the most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback." This assertion was supported by Washington's friend, the Marquis de Chastellux, a French national who came to know Washington during the Revolution. Chastellux observed that Washington "is a very excellent and bold horseman, leaping the highest fences, and going extremely quick, without standing upon his stirrups, bearing on the bridle, or letting his horse run wild."(2)

There is a further discussion on the Mount Vernon website about Nelson, the horse Washington rode during part of the Revolutionary War. Washington apparently preferred Nelson to his other horses because Nelson wasn’t as bothered by cannon fire. Washington named Nelson for the friend who gave the horse to him. Nelson was retired to Mount Vernon after the war, and the website states:

Washington's affection for the horse was reciprocated. It was reported that George Washington would walk around the grounds of the estate, where he would stop at Nelson's paddock, "when the old war-horse would run, neighing, to the fence, proud to be caressed by the great master's hands." (3)

The second connection between George Washington and horsemanship came when I learned that Linda Kohanov, author of The Tao of Equus, is working on a new book. In the course of her research Kohanov discovered, as I’ve described above, that George Washington was an accomplished and respected horseman. Her book apparently asserts that great leaders in history were also often great horsemen and women (her list includes Alexander the Great, the Buddha, Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth II, and Ronald Reagan.) She then makes a convincing case that great horsemanship requires the same skills that great leadership does.

These references to George Washington and horsemanship inspired me to go looking on the internet for images of Washington on horseback. What I found really caught my attention. I’ll tell you why after you’ve had the opportunity to view the images I found. Here are links:

Washington 1, click here

Washington 2, click here

Washington 3, click here

Washington 4, click here

Washington 5, click here

Washington 6, click here (somewhat of an exception)

Did anything strike you about those first five paintings of General Washington? I think I expected to see images more like this one (click here), where the horses were tense and perhaps even terrified. In those first five paintings, though, what I saw was that every horse looked relatively relaxed and comfortable with its rider and its situation. The sixth portrait was somewhat of an exception; the horse wasn’t relaxed but still didn’t look uncomfortable. Of course, in most cases we’re dealing with artists depicting Washington on horseback after Washington’s death when they would likely have been acquainted with his reputation as a horseman. In addition, the artists would have been well-acquainted with horses themselves, so they knew how to portray them as relaxed and comfortable with their rider if they wanted to..

When I was originally researching this article, I came across a brief review of the book Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer on ranchers.net. The link is broken now, but I kept a copy of the review because it was focused on Washington’s horsemanship. According to the reviewer, the book “…describes what a great horseman General Washington was, the fact that he'd been born quite sickly and to strengthen himself he walked 3 miles a day and rode horses incessantly. He was quite impressive on horseback and sat ‘quiet’ with his muscular legs extended on long leathers and toes pointed down. One observer said he and his horse moved fluently and he was the most graceful a man could be on horseback.”

The reviewer then included this excerpt from the book about a stormy icy night when Washington had his troops cross the Delaware River to attack the Hessians. “They then had to struggle with artillery down steep iced slopes. Washington rode up and down the column urging his men forward. Suddenly the general's horse slipped and started to fall on a steep and icy slope. ‘While passing a slanting slippery bank,’ Lieutenant Bostwick remembered, ‘his excellency's horse's hind feet both slipped from under him.’ The animal began to go down. Elisha Bostwick watched in fascination as Washington locked his fingers in the animal's mane and hauled up its heavy head by brute force. He shifted its balance backward just enough to allow the horse to regain its footing on the treacherous road. Bostwick wrote that the general ‘seized his horse’s mane and the horse recovered.’ It was an extraordinary feat of strength, skill and timing and another reason why his soldiers stood in awe of this man.”

Doing further research I discovered that the mounts of many military leaders look comfortable with their rider. Here’s a link to a site showing many of the mounted military horse statues in Washington, D.C. (click here ). Notably, the statue of Washington shows a horse much less relaxed than all the horses in the paintings. To see a statue of Washington more in line with the paintings, click here:

You might also be interested in these images of Queen Elizabeth I whom Kohanov additionally cites as an accomplish horsewoman and leader:

Queen Elizabeth I : click here and here and here.

Why might all of this be of interest to those of us partnering with ponies? I have come to believe that the ability to read a pony’s body language is key to being a good partner for them. Some of our ponies are so mellow that we think they can handle anything, and then we’re surprised when they spook or bite or rear or run off. I learned early in my natural horsemanship studies that horses usually give us several signs about how they’re feeling. We tend to notice the third or fourth or fifth sign, because those signs are increasingly obvious. Learning to perceive the earlier, more subtle signs makes us a better partner and a better horseman or woman. The flick of an ear, the swish of a tail, tenseness in jaw or neck, eyes distant or fixed on something – these are all examples of communication that we need to learn to read to be the best partner for our ponies that we can be. Looking at artists’ renderings of accomplished horsemen and women and focusing on the equine in the art is one way we can practice discerning the state of mind of an equine from its body language.

1. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/royal-gift-donkey/

2. http://www.mountvernon.org/educational-resources/encyclopedia/nelson

3. Same as #1

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

There are more stories like this one in my book The Partnered Pony: What’s Possible, Practical, and Possible with Small Equines, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

I don’t often get the opportunity to reunite with a pony that I have sold to a new home.  When I knew an opportunity was coming up, then, I worked hard to enter the situation with no expectations.  After all, it had been more than three years since the pony had seen me, and he’d lived in two different states during that time.  Nonetheless, I was extremely curious to see if my work partner of nineteen years, the Norwegian Fjord Horse gelding Torrin, would show any signs of recognizing me.

The opportunity presented itself thanks to the generosity of my friend Paula, Torrin’s owner, and my young pink cowboy princess friend Jackson.  Jackson is a huge fan of the movie Frozen, and in that animated movie there are Fjord Horses.  Jackson had been expressing interest in having her own pony, and I had the idea that Jackson might enjoy riding Torrin as a placeholder until she’s at a point in her life where a pony of her own might be possible.  Torrin and Paula had recently relocated to the same town where Jackson lives making it possible for Jackson to meet Torrin.

I forgot to bring Jackson’s helmet to the event, but all our other safety precautions, including knowing Torrin well, were enough to provide a great experience for all concerned.

While we kept the pony ride a secret from Jackson, nonetheless the rest of the ‘team’ did lots of preparation.  I made arrangements to meet Jackson and her mom when I was in their town, and Paula reminded me to bring Jackson’s saddle, which ended up fitting Torrin well.  Pink even looks good on a grey dun!  Paula went above and beyond the call by watching the movie in advance of our visit so she could provide helpful context, which was good because it had been a few years since I’d watched it.  Jackson’s mom made sure that Jackson had the suitable clothes to wear after school, including cowboy boots with pink highlights.

The late afternoon of the ride was a comfortable temperature, and my only regret is that I’d forgotten Jackson’s helmet.  Torrin had done kid rides several times during his life with me, so I wasn’t too worried about safety, keeping in mind of course that anything can happen with equines.  We proceeded with introducing Jackson to Torrin and putting her saddle on him.  I lifted Jackson into the saddle and gave her instructions she’d heard from me before when riding my ponies at the ranch:  if you get uncomfortable for any reason, say stop, and we will.  We proceeded making small circles around the paddock, with me walking alongside Jackson.  Torrin was his normal obedient and cooperative self, and Paula and I both verbally praised him.

When we had arrived, I had walked over to the paddock fence and verbally greeted Torrin, and then when we were saddling him, I had let him sniff my hand.  He didn’t indicate any sign of recognizing me.  I accepted that and expressed appreciation for him giving Jackson an opportunity to ride a Frozen horse.  About the third time around the paddock with Jackson aboard, we stopped to make sure all were happy.  I praised Torrin again for being a good boy. At those words, he suddenly turned his head, nickered, and then thoroughly sniffed my proffered hand with focus and intention.  His body language had changed, and it was immediately clear he knew exactly who I was.  It was a magical moment of connection and happiness that brought both Paula and me to tears.

Somehow my hair looks frosted here where I’m talking with my old friend, perhaps in honor of the event!

After a few more circles and some fun with Jackson mounting and dismounting on Paula’s oversized mounting block, we called the event a success and prepared to depart.  I took a few moments to again connect with Mr. T and express appreciation for the time together that day and what we’d shared in the past.  I now have one experience reuniting with an old equine friend, and the magic of it I will remember for a long time.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

There are lots of stories about Torrin and me working together in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Deadwood stagecoach. Courtesy Library of Congress.

My neighbor thought I was nuts when I offered to drive half way across the state of South Dakota to pick up a piece of equipment for him. After all, we had just made that four-hour drive a few days before when taking cattle to a sale. But I had discovered that about half the drive followed an historic stagecoach route, and I had a project there I wanted to do.

My neighbor has been making that drive for many years. It wasn’t until I was with him a few months ago, though, that he learned about the stage route connection. On that day, I noticed a white sign along the road that identified the stage route. And then I noticed another sign. And then another. My curiosity was piqued! I had already been studying a stage route near where we live: the Cheyenne to Deadwood Trail. This newly discovered (for us) trail was from Fort Pierre to Deadwood - Deadwood being a gold mining town beginning in the late 1800s. Fort Pierre, on the Missouri River, was the closest that boats could get to that gold mining district in the Black Hills. From Fort Pierre, stagecoaches took passengers and ox trains took cargo to Deadwood.

When we passed the first sign on that discovery trip, my neighbor asked how far it might be to the next sign. I guessed 8-12 miles since that’s the typical distance between stage stops, which was determined by the stamina of the horses pulling the stagecoach and the terrain over which they were traveling. But the distance this time was just 2 miles, which is unusual for markers of historic trails.

It turns out that the Fort Pierre to Deadwood trail was very fortunate to have some dedicated fans. In the 1970s, local ranchers Roy and Edith Norman took an interest in ensuring the trail’s history would be remembered. Roy had learned of the trail and its many significant features when riding horseback as a young man. So he and Edith created signs and placed them along the highway with the permission of the landowners. On the signs, they included GPS coordinates that they had surveyed, marking the exact location of the features described on the signs. Volunteers since then have maintained the signs. The signs all face east, for westbound traffic, reflecting the historic flow of people, animals, and goods.

On my equipment hauling day, my project was to photograph all the signs west of Fort Pierre along my route. As it turned out, I only managed to stop and photograph a third of the signs before I ran out of time; you can see them below. Since ranch errands often take us that way, I look forward to finishing the project in the future. A few of the signs that I did take pictures of indicate where the Black and Yellow Trail and the Deadwood Trail cross. The Black and Yellow Trail was a promotional trail inspired by the emerging popularity of the automobile in the early 20th century. The Black and Yellow Trail connected Chicago with the Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park .

I suspect I have my neighbor thinking differently about features along the route. On that first discovery trip, he asked about a town ahead, wondering if it was founded to support the railroad that paralleled the highway. I smiled and explained that, in my research of various historic trails, what are today highways often follow rail corridors, which often followed stagecoach trails, which sometimes followed Pony Express mail routes, both of which often followed native trails. So the town in question may well have pre-dated the railroad because it was a station on the stagecoach or Pony Express route.

Post offices are indicated by some signs, reflecting that an important early use of the trail was for mail delivery. In addition to the signs along the route marking the Deadwood and Black and Yellow Trails are other privately erected interpretive signs about Native American history. A rich route indeed!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Ponies grazing near blowdown due to microburst six months before.

I came outside to do my last-of-the-day check on the ponies before dark. On the hillside to the southeast I noticed black spots up high, so after feeding my stallion, I headed towards the black spots thinking they were my mare herd. I got about two-thirds of the way to them, and it seemed strange that the black spots would be my ponies because they were in the prevailing wind. Usually the ponies seek areas that are sheltered from the wind. Then I realized that what I was seeing was cattle.

I climbed around a knoll, and sure enough, two ravines over on the top of a level spot out of the wind, I saw my ponies. By the time I got through those two ravines, only two ponies were close enough to me to say hello to. I couldn’t venture to the others up higher because impending darkness meant I needed to start heading down. As I called good night to the rest of the herd and headed down the hill instead of towards them, I heard a young pony cry out to me. It was Lettie, the two-month-old daughter of my heart pony, wondering why I wasn’t coming to say hello.

My pony herd has created or enhanced paths across the landscape: the obvious one on left and another on the right under red arrow

As I turned downhill, I realized that the approaching darkness was going to make my descent interesting. I was still favoring a sprained ankle, so I needed a route down as free of obstructions as possible. I also needed a route where I could see the ground in the failing light, since the grasses and shrubs easily obscured rocks and holes that my ankle would be quite unhappy encountering. Around me were numerous downed trees, the result of a microburst or mini-tornado in the spring, making the choice of route even more complicated than usual.

My ponies have now been on this pasture long enough that they have established paths across the landscape, in many cases using paths created by other, sometimes previous, four-legged inhabitants. I have learned by following them that the ponies typically choose routes that are relatively free of obstructions so can be trusted from that regard, and while they may not appear to go where I need to, they likely lead to another path that will indeed go where I want to go. So I looked about me in the failing light and was relieved to see that the ponies had not only made paths in the area but had rerouted them since the blowdown. A pony path was just what I needed when I couldn’t see very well.

Trees down over fence due to microburst

As I pondered which of the paths to use around the downed trees, I remembered a story in the histories I’ve been reading about this area. The story said that while Native Americans loved the Black Hills and considered them sacred, they also were afraid of them because they felt the Great Spirit grew angry often and caused wild wind storms. Having witnessed myself that microburst a few months before, I could totally relate to that mixed feeling of awe and fear. The cattle that had led me astray in my search for ponies were in the pony pasture because the microburst took out much of the fence on that end. The ponies have not ventured out, but the cattle have ventured in!

I am very aware that my presence in the Black Hills here in South Dakota has been made possible by a broken treaty in the 1800s. The US government had agreed with the local tribes that they could have the Black Hills, and the government would keep Americans out. But then gold was found in the Hills, and the US government reversed course and allowed miners and prospectors and supporting businesses to enter the Black Hills. I don’t like it when agreements I make with other people are broken, so I completely understand that the tribes felt violated and may still. Knowing that my presence here is due to a broken treaty makes every day here a gift.

It is easy to assume that things were the same in the past as they are in the present, but that’s usually not the case, just like the pony trails have changed over time to adapt to changing circumstances, and Euro-Americans now occupy land once occupied by native tribes. I read a story recently about two native American tribes that pushed a third tribe out of a region that they all occupied in the 1800s. Where the tribes were prior to being forced onto reservations isn’t necessarily where they were just a few decades before that.

Petroglyphs that researchers have chalked in to improve visibility.

Near where I live are petroglyphs, historic rock art created by ancient Americans. I have been told repeatedly that the art was done not by today’s native Americans but by people who lived here before them. The art has been dated to 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. Who lives in these Black Hills has obviously changed over time for a very long time indeed.

Maiden Castle (the pile of rocks on the mid horizon) on Burnmoor in the Lake District, Cumbria

It’s thanks to my ponies that I have an enhanced appreciation for how things change over time. It was on an historic packhorse track in the Lake District that I first appreciated that that area was settled by successive waves of humanity. On that trip it was the ruins known as Maiden Castle that I visited alongside two Fell Ponies that underscored for me that how a landscape is utilized today isn’t how it was utilized previously and that the people using it now aren’t the ones that used it before. The Lake District saw settlement by Romans and Vikings long before our time. There is evidence of Bronze Age and medieval settlement preceding more modern uses. Maiden Castle is considered Bronze Age by some and may also have been used as a communication beacon in the day. (1) For me, though, its importance is as a marker of changing circumstances, including how people steward land, what tools they bring to bear in that work, and how nothing ultimately stays the same. I am watching now with great interest as the Lake District’s humans struggle to figure out the way that stewardship of that landscape will look in the near-term future. Fell Pony stewards hope our ponies have a continuing opportunity to use the landscape as they have for centuries, while others want the use of the landscape to be different in the future. This struggle is at the same time current and ancient.

Here in the Black Hills, I’m aware of how this area has been used by successive waves of humanity, too. Of course I don’t know all the stories of humans in this place, but I know enough that each of us is here but transitorily. The Oglala Sioux tribe, former users of this landscape, now occupy a reservation to the southeast of these Hills, but it turns out they do own land here. I was fortunate to overlook a piece of their property, as American society currently defines it, on a summer venture into a nearby canyon. Perhaps the tribe will one day again make use of the Hills as they once did, but it’s also possible and maybe even more likely that it will be another wave of humanity that comes here to leave their own paths on the landscape that my ponies and I currently tread.

1) Fair, Mary C. “Some Notes on the Eskdale Twentyfour Book.” Read at Carlisle, April 7th, 1921. CWAAS Volume 22, #7.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

I am intrigued by how my Fell Ponies use the landscape where they live. Four are visible just above the lower trees.

The Fell Pony is in part a landscape-adapted breed. (1) As a Fell Pony steward, then, it’s not surprising that I am intrigued by how Fell Ponies use the landscape where they live. My best mornings are when I wake up and look out the window and see my herd of mares high on the hill that is their pasture, similar to how their ancestors have lived in England on the fells for centuries. The picture here shows one such view.

I am also intrigued by how people use landscapes. That’s why I’m currently writing a series of articles for Rural Heritage magazine on regenerative agriculture. And being so intrigued explains why I am enthralled with the workings of the cattle ranch where I live here in South Dakota.

So I suppose it’s no surprise that I’m especially intrigued by how humans and equines work on landscapes together. Orchard Hill Farm in Ontario, Canada features in several of my regenerative agriculture articles in part because they use their Suffolk Punch draft horses in their market garden. That Suffolks are a rare breed made the stories there even more of interest. (Click here to see pictures on Orchard Hill’s website.) Closer to home, I hope to get my ponies more involved on the cattle ranch where we live. The picture shows when Willowtrail Wild Rose and I encountered a hay trailer recently unloaded while out on a ride.

I am also intrigued by how people interact with landscapes, including on the cattle ranch where we live. A load of hay was recently unloaded from this semi.

I have been blessed to be writing articles for Rural Heritage for many years about draft horse use on farms and to compile an entire book about harness. And I have a series underway in my Fell Pony newsletter about how the ancestors of Fell Ponies participated in the industrial and agricultural past of the region they call home in England. (Click here to read some of the articles.)

A completely different interaction of humans and equines on landscapes was during the stagecoach era. Over the years, I have read about stage coach routes and practices and companies on this continent, in Britain and in Australia. You can imagine then my elation when I learned that an important stagecoach route went within just a few miles of where I now live. This area and places I regularly see when we travel nearby are rich with stage coach history. I made this discovery while researching my articles on regenerative agriculture!

Looking north towards Minnekahta along the Mickelson Trail , a Rails-to-Trails conversion in South Dakota. There is evidence nearby that this railroad followed an old native trail.

When we go to Custer, South Dakota, we go north from the Minnekahta Valley on Highway 89. Highway 89 follows roughly the route of the Mickelson Trail which is an old railroad bed converted to a trail under the Rails to Trails Act. When I heard that a stage route went nearby and north to Custer and on to Deadwood, I wasn’t surprised because over the years I’ve learned that often highways follow rail lines which follow old stage routes and pioneer wagon trails which often follow old native pathways. A picture shows Rose and I looking up the Mickelson Trail, and there is evidence of a native trail nearby. Pony Express routes often paralleled old stage routes, too. We found the marker shown in a photo along the North Platte River when investigating pioneer wagon train routes.

Pony Express routes often paralleled stage routes and pioneer trails. This marker is near a part of the Oregon Trail in Wyoming.

In the course of my education about this area, I had been told about the Metz massacre nearby. But it wasn’t until a Red Canyon resident told his version of the story to me that I realized just how close it was to where I live. So when I had company coming and we were headed to Red Canyon for reasons of regenerative agriculture, I decided to get informed to be a better tour guide. That’s when I learned that the context of the Metz massacre in Red Canyon involved stagecoaches and so much more. For about a year beginning in 1876, the Cheyenne to Black Hills Stage ran through Red Canyon on its way to Custer and Deadwood. The reason was gold fever. The Red Canyon route was eventually abandoned by the stage company, but the route was still used by hopeful migrants. Click here to see a picture of the location of the Metz Massacre taken in 1876, about six months after the tragic event. Rarely do we have photos from this period!

The topography in the area of Red Canyon, with the steep-sided and narrow canyon itself in the mid ground.

The stage company abandoned the route in part because of a shorter route to the west, but also because of Red Canyon’s topography. One passenger described its hair-raising character: “Red Canyon was like a cake cut in two and the pieces shoved back a little. You couldn’t see the sky unless you put your head out of the coach.” (2) A picture here shows the topography of the area with the narrow slot of Red Canyon in the midground. Anyone intent on harming through-traffic had ample places to hide and advantageous positions up on the canyon walls from which to shoot or even just throw rocks to spook stock.

It was the massacre of the Metz family that eventually helped bring military attention to the area. Those responsible for the murders were never found. Some blamed it on Native Americans who certainly had ample reason to be hostile. More on that in the next story. Others say that it was likely the road agents who were active along the route. Just as Border Reivers wreaked havoc in the Fell Pony homeland in their day, road agents did similarly in their day, close to where my ponies now live.

I am grateful to my ponies for teaching me to look at landscapes with new eyes, appreciating how humans and equines have worked together in the past and can still.

1. The Fell Pony also has a breed description that breeders use in selection of breeding stock, so the breed is also in part a standardized one.

2. Spring, Agnes Wright. The Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage and Express Routes, p. 138. 2016 abridged and edited edition of the 1949 original.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

With my long interest in working ponies, and being steeped as I am in British native pony breeds and especially the Fell, I am always pleased and surprised when I learn of a new breed of working pony. It can be so easy to assume that Great Britain and to a lesser extent Europe have been the sole enthusiasts of small equines for work. So I was thrilled to learn of the Hequ (previously known as the Nanfan), a breed from the 7th century in China.

Hequ horse by gill_penney courtesy Creative Commons 2 license (2)

Not unlike the Welsh Pony with its four sections, there are three types of Hequ: the Jiaoke (or Jiaode), the Suoke and Kesheng. The types vary in characteristics based on where they are from. They range in height from 12.3 to 14.3 and are typically used ridden, including local racing, or for light draft work. They are uniquely adapted for life at high altitude. Hequ are sure-footed and show good endurance and recovery from exertion. While they are referred to as horses, they have many characteristics of the pony phenotype, such as a wide forehead, a broad and deep chest, a well coupled loin, legs of medium length, and a well-sloped shoulder.

This breed came to my attention because of arising health issues. (1) The issues were reported after changes in grazing management. The issues ended up being due to a lack of selenium in areas where the horses were grazing and were resolved with selenium supplementation.

Because I’ve been dealing with (minor) health issues related to grazing management in my Fell Pony herd, I couldn’t help but notice a parallel between the Hequ and my ponies. For my herd it was copper, not selenium, that needed to be supplemented to resolve the fading of their coats. It can be so easy to forget how important minerals are to good health and how changes in grazing practices require us to pay attention to changes in the nutrient content of the forage that is the foundation of their health.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

1. “Modern Problem for an Ancient Breed,” Equus #502, Autumn 2020, p. 17.

2. Photo by gill_penney and used via Creative Commons 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I heard on the news that most of North America is experiencing its longest streak of cold weather on record. I have certainly felt that this run of high temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit (-15 C) is the longest I’ve encountered. I’m glad to know my memory is still serving me well!

When the weather is like this, I adjust my pony care routine. I check them earlier in the morning, and I spread extra hay then. The mares also adjust their routine. They have been meeting me at the barn at sundown rather than being out on the hill where I walk to find them. They are right to assume that their looks through their foggy breath will convince me to throw them some hay when normally I expect them to get what they need off the hill.

Having spent most of my life in the high elevations of Colorado and now South Dakota, I’m accustomed to three days in a row of below zero Fahrenheit nights and frigid days. I’ve learned that my ponies can handle it just fine, so I can too. But this run of six days, with more on the front end that weren’t exactly warm, I have found trying. I’m weary of three neck gaiters, three inches of ice to be broken off waterers and three different sets of chemical warmers to keep my body functioning. But I’m extremely grateful for my tough ponies. Though they’re greeting me with frosty eye lashes, ice crystalled muzzles, and elevated appetites, they still are holding their own as they sift hay or dry grass from the snow-covered ground.

I know there are places where this sort of weather is the norm in the winter rather than the exception. I admire folks and their critters who can handle it. Given how widespread this current weather system is, I suspect they’re dealing with their own sort of extreme. It doesn’t feel right to gripe when we’re all in this together!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

You can read more stories about my life with my ponies in What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

A fuzzy-in-more-ways-than-photography Fell Pony stallion Kinniside Asi

Around the start of each year, I have a tradition of wassailing my ponies. I take pieces of apple and/or carrot to each pony in my herd in turn. When I offer the treat to them, I thank them for their presence in my life and wish them a happy new year. Usually, the youngstock and my stallion aren’t interested in the edible attention, but they of course still get well wishes.

For many years, I had company when I wassailed the ponies. Now I make up for being alone by roping friends into the ritual. This year weather interfered with one friend’s physical presence, though I could definitely feel her presence in spirit. Another friend, for the second year in a row, made up for the thousand miles between us by wassailing hers at the same time as I did mine. It was great fun to get a photo texted to me of her first encounter as I was about to have the same.

I like to take pictures of my interactions with each pony each year as a sort of record of the herd. Being alone, getting pictures requires creativity. My stallion is currently housed by himself, so a camera on a tripod with a self-timer was put to use. Unfortunately, it appears to have been focused on a snowflake, so Asi and I are fuzzy, but I still like the picture. This year he at least mouthed the apple before spitting it out. In past years he hasn’t even taken it from me!

I found the mares out on the hill, and I was encouraged that I wouldn’t immediately have a mob around the camera and tripod because they were looking off into the distance. I triggered the self-timer and got a few shots but couldn’t retrigger it for fear of having it knocked over by a curious young Aimee. One of the pictures shows her looking right at it! I gave up on pictures and focused on the messages.

During a challenging week, after a challenging year, there is no question my ponies have made things easier than they might otherwise have been. I am so fortunate to have them in my life. I hope you can say the same. Happy New Year.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

There are more stories like this one in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

I had a new farrier out to trim my ponies’ hooves. Technically he’s not really a farrier; he calls himself a barefoot trimmer. I have recently come to an enhanced appreciation of that vocation. I hadn’t realized that indeed there is a difference between trimming hooves and trimming to mimic an ideal hoof on an equine living a barefoot (rather than shod) existence.

Two different hoof shapes

I asked the trimmer about the shape of one of my ponies’ feet. They are more oval than round; you can see hers and a rounder hoofprint in the photograph. This pony hadn’t ever had her hooves trimmed before I purchased her, and I have known she and I are on a journey to getting her feet healthy. The answer the trimmer gave about the shape of her foot surprised me but made perfect sense.

I had learned a few months before that a healthy foot on an equine living on perfect terrain develops an arch in the quarters of the hoof wall (think 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock). The arch allows the hoof wall to compress onto the ground when under full bearing weight, enabling it to absorb concussive forces and then spring back to arch shape again. (Click here to read my previous post on hoof arches and how hooves are dynamic structures. A photograph of an arch is included there).

Conventional hoof trimming as I was taught has the hoof wall nipped and filed to be in a plane, all one level all the way around. What happens, then, when the hoof meets the ground under full bearing weight? What happens if there’s not an arch in the wall to absorb some of the concussive forces of landing? The barefoot trimmer suggested to me that those forces may push forward and backward on the foot, elongating the shape of the hoof into an oval. Of course, every equine is different, with different shock absorption abilities based on conformation and other factors, so even if two ponies are trimmed conventionally it isn’t necessarily the case that they will both develop oval hooves.

There is, naturally, good news in the trimmer’s explanation of my mare’s oval hooves. Each time he trims, he makes sure there is an arch in the hoof wall, so in time we should see my mare’s feet become more round and more healthily shaped. I look forward to watching the process!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

You can find more stories like this one in my book The Partnered Pony: What’s Possible, Practical and Powerful with Small Equines, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover!

Buddy and his feed bucket in March 2020

I had gotten to know Buddy in the year since we moved here because he and his pasture mate Sissy often came to watch me prepare feed buckets for my ponies.  They also often could be found standing at their fence across the lane from my stallion Asi.  I felt Asi and Buddy were friends of sorts. 

When Sissy and Buddy first began appearing while I was doing feed buckets, I decided I would make up a feed bucket for each of them, too.  I told my friend Linda, whom Sissy and Buddy belonged to, that I was going to offer Buddy a special feed to see if it would help him calm down a little.  A few days later we agreed that it did seem to help him, but then Linda also admitted she had quit feeding him grain, so maybe that’s what helped most.

Buddy has Spanish mustang ancestry and was a marvel to watch move across the pasture.  Linda said she’d been told that he had had a saddle on him once but that was before she got him; his only job here in his seven years of residence was to be a pasture mate for Sissy.  When Sissy went off to her previous owner after Linda’s death, Buddy’s breeder was due to come get him.  I think Linda said she’d never had a halter on Buddy.  She just used a feed bucket when she needed to move her horses.  I wondered how it would go to get Buddy into a trailer.  His head had been several feet in the air ever since Sissy left.  Over the fence when offering a feed bucket, I had been able to touch his head and neck without him leaving.  I concluded that if I needed to, I could eventually halter him, so I agreed to be present when Roger arrived just in case my assistance was needed.  It most definitely was not.

Roger entered the paddock with a halter and lead rope over his shoulder, and I watched Buddy notice him.  Then I witnessed the most beautiful dance between a horseman and a horse.  Roger didn’t walk quickly up to Buddy.  Instead, he slowly and respectfully gained Buddy’s trust.  Roger let Buddy approach before he did then retreat and then approach again.  It was quickly clear that Buddy recognized his former friend.  Roger extended his hand then his hand with the lead rope then his hand with the halter.  Buddy smelled each in turn.  Roger then slowly draped the rope over Buddy’s neck, respecting Buddy’s concerned reaction with patience and finesse.  In less than five minutes this horse, whom I had watched for a year and had rarely seen with all four of his feet on the ground at one time, be haltered, led, and loaded into the trailer where he stood tied reasonably quietly while we talked outside.

After Roger had haltered Buddy and was walking him to the trailer, I told Roger how beautiful what he had just done was.  Then after he put Buddy in the trailer, I told him the same thing again.  He gave me a big hug of thanks.  I knew that Roger had been working with and breeding Spanish mustangs and horses for many decades.  When I heard that he was coming to get Buddy, I figured there would either be a major rodeo or that I would see something very different.  I wondered if all those years of experience would have created in Roger what my two decades with Fell Ponies has created in me: a desire to treat them with great respect in order to win their trust and partnership. 

I wish I had thought to videotape the dance that Roger performed with Buddy, but I was so captivated that I didn’t want to take my eyes off what was happening.  Buddy is a very lucky horse, and it was a privilege to see him reunite with Roger.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

You can find more stories like this one in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Sometimes we’ll hear people say that everything in their life before now prepared them for the life they’re living currently.  I chuckled over the summer at how that wisdom has manifested again in my life. 

My days now of course revolve around my ponies.  Most of the year, they are extensively grazing on a large pasture.  It is my habit to check on them twice daily.  In the morning this usually involves bringing them into the corrals for vitamin buckets and a looking-over.  Later in the day, I walk to wherever they are on the hill.  Since a good portion of the hill isn’t visible from my house, sometimes I guess wrongly about their location and find myself walking an extra mile or more looking for them at the end of the day when I am already tired.  Not wanting to give up this late-day check, I nonetheless have learned that I need to not walk so much.

In my pre-pony life, I used a lot of personally-powered transportation.  I walked to school, walked on the beach, and took forest walks with my family.  As soon as I began to ride a bicycle, I rode it to school, rode it to house-sitting jobs, and rode it around the neighborhood.  In high school I even took a long-distance bicycle trip in Europe.   Another decade on, I learned to mountain bike and explored many breathtakingly beautiful desert landscapes in Utah. 

I find operating a vehicle powered by an engine to be tiring, or I could have used my pickup to drive the ranch roads to get a distant view of the hill and the location of my ponies.  Instead, though, I decided to harken back to my bicycle days.  I found a used mountain bike that could quickly be brought back into service, and before long my evening walks to find the ponies were directed by information on their location gathered by bicycling the ranch road to ascertain their whereabouts.  It is wonderful to be a little less exhausted at the end of the day!

One morning, all the ponies came in except Madie and Aimee.  I knew where they were, so I decided I would take their bucket to them rather than bring them to the corrals.  When I got part way to them, I realized I didn’t have to walk all the way.  I hung the feed bucket from the bike’s handlebars and rode to their location.  That’s when my chuckle was most hearty about my previous life preparing me for the life I lead now.

I’ve discovered one big difference so far about bicycling in my current life compared to my previous bicycling experiences.  My dogs go everywhere on the ranch that I go, and they don’t quite know what to make of me riding a bicycle.  I am constantly watchful of where they are so they don’t pull on my pants leg or dash in front of me, necessitating a hard application of the brakes.  The ponies, too, are having to get used to the idea of a bicycle in their midst.  I’m glad I can get them used to it because there is a wonderful public trail nearby open to equines as well as bicycles.  Someday soon we’ll be meeting two-wheelers there, I hope!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

There are more stories like this one in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

I have two pairs of mares that at the moment are reminding me that ponies don’t respect clear orders of dominance or rank.  Each night and morning I swap them in and out of pasture, in what may be a vain attempt at managing their weight.  My goal is to halter one pony but bring in two, and that has required letting go of preconceived notions about who is leading who.

One of the pairs is a mother daughter one.  The mother is the undisputed though reluctant lead mare of the herd.  The daughter is in the middle of the herd.  (It’s so interesting that I wanted to use the terms pecking order or middle-of-the-pack there, but neither is about equines.)  This mother-daughter pair, though, complies with the ‘normal’ rules.  I can halter the mother and lead or ride her in and the daughter follows.  When I put them out, I let the daughter loose first, and she will usually wait for her mother before taking off for greener pastures.

The other pair is an unrelated set of three-year-olds.  One is clearly dominant; she can lay her ears back or toss her head and make the other one move.  Occasionally she will turn and offer to kick and get the same result.  For awhile I was haltering and leading this mare in, but the other mare didn’t follow.  I finally figured out that if I haltered the lower-status mare and led her in, the higher-ranking mare would follow us, sometimes immediately and occasionally within five minutes.  When I put them out, I began by putting the lower-ranking mare out first so that she could move off when the higher status mare was put out with her, but I found that the lower-ranking mare would often leave and be out of sight by the time I put the higher-ranking mare out, causing her distress.  So now I put the higher-ranking mare out first and she waits around until the lower-ranking mare is put out and they move off together, usually with the lower ranking mare in the lead!

Despite the second mare of each pair coming in on her own, sometimes she doesn’t come in when the paddock gate is open.  I then need to go out and bring her in through the gate.  I am mindful of my goal of ‘haltering one to bring in two,’ and I am very fortunate that these mares still make that goal achievable.  Both of them will come through the gate when I beckon them or if I put my hand under their jaw and lead them that way.  Still no halter and lead, so it makes me smile!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

More stories like this one can be found in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Honey subtly communicating with the cock of her head

I took a brief break from the pressure of a publishing deadline to go see a friend work with her horse.  When she had described what she was doing over the phone, it seemed almost counterintuitive, so it was clear to both of us that an in-person demo was needed.  We started by watching a short video of my friend’s instructor using the technique then we went out to see my friend use it on her horse.  My brief observation of the technique was not enough to fully grasp the power of the method, but I did take away a few things.  It’s pretty subtle stuff.

What most caught my attention was the focus on brace in the horse: how to see it and how to modify our handling of a lead rope, for instance, to keep our horse from bracing against us in the first place.  The example was a simple one.  When we have our horse on a lead rope standing still and then we move to a walk, typically we let the rope tighten between us until the horse begins to move with us.  If that rope tightens and the horse doesn’t move, it’s because they have braced their body against the tension.  Instead, this technique involves giving the horse more rope as we move away and encouraging them to follow by the use of our gaze, our posture, the energy we send down the lead rope, and if needed, the strategic movement of a whip. 

It was the bit about posture that most resonated with me.  The idea seemed to be that rather than just move from a stop to a walk, we should shift our posture in a consistent way, for instance by straightening up and squaring our shoulders, before we move off.  This gives our equines a choice to prepare to move off with us rather than brace.  I’ll be handling a lead rope differently next time I’m with a pony.  Subtle stuff!

Earlier in the day, I was working with my seven-year-old mare on ridden work.  I set the session up to be really simple so I could try to use the most subtle cues I could to tell Honey what I wanted.  It was a thrill to experience how little it took.  After the first few cues and responses, Honey did something I didn’t ask for.  However, I knew she was responding to something she’d sensed from me, so I scanned my body quickly to figure out what she’d reacted to.  Then I realized it was a thought I’d had.  I’ve had that happen before with my ponies; it’s flattering but it’s humbling, too, because I don’t control my thoughts as well as I could to fully utilize this sort of connection.  Subtle stuff!

I have said it before, and today I felt it again strongly.  One lifetime won’t be enough with my ponies.  While our relationships are already rich, days like today with the demonstrations of the really subtle communication that is possible make me wonder just how much more rich our already fulfilling relationships could grow to be.   

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

In a recent article on the Fell Pony shoulder, I suggested that a well laid back shoulder requires special consideration when it comes to harness adjustments. My colleague Doc Hammill and I have written an entire book on harness, so I will obviously be brief here compared to that full treatment of the subject. I particularly want to address, though, ideal angle of draft and point of draft. In the discussion that follows, I’m assuming collar-type harness rather than breast-strap-type harness.

Norwegian harness fixes the angle of draft at the ideal

In my opinion, the ideal angle of draft is especially important to understand when we are talking about working ponies in harness. Ponies, being smaller, need to be given every opportunity to work efficiently, transferring as much of their power as possible to moving the load to which they are hitched. The ideal angle of draft enables that sort of optimal transfer of power. The angle of draft is measured between the line of the collar/hames and the line of the traces that are connected to the load. The ideal angle of draft is 90 degrees, meaning the trace is perpendicular to the collar/hames.

It is interesting to me to consider Norwegian harness when thinking about ponies and work harness. Norwegian Fjord Horses are like Fell Ponies in that they have been bred for centuries to be versatile: ride/drive/draft/pack. The quality of the shoulder is critical to that versatility, which usually means laid back. To ensure the ideal angle of draft for their versatile small equines, the Norwegians designed their harness so that the trace is fixed to the collar at the ideal angle. A picture of a Norwegian harness on my Norwegian Fjord Horse is included here. I consider the Norwegian style of harness to be proof positive for the importance of ideal angle of draft when working ponies.

Trace location for ideal angle of draft is shown in green.

The next picture is from Wikipedia, and it shows a carriage horse with a more conventional collar-and-hames-type harness on a well laid back shoulder like a Fell Pony is supposed to have. Note how the collar is laying back on the shoulder bed of the horse. Then find where the trace leaves the collar/hames and note the angle that the trace makes with the collar/hames. I have drawn a green line on the photo to show the ideal angle of 90 degrees. Obviously it would be impossible to hitch anything to this horse at that ideal angle with that collar fit where it is. Instead the collar fit would need to be adjusted, using padding for instance, to bring the top of the collar forward to change the line of the trace so that the angle of draft is closer to ideal. I saw a photograph recently of a Fell Pony stallion with heavy muscling on his neck that would take the place of ‘artificial’ padding to keep the top of the collar forward while still being well-seated on his shoulder bed.

Another problem with the collar fit shown on the well laid back shoulder in the Wikipedia photo is that a hard pull on the trace could pull the collar up into the bottom of the neck where the windpipe is, potentially causing a comfort issue for the horse. It is likely that this particular hitch requires very little effort for this particular team of horses so hopefully that comfort issue never arises. (I also have an issue with this harness because it lacks breeching, so the horses have no ability to hold the vehicle back, so the teamster must brake the vehicle to keep it from running up on the horses.) With typical harness and collars and hames, the ideal angle of draft of 90 degrees can be difficult to achieve on a laid back shoulder unless the equine has adequate muscling or adjustments are made to the collar that might not be necessary on an equine with a steeper shoulder.

The ideal point of draft is also especially important to consider when dealing with a laid back shoulder. The ideal point of draft is actually a marriage of three different ideal points: one on the shoulder, one on the collar, and one on the hames. The marriage of these three points ensures the equine is able to work as safely and comfortably as possible. Doc’s and my book has an entire very long chapter on this subject, so the following discussion is just an overview.

Point of shoulder and spine of scapula approximately shown in red. These are places where bone doesn’t have much padding of muscle over it so harness needs to be kept away from them. When the trace leaves the hames, for instance, it needs to go between the two red markings.

The ideal point of draft on the equine is located such that the line of the trace falls midway between the bottom of the spine of the scapula and the upper limits of the point of the shoulder; these two anatomical features are roughly located on the picture here and are close to the surface of the skin so it’s important for the trace to run between them.

In our book, Doc shares, “In the herd of horses that Cathy and I have, there are Suffolks, Fjords, and a Welsh Pony. On the Suffolks, there is a three inch space where the trace coming off the hames should pass… On the Fjords, the area is two-and-a-half inches average top to bottom. On the Welsh Pony it’s just two inches.” (1) Clearly with ponies we have a special responsibility to locate that ideal point of draft carefully so the trace lays comfortably on our working partners.

The ideal point of draft on a collar is the thickest and widest part of the collar, but the trick is getting that part of the collar to sit correctly on the ideal point of draft of the shoulder. Then the ideal point of draft of the hames is where the trace needs to connect to the hames to lay in the narrow region described above and also ideally be on the thickest part of the collar that is over the ideal point of draft of the equine. Whew!

Where the trace attaches to the hames, circled in red, seems too high, potentially causing the trace to ride up onto the spine of the scapula.

I saw a picture of a Fell Pony working in harness recently that had a laid back shoulder with the collar laid back on it, similar to the horse at rest shown here in another Wikipedia photo. The point of attachment of the trace on the hames seems high, possibly causing the trace to ride up onto the spine of the scapula and potentially cause injury. That high point of attachment on the hames can also possibly pull the collar up into the bottom of the neck as described above, with that laid back shoulder making this more of a possibility due to its impact on the angle of draft as described above. Most hames have very little if any ability to adjust the attachment point, so often people make do with what they have, hopefully paying close attention so there are no adverse effects on their working partners.

Doc concluded our chapter on the elusive ideal point of draft by saying, “The ideal point of draft is an anatomical and kinetic balance point in the area of the shoulder of the equine. While the ideal point of draft can differ from equine to equine, the point of draft on a particular equine remains constant. It is the point of draft on the collar and most importantly the fit of the collar and the point of draft on the hames that must be monitored and adjusted to ensure our equines’ comfort.” (2) It has been my experience that equines bred specifically to work in harness tend to have steeper shoulders than the ideal versatile Fell Pony shoulder. Therefore, when we work ponies with their laid back shoulders suitable to a wide range of activities, we have a special responsibility to fit their harness so that they can work efficiently, comfortably, and safely.

1. Morrissey, Jenifer. Harness Lessons with Doc Hammill and Friends, 2013, p. 85.

2. Morrissey, p. 97

   (c) Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

The information here is a small subset of the crucial considerations when fitting harness on equines. Learn more in my book Harness Lessons with Doc Hammill and Friends, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Torrin and his friend DQ

Usually once a week I receive a picture of DQ.  He’s become the sidekick of my former Norwegian Fjord horse Torrin at his new home in Oregon.  DQ is a miniature donkey, and his full name is Don Quixote.  He lives next door but can usually be found at the fence when Torrin is also at the fence.  DQ has also captured the heart of Torrin’s owner which is of course why I receive pictures each week!

A more-than-three-decade friendship.

I have never been around a donkey, but when DQ first entered my life (virtually) via Torrin and his owner, I also heard around the same time two other stories of how donkeys had captured the hearts of humans.  The first story came from my brother and sister-in-law.  They traveled to Belgium to visit my sister-in-law’s family, and one cousin works as a caretaker of a park that has a farmstead.  More than three decades ago, a donkey was born there and then orphaned.  The cousin/caretaker bottle-fed the donkey and a relationship he treasures developed and has endured.  Today the donkey in his old age receives frozen orange slices as treats during hot summer weather.  That relationship has lasted longer than many human friendships do!

The second story came when a friend went to a driven horse clinic that spanned several days.  She was surprised when the highlight of her time away from her family was not driving the draft horses.  Instead her early morning moments shared with the resident donkey were what brought her the most joy.  The donkey’s owners observed that my friend’s connection with the donkey far exceeded anyone else’s, despite the short duration of their relationship.

Torrin’s owner who is DQ’s admirer shares this in closing, “So what else would I say about donkeys?  That they are much more than pint sized horses with ridiculous long ears and rough coats.  They too are a strong and ancient link in the lifelong work partnerships that equus has had with humans.  My guess is the size of their loads and the love they bring is far out of proportion to their diminutive stature.”  I look forward to when I might have my first opportunity to befriend a donkey and experience the richness that these people have!

Joy at a driving clinic came from an unexpected place!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

You can find more stories about how equines enrich our lives in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover below.

Based on their 14.2hh height, these Percheron Welsh ponies are likely out of Percheron mares.

As a breeder, I often find scientific reports on the subject of breeding to be interesting. And as a pony breeder, I love hearing about research conducted with the help of ponies. I was thrilled, then, to learn about Walton and Hammond’s work in the 1930s with Shetland Ponies and Shire Horses. I found reference to their work in a couple of modern-day research papers, suggesting that the findings from back then are still relevant. Then I found a few studies that have been conducted since then, also using ponies.

Walton and Hammond used artificial insemination (AI) to cross Shetland mares on Shire stallions as well as the opposite: Shire mares on Shetland stallions. They also had purebred foals for comparison. They were expecting to see that the crossed progeny would be intermediate in size and similar to each other regardless of dam. They were surprised. What they found was that crossbred foals out of the pony mares at three years old were larger than purebred Shetlands, but they were smaller than the comparable crossbreds at the same age out of the Shire mares. At birth the foals born to the Shetland mares were comparable in size to a purebred Shetland foal at birth, while the crossbred foals born to the Shire mare were larger but not as large as a purebred Shire foal. “The cross-foals from the Shire mare were three times the size of the cross-foals from the Shetland mares.” (1)

Through eighteen months, the crossbred foals grew differently depending on who their mother was and as compared to purebred Shetlands. “The foals from the Shire mares grew much less rapidly than pure Shire foals, and the foals from the Shetland mares grew much more rapidly than pure Shetlands.”

A paper published in 1999 was based on work with Polish ponies. In this case embryo transfer was used, and observations were made up to 13 years. The recipient mare was a larger heavier type of equine. From birth up to weaning, the foals born from the larger, heavier recipient mare grew faster and put on more weight than the nearly genetically identical foals born to pony mares. (2)

Another study published in 2004 also used embryo transfer, this time comparing Thoroughbreds carried by Thoroughbreds, ponies carried by ponies, Thoroughbreds carried by ponies, and ponies carried by Thoroughbreds. The first two pairings were conceived by AI and the latter two were ET. “The Thoroughbreds carried by the Pony mares were merely scaled down versions of the Thoroughbred-in-Thoroughbred controls while the Ponies carried by the Thoroughbred mares were scaled up versions of the Pony-in-Pony controls.” (3)

All of these studies show that the maternal/uterine environment plays a role in the size of the foal at birth as well as the foal’s size at maturity. It doesn’t matter whether the fetus/foal is a genetic offspring of the mare that carries it or whether it is genetically unrelated and placed in the maternal environment via ET. I’ve always been told that mothers influence offspring more than fathers, which I have found confusing based on my understanding of genetics. Now I have a new appreciation for how maternal influence happens outside of genetics!

1. Walton, A. and Hammond, J. “The maternal effects on growth and conformation in Shire horse-Shetland pony crosses,” School of Agriculture, University of Cambridge, Revised 15 February 1938.

2. Tischner, M. “Maternal influence on pre- and postnatal growth of foals born after embryo transfer,” Journal of Reproduction and fertility. Supplement, 31 Dec 1999

3. Allen, W.R., et al. “The influence of maternal size on pre- and postnatal growth in the horse,” Reproduction, 2004 Jan.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

Whenever I spend time with my ponies, there are small interactions we have or things I observe that touch me.  Here are a few from the past month.

Salsify:  This common weed was one of my first pony’s favorite snacks.  I often gave the flower heads to her instead of treats.  Mya is now in a loving home elsewhere, so when I saw a salsify plant and thought of her, I picked it and fed it to the pony here who was a friend of hers.  Madie seemed to appreciate the gesture, if not the meaning!

Gratitude:  It was four in the morning. I’d just come home from being up all night taking Asi to the hospital and seeing him settled there.  The evening before I hadn’t been able to swap day ponies for night ponies, so after feeding the ponies in the paddocks, I pondered what to do.  Dawn was just lightening the eastern sky and a near-full moon was still bright to the west, so I could see reasonably well.  I looked over the fence into the pasture, and there was Pearl.  I went to get her halter, and by the time I got back to the gate, Madie and Aimee had arrived, too.  I put all three away for the ‘night,’ thankful that they had been so extremely cooperative when I was exhausted.

Aimee and Pearl:  When Aimee was about a month old, she and her mom came to see me when I was at the barn.  Three-year-old Pearl was also there and was the object of my attention; I needed to bring her into a paddock.  I tied Aimee’s mom Madie then went to halter Pearl.  Much to Madie’s frustration, Aimee started following me towards Pearl.  Pearl was somewhat concerned about the fit Madie was throwing, but Aimee wasn’t bothered and walked right up to Pearl and sniffed noses.  She didn’t do the typical ‘I am just a little foal’ mouthy submissive type of approach.  She walked up as if she were the same size and age and introduced herself.  I nearly fell over laughing!  I thought to myself, you’re a confident little one, aren’t you!  The next time I saw Aimee and Pearl, though, Aimee did approach more meekly.

Aimee Answers:  This young pony is quite remarkable, so that’s why so many of these stories are about her.  One late afternoon I went out to do chores, including swapping the day ponies for the night ponies.  I was tired and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do a lot of walking to find the ponies on the hill, but they were nowhere to be seen, so I wasn’t optimistic.  As I was cleaning Asi’s stall, I sent out a silent message to my hill ponies that it would be really helpful if they would make their whereabouts known so I could easily find them.  The next thing I knew, there was a whinny nearby.  At first I didn’t see any ponies, until I realized it was little Aimee behind the fence at the waterer answering my request.  What a pony!

Aimee on the Rock:  One night when I was bringing Madie and Aimee in, I stopped next to a prominent rock.  It’s a flat hunk with a slight slant to it and a surface of about five feet by twelve feet.  Sometimes I call it my inversion table, a natural version of a healing tool I recently learned about from my chiropractor, because it’s big enough to lie down on.  That night as we paused there, Aimee walked past me and out onto the rock.  I was surprised at her confidence to just walk out on the slightly irregular surface.   I hurriedly took a picture of this unusual behavior, but it didn’t come out very well because she lost interest and hopped off to go elsewhere.  Then the other night, I was bringing Madie and Aimee in again past that rock, but this time Aimee was quite a ways behind us.  When I realized she wasn’t with us, I turned around, and there she was, standing on the rock.  This time I had plenty of time for pictures!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

As we stood there in shock waiting for the vet to decide what to do, Linda and I both asked my Fell Pony stallion Kinniside Asi, “How could you be so stupid?”  Not wanting to call my pony stupid, I revised my admonition to “How could you do this to yourself?”  Bruce and Linda and I have worked hard to make him a home here that has equine-friendly fencing, but he had opened a gate and let himself out and run a fence with a mare in heat on the other side.  He had lots of fun for the first few minutes, but that all changed in a brief instant.

Linda’s admonition had its roots in the fact that Asi had not stood still to be haltered when we approached him during those first few minutes.  Had he done that, or had the mare on the other side of the fence done that, the injury would never have happened.  But neither of them made that choice.  Sometimes I am amazed at the power of hormones.

The next day, with Asi in a hospital, I walked the fence line to try to understand what had happened.  I found a section of fence with Asi’s mane and other hair in it, but my detective work did not reveal how the injury had happened.  I began to wonder if I was giving Asi too much credit.  Maybe his hormones had in fact caused him to lose his senses and not exercise any self-preservation.  I prepared to go visit him two hours away, replaying in my mind the evidence I’d found as I drove.  In addition to hair in the fence wire, I had also found numerous broken juniper branches.  The juniper was bushy down to the ground, and it was over my head in height, so it was in that realm of being somewhere between a shrub and a tree.  The fence disappeared into the juniper on one side and emerged on the other, but was invisible in between.

After a slightly longer night’s sleep than the first one when I’d spent most of the dark hours either on the road or watching Asi get stitched up, I went out to do more detective work.  This second visit to the scene bore more fruit.  I looked again at the hair in the fence and the broken branches on the ground, then I thought to part the juniper along the fence wire.  Sure enough, obscured by the dense foliage, I found a metal fence post.  My faith in Asi’s inherent intelligence returned.  He could not have seen that fence post when he launched himself toward the mare through the tree, breaking branches as he went.  His injury now made much more sense.

After being a poor detective with another pony’s injury a few days before, I took some satisfaction this time that I had figured out the sequence of events.  Now I just have to work with my two young ponies on our catch-me game when their hormones are driving their behavior, so I have some chance of preventing something similar from happening again.  Oh, and the gate Asi opened?  Bruce had a safety put in it before I even got home from the hospital!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

It was dusk, and I was out swapping ponies from pasture to paddock and paddock to pasture.  I had handled three when I noticed I had blood on one hand.  A quick scan of my hand led me to conclude I wasn’t injured, so then the question was where did the blood come from.  I examined the three ponies I had been handling and found nothing, so I thought perhaps I had wiped a bug bite I had been scratching on my neck.  But then when I went back to the barn for the next phase of pony movement, I found a trail of blood drops on the ground about thirty feet long.  So I went back to again examine the three ponies I had been handling who had had access to that area all day.  Still I found nothing.  Maybe a barn cat had made a kill and carried a bloody prize somewhere? 

I finished my chores as darkness fell with no further information to explain the blood I’d found.  I went to bed puzzled, but since I hadn’t seen any unusual behavior from any of my ponies and I had a reasonably plausible set of explanations, I decided perhaps the blood wasn’t pony blood after all.

The next morning I discovered I had been a poor detective.  I went out early to check on the three ponies that I had been handling the night before when I found the blood.  Sure enough, Madie had an injury.  It was a puncture wound on her cheek; I apparently had brushed it with my hand when haltering her.  In hindsight I realized I had seen her be a little tender about chewing a treat I gave her.  Sigh.  The wound had obviously bled well the night before, but I cleaned it up and treated it with my healing products.  Then I made arrangements to transport her to the vet to have her checked.

Madie of course has her foal Aimee at foot.  I felt so fortunate that I had been taking Aimee on trailer rides for nearly two weeks so the trip the vet with her mom wasn’t too much of a stretch for her. Especially since my truck was in the shop so I had to borrow a truck and trailer and ask Aimee to step up into a higher trailer.  It turned out it was the unload that was more challenging for her!  It took her a bit to figure out how to jump down those extra few inches.

I had been a poor detective by not doing a thorough physical exam after I found blood.  I had checked back, neck, flanks, belly, and legs but I hadn’t thought to check faces.  Lesson learned!  And I’m grateful that no harm came from my error.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

I love my bareback pad but it’s time to move to a saddle.

When winter began last year, I set myself a goal of riding to the summit of Parker Peak, the highest point in Fall River County where I now live.  It would be a ride from home of about 3 miles one way with an elevation gain of about 800 feet.  What I didn’t realize when I set that goal is that there would be interim goals to accomplish first.  One of those is buying a saddle.

During my first decade with ponies, I would more often work them in harness than ride.  For the occasional short rides that I did do, I had a bareback pad with stirrups that worked well.  In hindsight I realize that many of those rides didn’t have severe elevation changes in them.  In my new life in South Dakota, though, where my house sits in a valley and so much of interest is ‘up,’ elevation change is to be part of my riding. 

Early in my teamster career I learned to look at hair patterns after removing harness to assess whether my pony had experienced any discomfort from harness fit or wear while working.  I naturally began doing the same whenever I removed pack saddles or my bareback pad.  After riding a few hills here, it became clear from those post-ride evaluations that having a saddle would be necessary for my pony’s comfort and for mine.

It didn’t take long into my Fell Pony career to learn that fitting a saddle to a Fell Pony is a non-trivial exercise.  I’ve read lots of threads over the years on various social media, which is how I learned that saddle fit is one part pony, one part person, and one part type of riding.  After I learned this, I wasn’t surprised that there was rarely consensus about the ‘right’ saddle for a Fell because there were so many different permutations of how a saddle was fit to a person/pony partnership.  My bareback pad seemed like a good solution for a long time.

In the meantime, I learned more and more about proper harness fit.  Numerous articles with my colleague Doc Hammill resulted in a book on harness.  My take-away from that project was that to buy a saddle for my ponies required taking equal care and concern as we had documented in our harness book.  Again, my bareback pad seemed like a reasonable compromise.

Now, though, I’m ready to invest the time to find a saddle that works for us in our new situation.  The bareback pad’s compromises have become problems that must be addressed to accomplish my goals with my ponies.  Three areas in particular are problematic with my bareback pad.  First, with my Fell Pony mount’s well-laid back shoulder, the natural girth groove is forward of the withers and the construction of my bareback pad and its girth pull the pad forward onto the withers, especially going downhill.  I can sit back further to correct this on flat ground but downhill travel is still troublesome.  And then the stirrup leather rings are forward of the girth, so posting a trot, for instance, puts downward pressure on the spinous processes of the withers which is completely unacceptable.  Finally, the stirrup position is compromising my posture when riding, throwing my legs forward.  Poor posture on my part ultimately adversely impacts my mount.

Life works in mysterious ways.  When I finally became ready to move on from my bareback pad, some consensus emerged amongst like-minded equestrians regarding saddles for my situation.  I am now engaged in saddle fitting processes with three different saddlers, and I’m learning a lot.  The biggest unknown at the moment is how many saddles I will end up with when I emerge at the other end of this journey!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

My book Harness Lessons with Doc Hammill and Friends is available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.