This can give some contravenes under the breeders.
What makes the New Forest so different from other pony breeds?
The New Forest pony is known for the medium to large pony, with three good gaits (not the short fast pony gait), a calm, quiet temperament that is well suited for children, and a pony that loves to work and can perform at the professional level.
Should we favor the functional performance pony over the typical new Forest Pony type, like we see in the wild?
Should we specialize in the breeding for dressage or Hunter/Jumper or the English/Western pleasure pony?
Yes we should be very selective in breeding functional performance ponies. The pony rider is demanding more and more from the ponies.
No we should not lose type. However the pony can look a little more elegant. We need to compete against the elegant Hunter/Jumper pony in the US and Canada and Europe against the riding pony.
No we should not specialize in our breeding. To give some examples why not;
When a dressage judge looks at a pony he or she looks at 1) correct conformation 2) gaits, good overstepping walk, trot extended and pushing from behind, a round well balanced canter 3) Talent 4) pedigree.
A Hunter/Jumper judge looks for; 1) jumping talent, scoop 2) good canter 3) pedigree, does it have jumping blood 4) exterior soundness.
A English/Western pleasure pony, calm nice pleasant flat moving trot and canter, 2) exterior, 3) pedigree.
You see conformation wise, a dressage pony can be a good jumper too. A good Hunter/Jumper is not always a good dressage pony. A English/Western pleasure pony is not always a good jumper and gait wise will not always make a good dressage pony.
In our selection of a stallion and mare we should look at the all around pony and watch for some short comings that might become a problem in performance.
Jumping makes very heavy demands on any animal, and especially on one already made more susceptible to injury. With the added burden of the rider the pony is most at risk when landing after a jump, particularly so when the point of landing is below the level of take off point. The legs of dressage ponies are also subject to injuries and infections more frequently than is often assumed. Classical dressage often consists of very strongly collected gaits which place a greater burden on joints and tendons.
Short comings:
- A neck that has a dip before the withers, will give an under neck and will push away the back.
For the jumper not excepted, for the dressage pony unable to overcome. For the English/western pleasure pony not much of a problem, however it does not show nice.
- A short neck or short pole.
For the jumper not so much of a problem as for the dressage pony where a good flecking of the neck should be right at the pole. Also for the driving pony this is difficult.
- A steep and short shoulder.
The shoulder should be deep laying and long. This is important for the jumping and dressage pony. This enables the pony to reach forward to go over the jump and tuck his knees under and for the dressage pony for a good forward movement in the trot and canter.
- Weak back, hollow behind the withers or long in loin.
For the jumping and English/Western pleasure pony not so much of a problem as for the dressage pony. A long and weak back makes it difficult to collect and to get the hind under and pushing forward, especially in the upper levels dressage. The jumping pony might show tender backs and loins with excessive use.
- A short, weak and roached loin.
This is the connection with the hindquarters. A long and weak loin will give a weak non-driving gait. A loin that is roof shaped is stiff and will not give an supple back and gait.
- Short and sloping croup.
This always gives a poor moving horse without a lot of strength.
- The legs. This is the most important part of the horse. Let me write a little more about the legs.
Short pastures, cannon bone. A short pastern give a harder ride. Not a problem with the jumper, for the dressage pony we like a longer pastern and cannon bone for better movement.
When we buy a horse and even more to the point, when selecting one for breeding purposes, it is very important to make sure that the legs are as correctly positioned as possible, for they will then be less prone to infections and injuries.
When seen from the side the foreleg should stand absolutely vertical, that is, it should be possible to draw a vertical line from the middle of the elbow joint through the middle of the under-arm, through the hock (often wrongly called the knee), the cannon bone and the fetlock joint to the ground just behind the hoof. In the hind leg the vertical line should run from the hip joint through the hock and again end up directly behind the hoof while the stifle joint, because of the angle made by the upper thigh and the gaskin, lies further forward. Seen from the front and from the rear the legs should be vertically parallel to each other and the fetlocks and the hooves should face directly towards the front. If there is any departure from these guidelines then a greater pressure is put on certain joints or tendons, making them more liable to injury.
Not all defects are, however, not of equal importance and the extent of the defect also plays a role. Besides, many faults only become crucial under competitive conditions.
Conclusion: A functional pony is also a conformational correct pony. Breed your correct mare with a correct stallion that is approved with the registry for breeding. (Most stallions are approved on conformation correctness and type.)
Article and interview by Linda Kindle
