Page:Hints to Horse-keepers.djvu/79

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SHETLANDS AND SCOTS.
71

how?" "Across the say! Is it foolin' me yez is? Arrah, don't I tell yiz he cum from New York, and then ye ax me, is New York across the say? Be off wid yiz!" Before we could obey our irate friend's mandate, however, a long, slab-sided, upland Jersey man came up, and, after eyeing the pony for some time, broke out as follows: "Waal, now, that's about the littlest kind of horse I ever did see. What on airth's the use of that critter, I'd like to know? I reckon you keeps him on account of the milk." Meaning evidently for the purpose of driving a churning machine. If our Hibernian was wroth before, he was now furious. "Milk!" shouted he. "Is it milk yiz said? He's a horse—can't you see? He niver gave no milk, not a drop on't." " Nary!" replied our Jersey compatriot, and we dissolved in laughter. We afterward learned that the little animal is a pure Shetlander; and we may add, that he is the most beautiful specimen of the breed, though by no means the most characteristic, we have ever seen. He had, though very small, more of the horse than of the pony in his shape and movement; was slenderer and finer limbed, and had not the heavy tail and shaggy mane.

The larger Scottish pony is little more than an enlarged pattern of the Shetlander. He preserves the general form, the close barrel, strong loins and general stocky air and build, but he has a somewhat longer neck, higher withers, and finer hair in the mane and tail. His ordinary height is from eleven to thirteen hands, above the latter of which standards the animal is rated in England as a horse, no longer as a pony. These larger Scottish ponies, which are usually the second step by which a boy ascends toward the top of the noble art of horsemanship, have often a fair turn of speed, can leap cleverly enough, and have all the