What’s cuter than a Shetland Pony? The little horses look so cute and are so sweet that you have to fall in love with them from the first moment. With their thick, cuddly fur, they defy the cold, wet weather and are extremely frugal, resilient and long-lived.
Shetland Pony character and temperament
Shetland ponies have big hearts and are known to be exceptionally gentle, friendly and easy to get along with. The Shetland pony is particularly ideal for children. It can be a bit stubborn at times (it has its very own character!), but nothing can faze it. Because of these characteristics, it is also used as a therapy horse.
Shetland Pony Mini Shetties
Mini Shetland ponies are Shetland ponies that grow to a maximum of 87 cm (stick size). Along with the Falabella and the American Miniature Horse, they are among the smallest ponies in the world. Due to their practical size, mini shetties are also used as blind ponies. Their advantage over guide dogs is that they get much older. However, their training takes longer.
Shetland ponies are the strongest horses in the world
Shetland ponies have short but very strong legs. This allows them to pull twice their own weight and carry up to 60 kg. This makes them the strongest horses in the world compared to their body size. For comparison: A large, heavy draft horse can only pull about half its own weight.
Shetland Pony has the longest tail in the world
A Shetland pony called “Golden Shante” or “Topper” has the longest tail in the world. According to the Guinness Book of Records (2010), its tail is 4.08 m long.
Shetland Pony origin and history
From pit pony to leisure horse: In the mid-19th century, Shetland ponies were used in mines as pit ponies. They had to pull heavy carts underground. Fortunately, today it can gallop freely and carefree across green meadows again.
Where does the name come from?
Shetland ponies are named after their homeland, the Shetland Islands in Scotland.
fun facts
Normally horses and ponies live between 20-30 years. The Shetland pony Madame Nou from Berlin obviously enjoyed her life so much that she “put on it” for a few more years. At 50, she was the oldest living pony in the world until 2013. What luck, because she narrowly escaped the butcher. Horse lovers saved the animal.
Unfortunately, she passed away in 2013 due to her old age. In her lifetime around 1,500 children learned to ride on her. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest pony is Sugar Puff, a Shetland Exmoor pony. It died in 2007 and was 56 years old.
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