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Shetland Pony Club manages bloodlines of 350,000 ponies

By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

MORTON, Ill. — In a small office located in the Tazewell County, Ill. community of Morton, a work staff dedicated to the welfare of the smallest of equines keeps vigil over the bloodlines and registries of Shetland ponies, miniature horses and show ponies for the entire United States.

Zona J. Schneider serves as the director of operations for the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC), which has been located in Morton – a town known around the world for its pumpkin production – since 1997.

Schneider, who resides in rural Tazewell County with her husband and 13 of her Shetland ponies, is charged with documenting more than 350,000 pint-sized ponies and show horses owned by aficionados of the animals in all 50 states. 

“Every child wanted a pony, didn’t we?” Schneider said. “I always wanted a pony when I was a kid growing up. When we moved to the country my husband said ‘here is your chance,’ and when the grass turned green that spring I said ‘let’s get a pony and see if we really want the responsibility.’

“We ended up with two (Shetland) ponies and later bought a horse. We sold the horse; I decided I liked the ponies.” 

Schneider and the tens-of-thousands of other Shetland lovers she serves all agree that the animals’ diminutive stature and intelligence are central to their appeal. Children are attracted to the ponies because they are not as intimidated by them as large horses, and adults are captivated by their wit and distinctive personalities.

“Ponies are extremely intelligent and quick. Their temperament depends largely on their breeding. I’ve got one that’s as docile as a big dog, and the littlest one I’ve got is a little more difficult to get along with,” Schneider said. “My ponies are a geriatric group. My oldest is 29, and I have a mare and a stallion that are 20. But this year I have a foal, the first one I’ve had in three or four years. Most of my ponies are older than ten.”

 Historic bloodline
The bloodline of the Shetland ponies Schneider documents traces back to 1888, when the ASPC began keeping records. Originating from the Shetland Isles off the northeastern coast of Scotland in the U.K., the horses date back to the Bronze Age. Island residents domesticated the creatures and used the strong-backed ponies for manual labor, and they were later brought to mainland Britain for use in coal mines due to their small stature. From there they were brought to the eastern U.S. for similar use in mines in the early 1900’s.

In Britain, they caught the fancy of Queen Elizabeth, who enjoyed riding the ponies with her siblings. The Queen Mother is still recognized as the Patron of the Shetland Pony Book Society of England.

Today, Shetland ponies are used in the U.S. for riding (mainly by children), amusement and show purposes. They are often seen at petting zoos, weight pulling contests and carnivals, but most are appreciated by those who breed and show the ponies, such as Schneider and the members of the ASPC. A few are still used for mining.

Due to their harsh origin close to the Arctic Circle, the breed evolved with a double-thick coat of fur that allows it to survive in many different environments, including harsh Midwestern winters. In summer, the ponies shed their thick coats and develop a silky hide. “Like any animal, you must treat them humanely regarding the weather,” said Schneider. “During the recent hot spell we allowed our ponies out of the barn only in the early morning, and during the afternoon heat we put them in the barn with fans on them. We only let them out again after the heat passed in the evening.”

Some 150 Shetlands reside in Tazewell County today, though the breed was much more proliferate locally just a few decades ago. At Heyl Pony Farm in nearby Washington, former grand champion King Larigo was sired and is permanently entombed below his original birthing stall on the property. The Heyl farm’s collection of prized Shetlands attracted Schneider as a young girl. “When I was a  kid we would come past the farm and I’d hop out of the car and stand on the fence to see them,” she said.  

As with any pedigreed animal, bloodlines are essential to determining the value of Shetlands and miniature show horses. “The ancestry of your animal and the number of champions in its background” serve as gauges to value, Schneider said.

ASPC is charged with issuing Certificates of Registration that assure new owners the pony they purchased is a purebred animal.
In addition, the ASPC sanctions around 150 shows per year, which bring together buyers, sellers and lovers of small equine at locations across the U.S. “We keep the results of all the shows and determine year-end awards here in Morton,” said Schneider.

Breeders of Shetlands and minis must send all paperwork concerning bloodlines and ancestry to ASPC’s office to be poured over and confirmed by Schneider and her staff. Making sure the forms are completed and legitimate is a big responsibility that the industry relies on ASPC’s staff to perform. The office compiles all of the information, along with national show results, in an online stud book database that is constantly updated.

Since Schneider took over the role as ASPC’s director, the organization’s record keeping has improved by quantum leaps.
“When I got here, we didn’t even have a computer. Everything was done by hand,” Schneider recalled. “Well, we had one computer with a membership database on it, but no way to access it or print it out. We’ve come a long way.” Schneider could have easily been referring to the diminutive breed of horse she and her membership are devoted to documenting and preserving.

12/23/2009