Observations on ....
The Fell Pony Breed Standard

You can find the text of the Fell Pony Breed Standard on the Fell Pony Society web site (click here.)  It is called the "Description of the Fell Pony and Scale of Points."

Below I have excerpted observations I have made about some of the Fell Pony's characteristics as described in the breed standard.  Click on the topic below that interests you.

Selection, Hardiness and Maturation Rate

• Breeders of any type of animal select certain characteristics in favor of others.
• Actively selecting for certain characteristics is reasonably straightforward, for instance the color black in Fell Ponies; what I’ve been pondering recently is how we as breeders of Fell Ponies might passively be selecting away from certain characteristics as we pursue others that we desire.
• I have heard several times that certain breeding lines of Fells are hardier than others.
• From my observations of the Norwegian Fjord and Fell Pony breeds, I have come to understand that time to maturity has been a selection criteria.
• As fewer ponies are reared on the fells and more are bred on the lowlands, the population of ponies that retain slower growth characteristics could easily dwindle.
• If we wish to retain hardiness, can we ignore it in our breeding decisions? If we wish ponies to mature faster or if we provide them with the means to mature faster, are we at risk of losing hardiness?
• For more information, request Fell Pony News, February 2008.

Flip Side of Fell Life

• One of the things that attracted me to Fell Ponies is their hardiness.
• A brochure by the Fell Pony Society stresses the importance of the ponies’ native environment on their character. The Fell Pony breed standard does not mention the importance of environment except in passing. 
• The difference in how the breed is presented in these two documents reflects tensions I feel when discussing the importance of fell-bred ponies to the breed.
• Lowland Fell Pony breeders are quick to point out the flip side of Fell life: ponies don’t grow as big, mares can’t be bred until later in life, and they don’t live as long.
• Can we as breeders maintain enough environmental stress to ‘keep pure the old breed of pony’ as the Fell Pony Society advocates? Can some environmental stress on modern ponies offset the better care that we provide?
• For more information, request Fell Pony News, April 2008.

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Pony Ears

• I have only ever owned ponies, never horses, so perhaps that’s why I am so opinionated about ears on Fell Ponies. If they’re truly ponies, they should have pony ears, of course! 
• For more information, request Feather Notes, Volume 3 Issue 2 April 2008

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Mealy Effect

• In the Fell Pony breed, the brown color is recognized by mealy markings.
• Brown and bay Fell Ponies are often difficult to distinguish from each other.
• Mealy effects can show up on any equine coat color. I have a Norwegian Fjord that shows white over red, while Matty shows yellow over brown.
• For more information, request Fell Pony News, February 2008.

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Fell Pony Movement

• Proper Fell Pony movement isn’t easy to find.
• One of the keys to proper Fell Pony movement is hock and knee action. The action isn’t meant to be extravagant, but it is meant to enable a pony to effectively cover rough ground.
• While proper hock action is easiest to see at the trot, a trained eye can see it at any gait. I’ve been told, for instance, that at the walk, from behind, you should be able to see the entire sole of the foot when it comes off the ground.
• All of these words are helpful now, but until I saw proper movement, I didn’t fully understand what was being described.
• For more information, request Fell Pony News, March 2008.

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Temperament: Fells & Children

• My adult Fells thoroughly understand that children are special; all of them have been quiet and still when children have come to meet them.
• People with experience with the breed vary greatly in their opinion. Some would never trust their child with a Fell and others have told adoring stories about their first pony, a Fell.
• Are Fell Ponies appropriate for children? It depends. It depends on the child and on the pony and the training level of both. 
• For more information, request Fell Pony News, March 2005.

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