Fell
Pony Society
and Conservancy of the Americas
Fell
Pony Society
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Q Is it fair to describe Fells as "mini Friesians"? A Although at first glance, many people are attracted to the Fell pony because they think it resembles a small version of a Friesian horse, this perception is misplaced and potentially fraught with danger. If the word 'danger' seems too dramatic a word, consider the case of the British Shetland pony breed. What originally came to America's shores as a small tough hairy animal, has now been split into two breeds; the American Shetland pony has become a separate breed and far from its original breed type of the authentic Shetland pony. Other breeds have also suffered similar injustices, such as the Morgan. Aside from this danger (which we will come back to later), the Friesian misperception is also based on faulty scholarship. If a person, who is familiar with the Friesian horse, is mostly exposed to Fell ponies in the color black, then the false assumption is understandable. But consider the following: The historical relationship of the Fell pony to the Friesian horse runs thus; approximately 2,000 years ago the Romans brought in foreign mercenaries to help man the walls which divided Scotland from England. When these mercenaries left – many of them are believed to have left their war stallions. Some of these stallions may have been Friesian horses. It is then believed that these stallions, including some Friesians, bred with the native ponies developing some of the British pony breeds including the Fell pony. If this theory is true, then Friesian and other foreign blood was introduced to the native ponies over 2,000 years ago. This is hardly cause to consider these two breeds "related" in modern terms. The Friesian horse type, which would have been left behind after the Romans pulled out, would have been a very different breed type than the Friesian horse we know today. Consider this quote from breed historian Clive Richardson: "The Friesian is acknowledged to be one of the oldest breeds in Europe. It was described by the Roman chronicler, Tacitus, as 'slow and ugly'. He was not describing the type of horse we now know as the modern Friesian which is essentially a road horse whether in harness or under saddle. There were few roads at that time and people did not need to travel as they do now. Tacitus was talking about a cold-blooded and coarser type of animal which had achieved increased carcass size through selective breeding in one of Europe's most fertile areas. When the Friesian Stud Book was opened in 1879 the first animals registered would not have resembled the Friesian of Roman times but neither would they have had the quality and movement of present-day representatives of the breed." If you took a brown Fell pony and shaved off its feather and heavy mane and tail – what then would you use to compare it to the Friesian horse? Do they really share the same body type, conformation, and gaits? A few visits to the Fell ponies’ native land of Britain, especially in the areas where you can still see the hill breeders farms, will dispel the Friesian/Fell perception. It will make a huge difference if a person visits and sees a larger population of Fell ponies in their natural and native environment, in all their colors (black, brown, bay, and gray), and in all of their different body types. See also: the Fell Pony Museum, where this is discussed in some detail, and the Fell Pony Society's statement on the term "mini Friesian", issued 8 April 2006. * * * * * >> Back to FAQ page.>>
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