The Kerry
bog Pony almost became extinct. By 1994 there were only 20 ponies left in
the whole of Ireland.
The Kerry Bog Pony is quite small - almost like a Shetland Pony - about 10
or 11 hands high, with a distinctive dish or curved face. rather like an Arab.
Breed colours are chestnut with black mane and tail or grey and also bay.
To establish whether or not these ponies are truly survivors of a rare breed,
the stallion Flashy Fox was tester for genetic markers by Wetherbys Ireland,
and was satisfactorily blood-typed in 1994. Now the Kerry Bog Pony Society
has been formed.
Traditionally these little ponies have been used for bringing out peat, i.e. turf, from the bogs. The original method of transporting was in baskets placed on crudely constructed wheel-less slides, which consisted of two shafts made from the holly or birch trees which grow in the bogs. Later, small wheeled carts came into use, particularly in the less boggy areas. The turf was thrown into baskets and transported by the ponies for use as domestic fuel in houses.
It was about
10 years ago that Mr. John Mulvihill of Glengeigh, Co. Kerry first acquired
a little chestnut stallion and recognised it almost immediately as a Kerry
Bog Pony. The grandson of that pony is Flashy
Fox whose dam is known as Purple Heather. Other stallions are Old Peat and
the Bogman, these three stallions are the nucleus of the breeding herd in
Kerry.
To symbolise the pony's link with the heritage of the bog, these ponies
are named after bog flora and fauna. As well as those named above The Badger
Queen, Bog Cotton, the Brave Badger, Bog Oak, are just some of the names.
Reference:
Thelma Whitten, Skehana House, Mossfield, Clareen, Birr, Co Offaly, Ireland Email: Nigela@tinet.ie or Thelma@altavista.net
Images:
Thelma Whitten, Skehana House, Mossfield, Clareen, Birr, Co Offaly, Ireland
