Sable Island Pony
Encyclopedia
The Sable Island Pony, also known as the Sable Island Horse, is a type of feral horse
found on Sable Island
, an island off the coast of Nova Scotia
, Canada
. The first horses were brought to the island for pasture in the late eighteenth century, and additional horses were later transported to improve the herd's breeding stock. The horses are protected by law in their feral state. The horses live only at Sable Island and at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in nearby Shubenacadie
. The latter herd is descended from horses removed from the island in the 1950s.
were brought to the island during the late 18th century. Many people believe that they arrived on the island from shipwrecks, but they were intentionally taken there for breeding and pasture. The first recorded horses were brought by a Boston clergyman, the Reverend Andrew Le Mercier in 1737; mariners stole other horses and took them to the island to graze and multiply.
The present-day horses are thought to have descended mostly from horses seized by the British from the Acadian
s during the Expulsion of the Acadians. The Boston merchant and shipowner Thomas Hancock purchased the horses and transported them to the island in 1760. Although often referred to as ponies due to their small size, they have a horse phenotype
.
After the government of Nova Scotia established a lifesaving station on Sable Island in 1801, workers trained some of the horses to haul supplies and rescue equipment. Lifesaving staff brought additional horses to the island to improve the herd's breeding stock. They recorded the importation of the stallion, Jolly, taken there in 1801.
Although the horses live in a challenging and isolated environment, they maintain a stable and healthy herd. Its numbers vary, but it averages between 200 and 350 horses. The Sable Island horses have been protected since 1961 by regulations of the Canada Shipping Act prohibiting removing or interfering with them. In 2008, the Nova Scotia Legislature
declared the Sable Island Horse as one of the provincial symbols, making them the official horse of Nova Scotia.
Aside from the island, Sable Island Horses live only at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
. It maintains descendants of Sable Island Ponies removed from the island in the 1950s by the Canadian Department of Transport. The Nova Scotia Museum
has a study and specimen collection of the Sable Island horses through a Research Associate. A complete skeleton of Sable Island Pony is displayed in the Mammals Gallery at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
The horses that remain on Sable Island are feral
. In the past, people trained the horses exported to the mainland. They reported the horses as excellent, tough and enduring, and able to travel with ease on any terrain. The present-day horses are very hardy and thrive in an inhospitable environment. As the herds are not managed, the horses exhibit a range of characteristics. In general, they have nice heads with a straight or convex profile, and are short, stocky and muscular in frame. Tails are low-set and shaggy. Their coats are mostly dark colours, but some do have white markings
. About half are bays, with the rest evenly distributed among chestnut
, black
and palomino
. There are no grays. Males average about 360 kilograms; females about 300 kilograms.
Feral horse
A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated ancestry. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses...
found on Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
, an island off the coast of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The first horses were brought to the island for pasture in the late eighteenth century, and additional horses were later transported to improve the herd's breeding stock. The horses are protected by law in their feral state. The horses live only at Sable Island and at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in nearby Shubenacadie
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Shubenacadie is a community located in Hants County, in central Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2006, the population was 2,074.In the Micmac language, Shubenacadie means "abounding in ground nuts" or "place where the red potato Shubenacadie (['ʃuːbə'nækədiː]) is a community located in Hants County, in...
. The latter herd is descended from horses removed from the island in the 1950s.
History
The first horses on Sable IslandSable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
were brought to the island during the late 18th century. Many people believe that they arrived on the island from shipwrecks, but they were intentionally taken there for breeding and pasture. The first recorded horses were brought by a Boston clergyman, the Reverend Andrew Le Mercier in 1737; mariners stole other horses and took them to the island to graze and multiply.
The present-day horses are thought to have descended mostly from horses seized by the British from the Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
s during the Expulsion of the Acadians. The Boston merchant and shipowner Thomas Hancock purchased the horses and transported them to the island in 1760. Although often referred to as ponies due to their small size, they have a horse phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
.
After the government of Nova Scotia established a lifesaving station on Sable Island in 1801, workers trained some of the horses to haul supplies and rescue equipment. Lifesaving staff brought additional horses to the island to improve the herd's breeding stock. They recorded the importation of the stallion, Jolly, taken there in 1801.
Although the horses live in a challenging and isolated environment, they maintain a stable and healthy herd. Its numbers vary, but it averages between 200 and 350 horses. The Sable Island horses have been protected since 1961 by regulations of the Canada Shipping Act prohibiting removing or interfering with them. In 2008, the Nova Scotia Legislature
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...
declared the Sable Island Horse as one of the provincial symbols, making them the official horse of Nova Scotia.
Aside from the island, Sable Island Horses live only at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Shubenacadie is a community located in Hants County, in central Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2006, the population was 2,074.In the Micmac language, Shubenacadie means "abounding in ground nuts" or "place where the red potato Shubenacadie (['ʃuːbə'nækədiː]) is a community located in Hants County, in...
. It maintains descendants of Sable Island Ponies removed from the island in the 1950s by the Canadian Department of Transport. The Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum is the corporate name for the most decentralized museum in Canada - 27 museums across Nova Scotia, including over 200 historic buildings, living history sites, vessels, specialized museums and close to a million artifacts and specimens...
has a study and specimen collection of the Sable Island horses through a Research Associate. A complete skeleton of Sable Island Pony is displayed in the Mammals Gallery at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
Breed characteristics
Feral horse
A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated ancestry. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses...
. In the past, people trained the horses exported to the mainland. They reported the horses as excellent, tough and enduring, and able to travel with ease on any terrain. The present-day horses are very hardy and thrive in an inhospitable environment. As the herds are not managed, the horses exhibit a range of characteristics. In general, they have nice heads with a straight or convex profile, and are short, stocky and muscular in frame. Tails are low-set and shaggy. Their coats are mostly dark colours, but some do have white markings
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
. About half are bays, with the rest evenly distributed among chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
, black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
and palomino
Palomino
Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...
. There are no grays. Males average about 360 kilograms; females about 300 kilograms.
External links
- Wild Ponies of Sable Island - archived 1895 article from The Halifax (N.S.) Herald .
- Green Horse Society - Sable Island Horses