The long history of Shetland Ponies and a the short history of our stud

Yesterday I recieved my Christmas present early while the four books of Shetland Ponies which I had ordered from The Shetland Pony Stud-Book Society arrived. Though I'm already quite familiar with the history of the ponies due to "google" and other resources, these books certainly will bring me more information of this wonderful breed.

One particulary for me important and interesting information will be everything I will find of the famous Lady Estella Hope and her ponies. I have always been very interested in horses bloodlines, until now especially those of the standardbred horses and I have always "investigated" my own horses bloodlines inside out. Starting this hobby with Shetland Ponies of course gives me a new opportunity to start learning about this breeds bloodlines and of the people behind the development of the breed.

After reading all night long the books yesterday it was very interesting to even more clearly realize that in Verano Lee v.d. Zandkamp 150 SH, our stallion, bought today exactly one year ago from Mrs Betina Retvig at Hesseldal Stud in Denmark I have a concrete memory of Lady Estella Hopes ponies in his color dun. Of course all our ponies carry in their genes marks of their ancestors from many great studs in the UK, but with the dun color remaining in Verano it's touchable, and I can relate to the breeder of his ancestors in England a hundred years ago. The book A Century of Shetland starts with the chapter of South Park Stud, written by Lady Joan Gore-Langton and she points out the thing I'm after in breeding with Verano, she tells about breeding the minishetland-lines after her great-aunt Estella death and says ".. I saw no reason why we should not strive for perfection in all colors as well as shape, the same as we had for their larger cousines". I only can agree, color should never be the only reason for breeding any pony, but worth keeping as we try equally breed good ponies true to type.

Verano has been better than expected in every way so far, I even broke him for driving in the age of 7 years last spring with no difficulties. Another important notice to make from the old stories from the books is that the stallions often where also driven by their owners at the studs, as the geldings and mares where ridden or driven by children (and adults), already in those days Shetland Ponies was used by adults as well as children.  Lady Estella Hopes dun stallions Ferdinand (presuambly the source to Veranos dun color) and Cockoo even travelled to Germany to be shown in pair by a friend and took all the prizes - in 1938!

Verano is a wonderful stallion in every way. We look forward to meet his foals next summer and hope he will bring some nice foals in color as well as in conformation and type, to keep alive the old bloodlines with dun color all the way from the times of Lady Estella Hope and the centuries before her.

Verano Lee v.d. Zandkamp 150 SH at at Shetland Pony Show at Ruukki in the spring 2011. Foto&copyright by: Katri Pintamo-Kenttälä