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The Highland Pony

Does the recession mean you will have to give up riding?
Not necessarily, but we are all going to have to watch the pennies. So a Highland as the family pony makes more sense than ever! As weight carriers, they are ideal as the family pony which everyone can enjoy. Small kids regularly ride some of my ponies and, as most would carry a stag,  big adults are no problem either. This year we had foals born outside in January during the harshest winter for decades without any shelter other than a wood -- but they fared well with minimal supplementary feeding. Highlands have a legendary temperament,. They are not boring slugs either; a Highland may not be a show jumper or excel in the dressage ring, but they can do a bit of everything and still not cost a fortune to maintain.

For the official description of the Highland pony go to The Highland Pony Society web site here. The characteristics that impress most who experience Highland ponies for the first time is their wonderful temperament, easy management, and the fact that they suit all ages (and sizes).

Breeding for temperament from old established lines is our primary aim here at The Morrich Stud . There have been many attempts to "improve" Highland ponies over the centuries so there are several defined types. Choose carefully before you buy and do your research! The Morrich Stud will, in the future, aim to produce the performance type of pony.

One of the largest of the pony breeds (officially up to 14.2HH or 1450mm), the Highland was probably originally developed as a sure footed weight carrier for transporting goods and personnel across the rugged  and wild countryside of the Scottish Highlands while thriving in harsh weather conditions on a sparse diet. Like Highland cattle, Highland ponies are best suited to the poorer grazing of the uplands and, without careful management,  can get over weight when brought into a softer environment.

As a weight carrier with a superb temperament, the Highland is an ideal family pony for all ages. With such a tough constitution, Highland mares were used to produce a useful cross with other breeds such as the Thoroughbred to the point when The Rare Breed Survival Trust became involved. Fortunately, the outstanding qualities of the pure breed are now better known and Highland ponies are pure bred and can command impressive prices! The pony was used by small farmers and crofters for general farm work and is still used as a general work horse, particularly on Highland sporting estates where they are rapidly regaining favour as an environmentally friendly means of extracting deer during culling, working in the forests, and so on. Land owners find that tracked vehicles damage the vegetation and cause erosion; ponies leave only a foot print which is soon repaired by Nature

Left: Grouse shooting party in the Highlands at lunch. The pointers lie curled up and asleep after a hard morning's work. The pony panniers carry the lunch for an unusually large shooting party.

Left: The lunch disposed of, the panniers can now be used to take the shot birds home.