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Articles below which were not written by Mary Jean Gould-Earley have been reproduced with permission from the authors and/or publishers.        

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This feature article about Fell ponies was published in Young Rider magazine in July/August 2004. 
It was also reprinted in the Fell Pony Express, Vol. 3., No. 1. 
Click anywhere on image below to download full article as an Adobe pdf file. 

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Reprinted with permission from Lesley Ward, Editor, Young Rider Magazine

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The Fell Pony Family Tree:  
Ancestry and Breeding Considerations for a Small Gene Pool

by Mary Jean Gould-Earley  

(Note:  This page is still under construction -- more photos to be added soon!)

    With a worldwide population of around 5000, and a North American population currently at 43, it is clear that the "gene pool" of the modern day Fell pony is remarkably small!  We have created a “Fell Pony Stallion Family Tree”  for everyone’s benefit.  Hopefully one will find this of value particularly if you are breeding Fells.  The ancestry is traced back as far as is recorded in the Fell Pony and Dales Studbooks and related references such as Clive Richardson’s book “The Fell Pony” (JA Allen, London, 1990) as well as Iona Fitzgerald’s book “The Dales Pony” (Whittet Books Ltd, Suffolk, 2000) -- both highly recommended reading.  We also have all data in a computer database which can be used to calculate inbreeding coefficients, etc.   when dealing with a very limited gene pool.  Most people say, as a good rule of thumb, to avoid breeding any particular parents together when there are common ancestors within 3 generations.  In the case of the Fell Pony one must also keep in mind the genetic bottleneck seen just a few generations back from there.  The average inbreeding coefficient in our North American Fell population is well above zero if you go back 5 or 6 generations in the calculations -- a point when there was somewhat of a genetic “bottleneck” and the same sires were used over and over.  It is always a trade-off between outcrossing and inbreeding.  The latter is not uncommonly done to consolidate type, but this is always at the expense of genetic diversity (needed for immune competence), and increased risk of subfertility, structural defects (cleft palate, etc.), etc.  It is surely a delicate balance!

     The way the North American version of the tree is designed, offspring of listed sires are shown in contiguous boxes directly to the right of the sire.   The mares in North America are also shown, as well as a few select mares which connect the 2 main “branches” in the tree (designated by “A” and “B”).  The accessory branches (“C” and beyond) show additional lines primarily contributing to the mare’s pedigrees. If you take any particular pony and look at the sire’s pedigree as well as the sire of the dam’s pedigree, you should be able to conceptualize a pretty good chunk of any particular pony’s ancestors.  Obviously if we tried to include ALL the mares shown in pedigrees, the table would be beyond confusing, so we tried to keep it as simple as possible to still get the information across.   Don’t forget to look at the maternal grandsire’s line, too (i.e., not just the sire’s) to get a real idea of “relatedness” of any particular stallions.  For instance, the sire of Waverhead Model IV is in line “A” and his dam’s sire is in line “B”.  Obviously, both sire and dam contribute equally to the offspring’s genome.  To view the North American version of the Fell Pony Family Tree,

    Historically, although the Fell breed is of considerable antiquity, the first Fell ponies were not registered until 1898.  Nonetheless, the Fell pony is believed to have changed little over the centuries.  Although there is some disagreement to the origin of the Fell pony, the most commonly accepted theory stems from the remarkable similarity between the Fell pony and the Friesian horse.  It is believed that the breed developed during the Roman occupation of Britain early in the first Century, at which time mercenaries from Friesland were involved in the construction of Hadrian’s Wall.  The Friesian auxiliaries brought their own horses with them, ancestors of the modern Friesian horse.  Bred from Friesian stallions and native pony mares, the resultant offspring inherited the strength and docile nature of the Friesian along with the hardiness and pony-character of the north country ponies  -- hence, the foundation stock for the Fell pony breed is believed to have originated. Evidence that some Friesian mercenaries made their home in this region comes from place names like Frizington in Cumbria, which roughly translated means “Village of the sons of Friesians”.  An opposing theory suggests otherwise in Anthony Dent's book “Foals of Epona”.  He apparently suggests that in prehistory there was a dark-coated pony in the Channel area (between England and France -- before the sea separated the islands from the continent) which may have been foundation stock for several breeds - the Friesian, the Fell and Dales, French Merens and Ariegeois, Doele in Norway, and other breeds in Portugal and even Italy.  why, then, would the Dales and Fell breeds predominantly dark (black, brown, bay) while other native breeds are grey, palomino, chestnut, dun?  Hmmm. Like the old “which came first, the chicken or the egg” question, we will probably never know the answer to these questions!          

    Both the Fell and Dales ponies are considered native “Mountain and Moorland” ponies in England, and when the Studbook first opened in 1898 there was no distinction between the Fell and Dales.  At the time they were considered by some to be two types of the same breed.  Today, the modern Dales pony is considered to be an “improved” breed with Clydesdale influence, but is otherwise of considerable antiquity as well.  Both the Fell Pony and the Dales originated from similar foundation stock found throughout the area of the Pennine range, the great “backbone” that divides northern England.  Fell ponies are named for the “fells” or “hills”, whereas Dales ponies are named for the “dales” or “valleys”.  The Fell has always been of generally smaller stature and thus more able to withstand life on the sometimes “bleak, inhospitable fells”.  Both Fell and Dales ponies have been known as “galloways” in northern England, signifying a strong, hardy, versatile pony from 13 to 15 hands, similar to the now extinct Scottish Galloway which likely contributed to the development of both breeds.  It seems it was “fashionable” to cross-breed horses and ponies of various breeds in the 19^th century in particular, using Fell, Dales, Hackney, Welsh Cob, Norfolk Roadster, Thoroughbred, Clydesdale, etc.  The purpose of crossbreeding was reportedly to “improve” one breed or another – a practice that was also necessary to preserve it when the population of breeding animals was small.  It was also general practice at the time to register a foal in the Studbook of the dam.  Thus, even though registered Hackneys (shown in line “B”), known collectively as “The Comets”, are foundation sires for the current Fell pony breed as we know it, the dams used were generally Fell (or Dales).  The foundation sire “Trotting Comet”, also known as “Old Comet”, foaled in 1840, was registered as 834 in the Hackney Horse Studbook.  In addition to being a foundation sire for the Fell and Dales ponies, he was also a “founding father of Welsh Cob”.  His son Trotting Comet 1411 (Hackney), was considered to be a Welsh Cob.  Since the Welsh Cob Studbook had not yet opened at the time, presumably he was registered as Hackney simply because he was a fast trotter like his sire.  He originated from Wales where he was known as one of he many “Young Comets”.  He was brought in to Fell country to compete against the Fell ponies in trotting races there, and in the north he became known as “Comet Talbot”.  He was an influential sire, and breeders believed that animals with Comet blood inherited his tremendous energy, soundness and stamina.  Comet was responsible for producing “The Comets”, a type of large, active roadster out of galloway mares, which “used to sell like hot cakes at the Brough Hill Fair”. His grandson was the grey “Teasdale Comet”, foaled in 1898 out of a Dales mare, that was later registered as Dales 904.  At this point in my research, it appears he can be found in all of the pedigrees of registered Fells living in North America today, and I suspect the same will hold true for the ponies in the U.K. but I am still researching that matter.  In addition, all extended Dales pedigrees of modern ponies reportedly carry his line.  He was never registered as a Fell, being 14.2 hands, but was eventually registered as Dales at the age of 24 years after the Dales Studbook opened in 1917.  Two of his sons became influential Fell stallions, the black Pendragon Comet (974) and the brown Weardale Hero (607) foaled in 1902, the sire of Heltondale Victor (938).   Bringing the two main “limbs” of the tree together, his granddaughter “Rookby Kate” (Dales 5533) by Pendragon Comet is the dam of “Black Jock II” (Dales 2321, f. 1937), a foundation sire in line “A”.   

    Other than Teasdale Comet and his predecessors, all of our licensed North American stallions living today have an additional, relatively recent common ancestor – Glenwelt 4546, a black stallion foaled in 1964 who is shown in line “A”.  Glenwelt must have had an interesting life to influence so many pedigrees and yet according to the Studbook he was gelded at age four!  Glenwelt’s daughter, Heltondale Beauty V (13925) is the paternal grandmother of Orton Hall Danny.  Johnnie Walker (4140), foaled in 1958, is Glenwelt’s half-brother by Merry John III (3709).  Johnnie Walker was imported to Canada by EP Taylor in 1967.

     Dales are frequently shown in the Fell pedigrees particularly in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries when Dales and Fells shared the same Studbook and were often bred interchangeably.  Some of these ponies are in fact double-registered (having been later reregistered as Dales when the Dales Studbook opened).  There was great controversy at the time as to whether these were in fact two separate breeds of ponies, with the size distinction of the larger Dales as well as the location they were bred being considered the main differences.  Geographically they both originated in northern England/southern Scotland and, as was true for the many of the various breeds of native British ponies, the relatively confined breeding areas over many centuries helped to consolidate type.  The Fell and Dales are believed to have arisen from the same stock, widely dispersed over Northumberland, Southern Scotland, Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire and Yorkshire.  It wasn’t until the 19^th century when greater differences in the two breeds began to be seen as the agricultural demands of land to the east of the Pennine range suggested crossing Dales with the Clydesdale. Thus the Dales developed from a pony breed to a cob up to 15 hands. In a sense the Dales is an offshoot from the original combined “galloway” breed originally found throughout the north, whereas the Fell pony remained true in type primarily to the west of the Pennines.  Certainly the more recent entwined Studbooks of the Fell and Dales allowed each to influence the other particularly during the 20^th century.  The pony quality of the Fell was also used to “improve” the Dales breed for many years, primarily to regain the pony quality of the breed lost to the Clydesdale influence of the Dales more recent ancestry.  White markings continue to be more common in Dales probably due to the Clydesdale influence.  Meanwhile, Dales parentage also continued to appear in the pedigrees of registered Fells well into the 20^th century.  It wasn’t until 1969 that the Fell Stud Book was closed to all but registered and graded-up ponies.  In 1970, the Dales council also ruled that a pony eligible for registration in the Fell Stud Book could not be registered in the Dales Stud Book.  At this point they can certainly be considered separate breeds through the development of separate Studbooks over the course of the last century.  Up until 1980, all Fell pony registrations were recorded in the Fell section of the National Pony Society Studbook, after which the Fell Pony Society began to publish its own annual Stud Book.

     We hope you enjoy this bit of history and that you find this family tree a valuable tool if you are planning a Fell pony breeding program.  We are working on adding all the licensed Fell stallions to our database as we are curious to see if there are any other stallion lines in existence.  This of course would be useful information when considering the importation of a stud colt to add to our North American population. The second version of the stallion tree, for simplicity’s sake, will only include stallions in addition to a few select mares that show where the main lines intersect.  We hope to have the "global" version of the family tree online soon! . . .  

Breeds of Livestock:  Fell Pony

north country where feed is always at a premium, the Fell requires less keep than most horses and ponies, and given sufficient shelter, will live out in all weather. Generally, the native breeds were named after-their local habitat and in relation to the work for which they were bred ... thus the name "Fell" or hills.

The Romans, in their endless search for conquests, first landed on the shores of Britain around about 55 B.C. A considerable number of Friesian horses were imported into the north of England either by the Romans or by mercenaries in their employ. Eventually when the Romans withdrew from Britain to go to the aid of their besieged home city of Rome, they left behind about one thousand Friesian horses, most of which were stallions, and which were bred with the native ponies. From these not only the Fell was bred but also the Old English Black (now merged into the Shire Horse) and the now extinct Galloway and Fen ponies.

The Fell Pony's similarity to the Friesian horse has always been striking. Apart from looking very much alike, the Friesian horse was, and still is, noted for its ability to trot, and this characteristic was passed on to the Fell Pony, which soon attained fame likewise for its speed and stamina at this gait. There is no doubt that the Fell Pony and the Welsh Pony were the foundation for the modern Hackney Pony with its extravagant high stepping action (from A History of British Driving Ponies by Anthony Dent and Daphne Machin Goodall).

The present day Fell Pony stands up to fourteen hands, which is the height limit, although most average thirteen hands two inches. The head should be neat and pony-like and set on a fairly long neck which together with well laid back shoulders gives the rider a good length of rein. Large or coarse heads should be avoided, and a pony with a short, thick neck will never be a good ride. The ribs should be well sprung and the loins strong. The quarters should be muscular and powerful and the hocks well let down. Good legs are one of the qualities of the breed, and these must be strong with plenty of bone. Pasterns should slope moderately, and the hooves should be hard and open with the characteristic blue horn. The feather, which extends up to the knee should be straight and silky, and the mane and tail long and thick.
Photo:  Fell Pony stallion "Tarnbeck Lightning" put to a Montford Vehicle by Mary Nygaard.   
Photo courtesy of New Farm in Englewood, FL.

 

 

 

 

Information and bottom photo (by John Ehmke) were provided by Mary Nygaard, New Farm, Englewood, FL 34223, with top photo provided by Mary Jean Gould-Earley of Laurel Highland Farm, Cogan Station, PA 17728.

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Copyright © 1996 Oklahoma State University Board of Regents. All rights reserved.

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by The Fell Pony Society

Early History

The Wild European pony migrated to the British Isle approx 1500BC. One type predominated in northern England, and can be credited as the progenitor of the Fell Pony. When crop farming and animal husbandry replaced hunting, wild ponies were drastically reduced to conserve available pasture. In northern England ponies became almost extinct in some parts and those that remained existed in small pockets which encouraged inbreeding and so led to regional characteristics.

By the time the Romans were well established in the North there must have been a definite type of dark coloured pony, standing perhaps just over 13hh, bred within the local catchment area of Hadrian's Roman Wall. Bred from Fresian stallions and indigenous pony mares the resulting progeny inherited the strength and quiet nature of the Friesian along with the hardiness, thriftiness and pony character of the north country ponies. Most of the ponies were black, dark brown or bay, white markings were very rare, and as the size of the pony was governed by the quality of grazing, it is unlikely that ponies exceeding 13hh could have survived on the northern moorland.

The early fell pony type of animal made an ideal fell pony, it was strong and sure-footed, placid in nature and not too big to make loading and unloading difficult while being up to the weight of a full load. Unlike the small native ponies of pre-Roman times, the improved Fell type was large enough for a man to ride and was recognised as a dual-purpose breed.

The Vikings used the ponies for ploughing and sledge pulling, the Normans for shepherding, by the thirteenth century there was a brisk trade in wool to Belgium, and local ponies were used to transport merchandise around the country, old packways can still be seen today.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution was a comparatively rapid innovation but one that, directly or otherwise, affected the whole country. Its initial effect on the Fell Pony came by way of iron-ore mines situated in the north-west of England. Once excavated the ore had to be transported across country to the smelting works of the north-east coast, and because of the uneven topography of the country and complete lack of suitable roads and canals, other feasible methods of transport had to be found. The coming of the railways meant redundancy for many of the pony teams and their dependant tradesmen, within an incredibly short period of time hundreds of ponies disappeared, many being sold abroad for slaughter. Fortunately the Fell Pony was still surviving in it's native Lakeland home, and despite it's dramatic rise and fall at the hands of the industrialists, as a breed it was quite unchanged, for the disbanding of pony teams had not affected the true pony breeding stock at home on the Cumbrian hills.

The affluent 1950's saw the beginnings of the popularity of riding for pleasure, a pursuit that has gained momentum ever since and in its wake guaranteed the future of many native breeds. The number of ponies being registered with the Fell Pony Society has risen gradually ever since.

Ref: "The Fell Pony" - Clive Richardson 1981, 1990

The Fell Pony Today

There is a demand for an all-round family pony capable of carrying all members of the family and versatile enough to fulfil a wide variety of jobs previously done by two or three more specialised animals. In this capacity the Fell Pony is ideal being well up to the weight of a heavy adult, yet quiet enough and not too big for a child. In many respects the present day family Fell Pony is mainly continuing to apply to modern demands, the same adaptability which endeared it to the Lakeland farmers of approximately a hundred years ago.

As a hack and general riding pony, the Fell's fast walk and easy paces make it a pleasant and comfortable ride, and its sure footedness ensures a safe passage over the roughest country. It is possible to ride a Fell pony through places where other lighter bred ponies would come to grief and Fells seem to have a sixth sense which alerts them to possible danger, they seem to know which is the soundest track through soft marshy ground or the safest descent of a rocky hillside.

To test these qualities The Fell Pony Society holds an annual performance trial where the course comprises a varied range of difficult terrain including steep and twisting hills, boggy ground, a watercrossing and several natural hazards such as fallen logs and the like. Fell Ponies are generally creditable jumpers, particularly across country, being both agile and very clever on their feet, which is a valuable asset when jumping "blind" when out hunting. Although most lack the scope to make top class jumping ponies, their abilities are well up to local shows or Pony Club events where many prove their worth.

The rediscovery of Driving as a recreational sport has given the Fell Pony the means of continuing in a job which it has traditionally done for centuries. They are well suited to this work, having great stamina. The fact that the Fell Ponies breed very true to type makes it very easy to find matched pairs than is the case with many of the other breeds. Their main limitation in competitive work is their lack of speed, but their tireless energy compensates amply and several acquit themselves well in combined driving events. A few Fell Ponies are still used in Scotland carrying the stags and grouse panniers down from the moors. Some of HM The Queen's ponies are sometimes used for this purpose at Balmoral while others are used for both riding and driving by the Royal Family. Large numbers of Fell Ponies are used in riding and trekking stables throughout the country because of their docile temperaments and useful size. The Riding for the Disabled movement employs a number as mounts for both disabled children and adults.

All these attributes make the Fell Pony an Ideal Family Pony.

Ref: The history of the Fell Pony & The Modern Fell Pony - Fell Pony 2000

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THE CHALLENGE FOR RARE BREED SURVIVAL

To learn more about a rare syndrome affecting Fell foals,

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Copyright © 1999-2000 by Laurel Highland Farm. All rights reserved.
Revised: 08 Feb 2008 22:16:16 -0800.