Ponies Past and Present - by Walter Gilbey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This is a book about the history of the pony-its origins, its transformations, and the unlikely grandeur of its smallness. From the wind-scoured Shetlands to the limestone hills of Connemara, the British pony's story is one of endurance turned into elegance. Bred first for labor and survival, these small horses were gradually refined through centuries of crossing-Welsh with Arab, Highland with Thoroughbred-until movement itself became an art form. By the late nineteenth century, studbooks and societies formalized what farmers and riders had long practiced: that scope, temperament, and balance could be bred as deliberately as beauty. Influential lines such as Bwlch Valentino and the great Gayfields breeding program helped define the modern pony, uniting Welsh courage with refinement and athletic reach. The show and polo ponies of the twentieth century became compact athletes trained to combine intelligence with grace. Today, from the polished Clovermeade hunter-jumpers in American rings to Open Chacota thundering down a high-goal polo field, the pony's lineage endures-proof that centuries of breeding still move beneath every gleaming coat and measured stride.