Ireland's Kerry Bog Pony
The 'Work Maids' of Irish Farmers
Kerry Bog Ponies are resilient little creatures that stand about 10 to 11 hands high. They have a distinctive Arab 'dish' face and were first bred in the 17th Century. Their main purpose in life was to work in the bogs and help move the peat to dry areas where it could be used for fuel for the stoves.
The Work Maids
Not unlike the people of Ireland the ponies held fast even in harsh conditions, surviving on the heather and sphagnum moss that grew in the bogs. They became the 'work maids' of the farmers, not only hauling peat for fuel but seaweed from the seashore to be used as fertilizer. They did this by pulling wheel-less slides loaded with baskets to gather the peat. Later they were hitched to two-wheel carts and used for transportation to town and sometimes to Sunday Mass. These little, gentle, intelligent ponies have long flaxen manes and tails, light feathering on their legs, and colors of chestnut, gray and bay.
Being Replaced
As the stories in history so often go the advent of mechanical transport, war and famine led to the decline of the usefulness of the Bog Pony. Their greatest enemy was possibly the importation of donkeys from Spain. The farmers thought the donkeys could haul more and work harder. They were finally relegated to becoming children's pets and soon dubbed the 'Hobby Horse'. When families who could not afford their land were evacuated they were told to take up their 'hobby horse' and go.
A New Beginning
In 1994 there were no more than 20 Kerry Bog Ponies left in Ireland. Facing extinction the brave little beasts were fast losing their right to their homeland until an Irishman named John Mulvihill of Glengeigh, Co. Kerry, began thinking about the stories his grandfather, Con Mulvihill, had told him about the ponies working in the bogs. He remembered that his father, owner and operator of a turf yard in Limerick, had used the ponies to deliver turf to his city customers. It seemed natural, then, that Mulvihill would purchase the little chestnut stallion that he recognized as a Kerry Bog Pony. The pony was DNA tested and certified to be a true descendant of the earlier ponies.
Kerry Bog Society
From that time on interest in the Heritage Pony grew and the Kerry Bog Pony Society was formed. The stallion Mulvihill had purchased was called Flashy Fox and he became the genetic marker for his breed. There are now 130 authentic Kerry Bog Ponies in Ireland and their popularity is growing rapidly. It took only one individual to realize what the loss of Ireland's Heritage Pony could mean. The brave little steeds are making a comeback through the generosity and foresight of the Mulvihill family.
Learn More
For further reading about this remarkable pony breed go to the Kerry Bog Pony Co-operative Society of Ireland.
Sources:
Kerrybogpony.ie
Kerrybogpony.org/KerryBogPony.html
Ansi.oklastate.edu/breeds/horses/kerrybog/index.htm
Bog Ponies Have Flaxen Manes
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