Disclaimer: this is my personal home page: any views expressed here are purely my own, not representative of the University of Dundee, the Highland Pony Society, or any other body.
The Highland really is a "versatile breed", as one of my old HPS sweatshirts declares. There are ponies doing driving, dressage, endurance, western, jumping, hunting, hacking, trekking, carrying deer, you name it there's probably a Highland doing it!
Since I loved taking part in a very tiny way in a recent outdoor play with one of my ponies, I couldn't bear to remove the photos, so as one example, take my Rosie. This pony has done everything I ask of her the last year or so, taken from a field to the superb fun weekend at Scott McGregor's Ballinton Stud last June, she did dressage, jumping, handy pony, stood about in the rain, got turned out with a field of strange ponies, and didn't bat an eyelid the whole time! Getting her home I started hacking out after a long break in confidence with my riding, and she looked after me by simply going wherever I pointed her, up a steep bank, through a small gap in a fallen conifer, letting me open and close gates without dismounting, giving me the confidence to canter and gallop knowing I had brakes if I needed them, going on a rideout at Blair with 46 ponies in a single ride, fording a wide stony river and going all day without complaint or misbehaviour. This truly is a pony for any rider - I've had nervous riders up, a baby sitting on her, someone that wanted to just enjoy a hack, and escorted novice ponies out at a sedate walk before going off on our own for a blast around the canter stretch. This is the kind of pony most people ask for when looking for a Highland as it really is a pleasure to own and ride one of these. But sadly I have to say they don't come on the market very often as people like myself just can't bear to part with them!
As for this play, Rosie was a trooper - she didn't put a foot wrong all week, when she was somewhat concerned about the flapping cloak of her rider's costume, she stopped to see what was going on, rather than bolt in fear. And quickly she worked out it was intended, sorted out her cues and script and was soon able to take the music change on the tannoy as her cue to start up the hill at a canter, a burst of gallop and then slow down and stop at the top. A gem of a pony worth her weight in gold and, at 14yo, with many more years of pleasure to give. But no, you can't have her!
Showing native versatility: as a cast member for "Footsteps of Christ" Rosie (Primrose of Tower) together with Mhairi Bhan of Achnacarry took part in a superb 4 day show at Lochieheads in June 2002. The ponies also did a pretty good job as ambassadors for the Highland breed and got lots of attention into the bargain. (NB the dove on the roof in the last picture was also in the cast!) 
| Ellie Douglas
E-mail: a.douglas@dundee.ac.uk |
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Copyright ©A Douglas 1997 |