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Vickie: Thoughts
on the UK Shetland
People sometimes ask
us just WHY we go to all
the trouble and expense of purchasing and shipping ponies from the UK
when there are so many ponies here in the US that need homes and would
make good companions for our children. They also sometimes think that
we should rescue ponies that have been abandoned or neglected or use
similar sized ponies of other breeds. They mean well (and certainly
rescuing equines from unfortunate circumstances is an admirable task),
but the truth is that there simply is NO SUBSTITUTE for the UK
Shetland's sensitivity to children, their natural hardiness, and superb
temperaments.
This is a subject that
our volunteers talk about often because it IS hard at first to
understand just how unique and ideally suited to the program the UK
Shetland is. Here are some comments that Vicky Priest, State Director
for North Carolina, made on the PPL chat list recently.
Why do we need
imported ponies?
Why do we need
imported ponies? This is a question I am asked more often than any
other. People do not understand why we don't just get rescue ponies or
less expensive ponies. This is how I answer:
Is it fair for us to send "high maintenance"
ponies to families who often do not have a lot of equine experience? If
you have ever owned a parrot mouthed or club-footed pony, you realize
they can often require significantly more care. Also, a pony with
conformation flaws cannot be expected to have as active or as
fulfilling a life as a more correct pony. And well conformed ponies do
not JUST HAPPEN! This is why we must have excellent breeding stock. We
owe it to our ponies and to their familes to provide the maximum
quality lifespan.
Disposition is also a proven hereditary trait.
And in our line of work, disposition is EVERYTHING. The "hot blood"
introduced into many American pony breeds to give ponies a more refined
appearance has affected the perfect pony disposition we strive to
achieve.
I also often use this
analogy to help people understand:
Think of it this way: what if we were an
organization that donated FREE wheelchairs to kids who needed them? In
our zeal to provide wheelchairs for the maximum number of children, we
buy the cheapest wheelchairs we can find. Then we have given our
children something that is not quite as comfortable, maybe high in
maintenance costs and frequently in need of repair or adjustment. Is
this a great gift, free or not? But if instead we set out to provide
the highest quality product possible, the product best suited to its
intended purpose of serving a special-needs child, then the recipients
of our program would benefit tremendously. Hopefully, enthusiastic word
of our program would spread and support increase. More people would
help us with more money because we really ARE meeting the needs of our
recipient families with a VERY SPECIAL product that brings only joy
instead of being burdensome and disappointing.
We think Vicky's
comments address some very important points. And for more information
about our UK Shetlands and why our program carefully built around them,
please read our page on UK Shetlands and Charlee Messick's recent
letter, Why We Breed UK Sheltands. They are both "must reads" on this
issue.
Vicky Priest is State
Director of North Carolina. You can reach her at 910-628-5245 or email
her at dtpriest@carolina.net |
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