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The Fell Pony by Stonecreek Farm
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The Fell Pony hails from northern England and the Scottish border where they derive their name, FELL, from the norse word for “hill”.
During the Roman occupation on this border, troops were brought in to help man Hadrian’s Wall, which separated these two countries.
These troops brought many different types of horses, including the Friesian, that were bred with the Celtic pony. This cross might have
produced an animal closer to ‘horse size’, but anything over 13.2 hands high was not suited to the conditions on the northern fells. Big
animals could not survive without extra feeding, so by natural selection, the breed stabilized as a pony.
Fells were commonly known as a working pony. They were used for plowing, pulling, transporting goods, carriage driving, and ‘deer
stalking’, an activity that required a steady, surefooted pack pony which would carry the dead stag down the hills for the hunter. The
advent of the Industrial Revolution led to the Fell Pony being used to transport iron-ore once it had been excavated from the mines.
The Fell Pony today is used for pleasure riding, endurance riding, competitive driving, showing, dressage, jumping,
shepherding, and farming.
A Fell Pony is capable of carrying a grown man all day with ease. They have legs and hooves like iron and plenty of dense flat bone
below the knee. They are very strong, tireless, surefooted and thrifty. They are well known for their docile temperament and with
proper training are considered perfect for the disabled. Fell Ponies have the reputation of being very easy to maintain. They can work
all day on a small ration and thrive where a more highly bred equine would find it difficult to survive. Fell Ponies are renowned for their
ground-covering trot, thick leg feathering and profuse mane and tail. The lay of their shoulder makes them a comfortable long-distance
riding mount, and the depth of their girth and soundness of limb make them trouble-free competitors for driving, jumping or dressage.
The Queen of England’s personal riding mount is a Fell Pony, and her husband, HM The Duke of Edinburgh drives a team of Fells competitively.
The average height of a Fell Pony is 13.2 hh, with breed standard allowing them to be up to 14 hh. They come in 4 colors; black, the
most predominant, brown, bay and the rare gray. A star, and/or a little white on or below the hind fetlock is acceptable.
Globally there are less than 6,000 registered Fell Ponies. The integrity and usefulness of the breed has come to light recently and the
population in North America, now 105, has doubled within the last year. The largest herd in North America, consisting of 16 Fell Ponies, is located at Stonecreek Farm in Denison, Texas.
Stonecreek Farm did much research on many breeds before choosing the Fell Pony. After owning other breeds, and a serious riding
accident, the farm’s owner was searching for a hearty breed that the entire family could ride, with beauty and a docile temperament.
The farm shows their stock at local shows occasionally and most recently made the 3000 mile round trip to Equine Affaire in Pomona,
California to exhibit the breed in conjunction with The Fell Pony Society of North America .
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