Sable Island Horse

Sable Island horse is a strong and wiry animal. It is usually of scrub type but occasionally it is handsome. This breed is extremely hardy. This type of untamed horse is found inhabiting the Sable Island. This island is off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Herds of feral Sable Island horses have survived on this barren island since the last 500 or more years.

History of Sable Island Horse

During later part of the 18th century, these horses were brought to the Sable Island for the very first time. It is believed by a majority of people that these horses arrived on this island from several shipwrecks. As a matter of fact, these beliefs are incorrect. The fact is that these horses were deliberately left on Sable Island to forage and flourish. It is found that the first recorded horses were brought in 1737 by a Boston clergyman- the Reverend Andrew Le Mercier. However, most of these horses were stolen by passing mariners. The horses at present are said to have descended and apprehended from Acadians during the eviction of the Acadians. They were bought and brought to the island in the sixth decade of the 18th century. This credit is held by Boston merchant and ship owner Thomas Hancock. Though they are referred to as ponies every now and then because of the small size they have but it is also noteworthy that they have a horse phenotype.

In 1801 the government of Nova Scotia established a lifesaving station on Sable Island. After it some horses were given training to haul supplies and rescue paraphernalia. Lifesaving staff brought extra horses to the island as additions and improvements to the breeding stock of the herd. Among the first explicit horses on the island was the stallion, Jolly. It was taken there in 1801 and there was a record of importation for it.

Physique of Sable Island Horse

The horses that stay behind on Sable Island are undomesticated. The horses that were imported to the mainland were disciplined for rides. They are said to be first-rate, tough and hardy. They can travel on any type of terrain with ease. All the horses of today are enduring enough to thrive in an inhospitable environment. The herds of these horses are untouched by human influence or human interference. Thus, these horses display an array of characteristics. These horses usually have good heads and a straight or convex profile. These horses are short and their frame is solid and strapping.

Height of Sable Island Horse

The Sable Island Horse reaches to the height of about 14 hands high.

Body Color of Sable Island Horse

Usually the Sable Island horses wear coats of dark colors but some of them show white markings. The colors generally seen on its body are chestnut (often dark), bay, brown or black.

Uses of Sable Island Horse

As far as uses of Sable Island horses is concerned, they can be trained to saddle if they are caught at a very young age. They are used in harness and as riding ponies.

Sable Island, an Atlantic sandbank off the coast of Nova Scotia, grows no trees and no rich pastures. The Sable Island horses live wild on the island and survive without shelter or windbreak throughout winters which are often severe. The Sable Island horses are the most renowned of all the fauna that inhabits the Sable Island.