The Hackney breed originated out of England during the 1800s and were very popular for pulling carriages, thanks to their strong frame. They eventually became popular throughout Great Britain and the U.S. before the invention of the automobile. The Hackney Pony stands at just under 5 feet tall, but is still very powerful, just in a compact version. They became popular show ponies because of their unique gait. They walk with a really high stride, picking their knees up and keeping their long neck up as they go. A lot of people think that Presentation walks funny, but it’s just her training.
When the owners of WCC moved down here in 1994, they were raising and breeding Hackney Ponies and American Saddlebreds. Unique Presentation has been with us for her entire life, and she’s 26 years old now. She’s retired now but she was quite the show pony in her heyday, and now she just goes by Presentation.
Horses are some of the only animals that can sweat like people. Their hair and fur is so short and thin that the water can get out to the open air and cool them down. Anything thicker than that or longer than that and they can’t sweat. They are also Perissodactyla, meaning odd-toed ungulates. They just have one toe, you probably know it as a hoof, but it’s actually all five of their original toes fused together into one. Horses and ponies have a nice set of teeth in their mouth, with teeth on the top and bottom in the front. So watch out when you feed her, and keep your fingers out of the way!