Howley -
Loretta Kelly received a rare gift in late August when one of her Newfoundland ponies gave birth to a foal.
Kelly always had a pony while she was growing up in Howley, but received her first Newfoundland pony, Queenie, about 20 years ago.
"The Newfoundland Pony Society was looking for people to look after the ponies, like foster families," said Kelly.
The need to help out and care for a breed already in distress caused Kelly to drive across the province and take in two more Newfoundland ponies during a snowy November 13 years ago. She made the drive from St. John's back to Howley with two four-month-old ponies, Spirit of Topsail and Maggie, in the back of her van. They have made their home in a fenced field and hay-strewn barn ever since.
Kelly's pony family has grown over the years. Her mare and stallion had two foals, Angel and Nancy, who live on the farm as well.
With the help of a friend, Angel was whisked away to Cormack to conceive and brought back to Howley unbeknownst to anyone.
"I didn't tell a soul. Even my husband didn't know nothing of her until she was born," said Kelly. Angel is the mother of the two-month-old foal, Precious Angel.
Now, at the age of 70, Kelly knows she will not take in or breed anymore ponies herself.
"At the beginning, I had planned on breeding them regularly. To help and bring the numbers of the ponies back up. I sold a couple of stallions," said Kelly. She said she's kept most of her pony family on her farm.
Kelly remembers when ponies used to be the main mode of transportation through the back roads and woods of Newfoundland.
"A pony was your transportation. You'd work in the woods and you had a pony. You had something get around on and get your wood," said Kelly.
"You can use them for pulling wood, you can use them with a wagon and a cart and you can use them for saddle riding. They're a very kind-spirited animal," said Kelly.
"They've adapted to the island, they're very rugged," said Kelly's daughter, Norma Power.
It is obvious how adaptable the animal has become with its coat thickened and long as the snow dusts its mane on one of the first snow days of this year.
"You could actually leave them out all winter and it wouldn't bother them. Most ponies need to be housed," she said.
The ponies saw a dramatic decrease in their population in the late 1970s. According to the Newfoundland Pony Breed Association, the numbers plummeted from about 10,000 ponies in 1900 to about 144 in 1997. Flirting with being wiped out entirely, the Newfoundland pony was declared a heritage animal by the provincial government that same year.
The numbers have increased to about 400 Newfoundland ponies presently across Canada.
Kelly said caring for the ponies is not light work, but to her, seeing the animals healthy and thriving, makes it worthwhile.
"It takes a lot of time and care. You have to look after them like a youngster. You need to wash them and water them and feed them," she said.
But, said Kelly, even with the workload and constant caregiving, she loves having these rare Newfoundland ponies as part of her family.
"It's a passion. You just love it, that's all. Not something I do because I got to do it. It's something I do because I love to do it," she said.
WEBLINKS:
http://www.npba.ca/
http://www.newfoundlandpony.com/
http://www.rarebreedscanada.ca/
