Meet The Newfoundland Pony

(Hallie Cotnam · CBC News) "A small farm in Perth, Ont., is taking big steps to rescue a historically significant pony breed with the birth of two new foals. Newfoundland ponies descended from original stock brought to the island by British settlers to pull wagons and haul firewood, timber and kelp. They're distinct from other breeds in that their coat is especially thick and their front legs are closely set. 'They … have survival traits that have evolved from living on such a rugged, harsh island,' said Korrine Affleck, co-owner of Willow Creek Stables. 'They've got very small, short, furry ears that protect them against frostbite and black flies.'

Affleck and her partner Wayne Jordan were pleased to announce the birth last week of a colt named Touton, or officially, Touton of Jellybean Row. 'Touton is essentially a fried dough pancake … usually served with molasses and sometimes with 'scrunchions,' said Affleck, describing a Newfoundland specialty that was the inspiration behind the pony's name. Scrunchions are bite-size pieces of fried pork fat. Touton joins Georgie, a filly born on the farm just last month and named after artist Clifford George, himself a devoted supporter of the Newfoundland pony breed. The Willow Creek Stables herd now numbers 15, one of the largest in Canada.

'The latter part of the 20th century has not been kind to our Newfoundland pony,' said Affleck. Tractors, snowmobiles and ATVs rendered them obsolete. Changes to open grazing laws in the 1970s meant they could no longer forage at will. Instead, pony owners had to buy hay and ship it in from Nova Scotia. From an estimated population of about 12,000 in 1970, 'the ponies dropped to fewer than 100 by 1980,' Affleck told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning, describing how the unwanted ponies were sold to meat processing plants in Quebec, then shipped to Belgium and France for human consumption. According to Affleck, there are now just a few hundred Newfoundland ponies found in pockets across Canada. The breed is listed as 'critically endangered' by several groups including Rare Breeds Canada, The Livestock Conservancy and Equus Survival Trust. In 1997, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized the pony as an official heritage animal and they're now protected. But there are now so few remaining that the entire breed is in jeopardy, according to Affleck, who's also chair of the re-homing committee for the Newfoundland Pony Society, dedicated to protecting the species. 'They are critically, critically endangered. People think about endangered species and they think of tigers. But we've got 3,000 tigers worldwide. These Newfoundland ponies, there are only a few hundred remaining and only a couple hundred of breeding age.'

Newfoundland ponies are 'very docile, intelligent and willing,' said Affleck. 'They are much more like dogs. They're very curious. As soon as a person comes to the farm, they've got to come over and meet you and sniff you and basically demand attention just like a dog would.' Affleck and Jordan offer free COVID-19-friendly barn visits in a bid to build awareness about the breed. They do accept donations, but their real hope is that people 'fall in love with them and maybe step in [and] offer a home to a pony.'

In an interesting twist, Affleck's abiding affection for the pony breed led to romance of the two-legged variety. She had been tracking down the progeny of a Newfoundland pony she had acquired, and got in touch with an owner. 'I called Wayne out of the blue one day at his work. I asked him if I could come and take a DNA sample of his pony, which is essentially a hair sample, and he agreed. And the rest is history.'"