Newfoundland pony is endangered but returning to Nova Scotia

A Nova Scotia woman is doing her part to save the Newfoundland pony from extinction.

Two stallions arrived on Jodie Desmarais's farm in Parrsboro this weekend after they were imported from a farm in Michigan. One is staying with her while the other is headed to a breeder in Conception Bay South, N.L.

She hopes more people will step in to keep this breed around for generations, as there are only about 400 such ponies in the world.

"They are still on the edge. They are considered a critically endangered species," she said Monday. "And until their numbers get up to over a thousand, they will still have that designation. It is still too possible for them to disappear completely."

They're lovable and they're sweet. Even the stallions are very calm.- Jodie Desmarais

There was a time when the ponies numbered in the thousands.

Strong and sturdy, the ponies were a mainstay on many Newfoundland farms, their furry coats easily protecting them from winter winds. But with the advent of the tractor, many ponies were taken off the island.

"Most of them were shipped out of Newfoundland in trucks and they all ended up in the meat market either in Canada or to Europe, so it was a sad tale," Cle Newhook, president of the Newfoundland Pony Society, said Monday.

By the 1980s, their numbers had dropped to below 100.

Designated a historical breed

Newfoundland and Labrador has since designated the pony a historical breed, keeping the animals out of meat-packing plants.

The government also put the pony society in charge of conservation.

"That really helped. In the meantime, a number of the ponies were exported to other provinces of Canada and in fact as far as into the United States, and the population began to stabilize," Newhook said.

"And it seemed like perhaps the pony did have a future after all."

Some of those are coming back, including the pair on  Desmarais's farm.

On this day, her new arrivals sleep contentedly in the paddocks, with a sweeping view of the Minas Basin.

"They're lovable and they're sweet. Even the stallions are very calm," Desmarais said. "They will follow you around like a puppy dog. They are real little characters."

While her stallion comes from the U.S., he certainly has a Newfoundland name: Squid Jiggin's AR Scammell, named after a Newfoundland singer/songwriter and his well-worn folk song.

Desmarais plans to breed her new stallion to a couple of her mares this summer and have some foals on the ground next year.