Native ponies seem to pop up everywhere. While lovers of the variety pack of Britain and Ireland’s native breeds have always known about their hardiness, versatility and talent, the likes of equestrian influencer Harlow White’s Panda, a Connemara pony, have thrust these photogenic ponies in front of an even bigger audience.
“Owning a native pony feels like being part of history,” says Harlow. “Each native breed carries centuries of stories shaped by our landscape, climate and culture.
“I love their natural, unspoilt look. They don’t need exaggeration to stand out, rather their beauty comes from being exactly what they were bred to be.”
Panda – officially known as King Bunowen Castle Ali – is in the spotlight thanks to his eye-catching feats in the show ring last season. He stars on the cover of this week’s Horse & Hound (12 February), which includes a feature on the popularity of native breeds.
Panda with Harlow, pictured for the H&H cover shoot.
(Image credit: Seth Zworestine)
At Horse of the Year Show last October, the now 10-year-old grey claimed the Connemara pony of the year title. He’d already won the M&M young riders large breeds final before being crowned junior champion at the Royal International (RIHS) and rounded off his year with fifth in the Heritage supreme final at the London International.
But Panda isn’t the only native breed in Harlow’s stable. Besides another Connemara, she has a Shetland and her adorable Dartmoor Rolo (Coppinshill Commemoration). Together, Harlow and Rolo progressed from mini M&M to open and M&M workers classes at HOYS and victory at RIHS in 2023.
Rolo is now being ridden by Harlow’s younger brother Harlen, who is learning to showjump. It is a trajectory that highlights the longevity and adaptability native ponies can offer.
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“What amazes me most about them is their versatility,” Harlow says. “They’ll turn their hoof to almost anything from showing and driving to jumping and being amazing family ponies. They really are true all-rounders. That’s why I’ll always choose a native breed.”
“I love their natural, unspoilt look,” says Harlow. “Their beauty comes from being exactly what they were bred to be.”
(Image credit: Seth Zworestine)
Native breeders have always celebrated the influence of their stock on pony breeding not just in this country but worldwide, whether it’s for top-class pony jumpers, mother-and-daughter shares or hardy types offering a more cost-effective horse-ownership option.
Not limited to mountain and moorland classes at prestigious showing championships, these versatile breeds race, event, and figure in pedigrees of FEI competitors. Increasingly, they flood the grids of social media, from cheeky Shetlands to pristine show ponies such as Harlow’s Connemara Panda – which can only be positive exposure for their future.
“Supporting native breeds feels important because it helps protect rare bloodlines and ensures these ponies continue into the future,” says Harlow, who has over 790,000 subscribers on YouTube and nearly 300,000 on Instagram. “I love how popular native ponies have become and it’s amazing to see them holding their own across so many different disciplines.”
Do you have a particular love for a native breed? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for a chance to be published in Horse & Hound – please include your full address (town and county will be published).
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
