Finding a Niche

As I have been observing the Skyrian ponies over the summer, and especially now that we are breeding them, I find myself thinking a lot about the future that this animal has. What is their niche in the equestrian world? What purpose do they serve to make the perpetuation of their species a worthwhile endeavor?

I think that the Skyrian pony’s most likely niche is in pony riding clubs. Pony Clubs are very popular in the United States, but especially in Europe. It is a group of small children and their ponies that go to shows together, play games with their horses, jump, and learn to ride. The Skyrian pony is a perfect choice for any small child learning to ride because they are a very gentle breed of pony that generally get along with other horses and do not spook easily. Although their evolutionary adaptation to live in the mountainous regions of Greece is not conducive with having a spectacular conformation, most of them are quite attractive and relatively low maintenance since they do not need horse shoes or startling amounts of food. The smaller children who ride in pony clubs also make a perfect clientele for the Skyrian ponies, since they should not carry a rider that weighs more than 45 to 50 kilograms (about 90 to 105 pounds).

Also, from watching these ponies in lessons, I think that they might have a future in some therapeutic riding programs. Although the fast, choppy movements of the ponies would not be effective for children like Theodora (mentioned in earlier blog post), who tense up and lost mobility with quicker movements of the horse, I think that Skyrians would be perfect for a number of other therapeutic arenas. For example, there are several children at the farm who have special needs such as blindness, deafness, hydrocephaly, autism, and dyslexia. For clients with these special needs, Skyrians would be a great way to introduce the children to grooming a horse, feeding a horse, and even riding a small pony that is easily controlled and stable. Many autistic children have had trouble warming up to their horse, which might be made easier by getting to know a smaller pony that is of the Skyrian’s stature. As I described in an earlier blog post, Silverstar, one of our Skyrians, was used in a therapeutic riding lesson a few weeks ago while a child lead her around the ring and lunged her. This was a worthwhile exercise for him to learn how to control the horse and be cognizant of its movements, and it was also significant because The Silva Project began exploring the new frontier of using small ponies for therapeutic riding lessons.

Overall, I think that the Skyrian pony’s purpose in the equestrian field exists and that their breed is yet to be fully welcomed into pony riding clubs and therapeutic riding programs. Sylvia and The Silva Project itself has tirelessly publicized the usefulness of these ponies in Greece and in Europe, and I hope that the American volunteers might be able to spread the word to their respective farms and pony clubs in the States about The Silva Project and their special breed of ponies.