Standing just 30-39 inches tall, these tiny dynamos have a history that’s larger than life. For more than 2,000 years, they roamed the rugged and tree-less Shetland and Orkney Islands, living on grasses and - yes! - seaweed. But not only did they survive, they flourished. By 800 A.D., the ponies had become so important to Viking societies that the Vikings carved images of them in stone on nearby islands. By 1847, British farmers relied on them to work the land and carry goods to market, and coal miners in Britain and America employed the steady-minded, stout-hearted “little horses” to pull carts through the narrow mine shafts.

Then, in the late 1980s, Personal Ponies founder Marianne Alexander purchased two Shetland Ponies, and found herself “amazed by their kind ways and sensitivity to small children.” Though most Shetlands are too small to be ridden (except minimally by a child of thirty pounds or less), they love to be hugged and petted and kissed, they can be trained to pull a cart, and they are willing to stand patiently while a child in braces, on crutches, or in a wheelchair brushes, combs, feeds, and caresses them. These characteristics, combined with their small size, make the UK Shetland Pony an ideal personal companion for a differently able child.

Three of these ponies live at Personal Ponies of Massachusetts’ headquarters, Haberlin’s Hope Farm, in Groton, Massachusetts. They have helped dozens of autistic and developmentally or physically challenged children build confidence and interaction skills, inspiring many to enter therapeutic riding programs with “the big horses.” They include:

Doodle, our 38” black gelding. He's a ham, a sweetheart, and a gorgeous mover, he is our resident "on farm" personality, always ready for a hug. He also graceously accepts peppermints for his tricks.

Rose Pippit, our 44” dark chocolate mare. At the tender age of not even 4 "Pip" is our tallest pony on the farm. And she's still growing! She's currently partners in crime with Doodle, the afore mentioned trickster. Watch out for those two, they'll steal your heart.

Gideon, our barely 29" tall silver dappled gelding came here to live in November of 2007. He's not quite 2 years od and is such a sweetheart. His best friend is our farm's "Horse-bassador" Dream, a retired Standardbred trotter. They are never far from each-other, which makes for quite an amusing pair!