Measures introduced to preserve beloved pony

Help is on the way for the beloved Newfoundland pony, once an essential part of the province’s cultural life but now a critically endangered species.

The province announced Thursday it is providing land to the Newfoundland Pony Society to ensure it can continue its work to preserve these hardy animals. The society has been granted a 50-year agricultural lease for 10 hectares of Crown land near Hopeall in eastern Newfoundland.

The Newfoundland Pony is a unique breed that is native to Newfoundland and Labrador, the result of interbreeding between breeds imported from the British Isles by early settlers. The population has plummeted from 13,000 animals in the 1960s to fewer than 400 today.

“This hardy, good-tempered, loyal and hardworking pony interbred naturally on the common lands around our communities over the centuries to create a unique and special breed,” said Jack Harris, president of the Newfoundland Pony Society. “We are pleased to work with the provincial government to continue the preservation of the Newfoundland Pony and to ensure that it can thrive and prosper in the province where it evolved.”

The group will use the land for pastures and breeding — and to create a Newfoundland Pony Heritage Park. Fans of the pony say it is an ”all purpose” work animal because it has strength, stamina, courage, intelligence, obedience and common sense.