If you’re looking for a unique and exciting experience while in Australia, then be sure to check out the Coffin Bay Pony.
It is a rare and feral breed of ponies that lives under supervision and on managed land.
Read on to learn more about these amazing creatures!
Coffin Bay Pony Breed Info
Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Coffin Bay Pony:
| Height (size) | not above 14.2 hands high |
| Colors | All solid colors and white markings on face and legs are allowed. Pinto color patterns are not permitted, as they indicate the existence of other breed’s bloodlines. |
| Country of Origin | Australia |
| Common Uses | Riding ponies for children and small adults, and they are suitable for a range of disciplines and also excel under harness |
Coffin Bay Pony Facts & Information (Breed Profile)
The Coffin Bay Pony is now a protected feral horse breed indigenous to the Coffin Bay region of Australia.
Even though people seem to confuse the two, they are different from the Brumby, another Australian free roaming breed.
This breed, on the other hand, does not have the same heritage as the Brumby and lives on a fenced-in piece of land.
Captain Hawson, a British settler, arrived in the Happy Valley area of Australia around the mid 19th century, bringing with him 60 Timor Ponies he had acquired in Indonesia.
He chose these ponies as the basis for his stud farm since they were well-suited to the warm climate.
After acquiring an additional parcel of property to suit his expanding enterprise, he relocated the ponies to the Coffin Bay Run in 1847 and bred them in the semi-wild environment under close supervision.
W.R. Mortlock bought the Coffin Bay Run in 1857, although he was more interested in importing larger ponies.
The horses that he brought were mixed with Timor breeds in order to produce bigger animals, which eventually became known as the Coffin Bay Pony.
It is believed that the Arabian, Welsh Cob, Thoroughbred, Hackney, and Clydesdale all had a part in the development of this breed.
After years of chaotic management, Mortlock’s descendants sold the farm to Martin Cash in 1927.
Because horse breeding was no longer seen as a lucrative industry, the horses were neglected as well.
Over time, the population of the feral, untamed ponies grew to become a major issue for the new owners.
As a result, the majority of them were culled in order to reduce their population. When the Morgan family acquired the Coffin Bay Run in 1932, they saw an opportunity to expand their business by selling these ponies.
Therefore, the Morgan family rounded up a small number of the semi-feral herd and sold them at Port Augusta markets.
Moss Morgan, the farm’s owner at the time, saw a drop in demand for the ponies after World War II as more mechanical methods became the norm, so he trained some of the Coffin Bay Ponies and resold them as “riding ponies”.
This, however, would not be the case for long.
In the 1970s, there was a talk that the ponies might be removed from their home in Coffin Bay Run.
By the 1980s, many residents of the area thought of the ponies as a normal and necessary component of the environment.
To save the breed and open dialogue with the government, which saw the ponies as an inconvenience and a pest in the area that was by then a national park, the Coffin Bay Pony Society was established.
The first management agreement was negotiated in the early 1990s, at which point the breed’s historical significance was acknowledged, and the ponies were granted permission to remain in the Run.
It was decided to keep a herd of 20 mares, their offspring, and one stallion.
Since then, a yearly round-up has been held to remove excess stock, which is first handled, tamed and then sold in an auction.
In 2003, the Coffin Bay Ponies were once again considered undesirable in Coffin Bay Run, despite a massive public protest.
With the ponies’ fate in the balance, the Coffin Bay Pony Society was able to successfully negotiate the acquisition of a neighboring property and gather the necessary finances to seal the deal.
In 2004, the ponies were relocated to their present facility.
Brumby’s Run was founded in 2008 to enable the breed’s custodians to manage the herd and handle the horses for auction with the least amount of disruption to the wild horses’ lives.
If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!
Alternative Names
n/a
Temperament/Personality
They are intelligent, and when tamed they are friendly and well-suited for kids
Physical Characteristics
They are hardy, with strong bones and hooves.
Their conformation reminds of the Timor pony.
They have a kind and intelligent eye.
There are two types of Coffin Bay ponies, and both can be used for both driving and riding – the lighter saddle type and a slightly stronger type with clean legs.
Colors
All solid colors and white markings on face and legs are allowed.
Pinto color patterns are not permitted, as they indicate the existence of other breed’s bloodlines.
Height (size)
not above 14.2 hands high
Stallions
n/a
Mares
n/a
Weight
n/a
Blood Type
Pony
Common Uses
Riding ponies for children and small adults, and they are suitable for a range of disciplines and also excel under harness
Health
Healthy and hardy
Popular Traits
Managed feral horses
Feeding/Diet
n/a
Country of Origin
Australia
Ancestors
Timor Pony, Welsh Cob, Thoroughbred, Arabian, Hackney, Clydesdale