tales-of-Fogo-Island

The Newfoundland PonyWhen people talk about the good old days', they will often mention theNewfoundland Pony. Most local families used Newfoundland Ponies fortransportation and for hauling firewood.Although the ponies were fairly small, they were known to pull heavy loads. Itseems that their eagerness to work made up for what they lacked in size. Theponies could also live on little food and survive in very cold weather. Thesetwo traits made the Newfoundland Pony the work horse of choice in outportNewfoundland.Ponies were also known for their intelligence and good nature. One ladyremembers how the family horse would go to the pantry window and beg for aslice of molasses bread. Other ponies learned to open gates with their nosesand would come and go as they pleased! The ponies were also excellentcompany for men hauling firewood. Not only would they pull the sleds, theycould also find their way out of the woods in a storm. One man from Barr'dIslands remembers how a pony saved him on a very stormy day. The mancould not follow the slide path, because it was covered in knee-high drifts. Hisonly hope was in the Newfoundland Pony. He rolled the wood off the sled andlooped the reins loosely over the pony's back. Then he sat back on the sledsand let the pony take him wherever it wanted to go. The man just hoped andprayed that the pony would bring him to safety.As the pony struggled along through the snow, it would stop for a moment andlift its head into the wind. Then with a snort, it would continue walking. Theman was wondering how much longer he could stand the freezing cold, whenthe pony came to a full stop. By now, it was dark and the man could not seewhat was in front of the horse. He jumped off the sleds and walked up to thepony. When he reached ahead of the horse he found that the pony had itsnose pushed against a window pane. It had brought its master to a home inthe nearby community of Shoal Bay!As the speed of life in rural areas began to increase, attitudes toward theponies changed. Many people would get upset when ponies trampled theirlawns. Others felt that the ponies were dirty and would not allow them on theirproperty. In most communities, councils passed new laws that made it illegalfor ponies to roam. This meant that ponies had to be kept in fenced gardens.Also, ski-doos replaced the pony as the best means of pulling firewood. When