The Ponies of Rum

 There are a collection of islands south of Skye known as The Small Islands. They intrigued me because they have unusual names like Eigg, Muck and Rum. The island of Rum has the best harbor so we picked a good day and headed over. Rum has a typical history of Scotch islands. There have been humans there for 10,000 years! Then, in 700 there were Christians,  followed  soon after by Viking raiders. Control of the island went back and forth between various chiefs and clans. It was a feudal society- crofters worked the land for a landlord, or laird. In 1728, 152 people were living on the island but with the introduction of the potato the island reached a peak population of 443. However, in 1800 the laird got into financial trouble, leased the island, and the new landlord decided to graze 8,000 sheep. Three hundred tenants were shipped off to Nova Scotia. Just a few years later the price of mutton dropped and the island was bought by the 2nd Marquis of Salisbury for a hunting estate. In 1888 it was bought by the Bullough family and a gigantic hunting lodge was built but it fell into disrepair after WW I. In 1957 the Nature Conservancy bought the island and it is a preserve for Manx Shearwaters, Red Deer, and the Rum Pony.

The Rum ponies are a special island type of Highland Pony. They have ancient Celtic origins, were typical crofter work ponies, and then were used to carry out deer carcasses for the hunters. They still show primitive markings, just like my pony - a dorsal stripe, tri-colored manes and tails and stripes on their legs. They are considered “At risk” by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and there is a careful breeding program going on.