Originally bred to pull carriages, they are used today primarily as show ponies.

Extracting the large trot and other characteristics of the hackney horse and applying them to this true type of pony, he was successful in creating the form which was desired.

First known as Wilson Ponies, they were usually kept out all year, wintering in the inhospitable Fells with little food or care.

The breed was used in Great Britain as carriage horses and were also imported into the United States.

They were considered to be very stylish to drive during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when automobiles were still uncommon.

Hackney ponies should have powerful shoulders, a compact back, and a light frame.

The feet are very hard, and are usually allowed to grow long in the toe to accentuate the action of the pony.

They usually have even more exaggerated action than the Hackney horse, knees rising as high as possible and hocks coming right under the body.

Due to the sabino gene, common in the breed, the Hackney Pony may have white markings on its body as well as on its legs and head.

The typical apparel for driving harness ponies is a suit for men, and a dress or other formal wear for women.

Pleasure ponies are shown to a two-wheeled cart, and the driver usually wears more casual dress.

[1] Some Hackney ponies are shown in one or two pairs in harness, though classes which are designated for this are fairly rare.

The Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies, by Tamsin Pickeral, Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 0-7607-3457-7, p. 311.