Shetland pony

Shetland ponies, also known as shelts, are small (about one meter from the ground to wither) but strong for their size. Ancient equids had lived in Shetland since the Bronze Age, and later breeders crossed them with ponies imported by Norse invaders. The islanders domesticated the resulting Shetland ponies.

Mainland Britain at the time of the Industrial Revolution imported many Shetland ponies to work in coal mines. United States mid-west coal mines also imported some of these animals.