A super brief history.........
Part of the name thing is due to the fact that the American Shetland Pony Club (which was originally founded using Imported Shetlands) predates the Shetland Pony Studbook Society. The American Shetland Pony Club is also the second oldest equine breed registry in the United States - only the Jockey Club is older.
Many of the early imports to the US were the taller, lighter bones ponies that were on the islands (several UK published books refer to the islands originally having 2 types of ponies). The smaller, draftier individuals were the ones in demand in their native country. The taller, lighter ones were the ones that US buyers demanded (there were imports from Shetland as tall as 46 inches in the first volume of the American Shetland Pony Club Studbook). The first half of the last century breeders concentrated on selectively breeding the more refined individuals to each other without cross breeding and the results were such such individuals as Silver Crescent. Not until the pony boom in the middle of the last century did behind the barn cross breeding become an issue. American Shetlands were demanding astronomical prices and where there is money, there will be fraud. Show Ring competition led to even more fraud as the higher moving ponies were pinnned.
By the time the market crashed cross breeding was rampant and entrenched. More than one old time breeder has told me that during the boom era the ideal American Shetland was 1/4 Hackney, 1/4 Section A Welsh, and 1/2 Shetland.
In the mid 70's the "A" and "B" pedigree designations were started to bring the cross breeding out into the open but all ponies still showed braided and shod up like Moderns are today (traditionally that is how they were shown in the US - I have no idea why though). "B" designation indicated a pony with more than 12.5% outcross breeding - the accepted outcrosses were Hackney, Welsh, Americana (a defunct Shetland/Hackney cross registry absorbed by the ASPC) and Harness Show Pony (a Shetland/Hackney cross registry the ASPC had started during the boom era).
In the late 70's and early 80's there was a movement to get back to the more "orginal" type of American Shetland. The name was later changed from "orginal" to Classic and the Classic Divison was born. In the mid 90's the ASPC decided to close the B division to outcrosses (by that point pretty much the only outcross being made was to Hackneys). Of course with no outcrossing B's will breed up to A and the result has been more extreme Classics. To give the more traditional type of American Shetland a place the Foundation division was formed (certification started in 2000). Foundation ponies cannot have any B papered ponies for 4 generations in their pedigree and must be 42 inches or under for show purposes.
As I said, a really brief history!
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) very correct and I plan to show her this year and then breed her with a suitable stallion!! She doesnt have "no neck, bad bite" and all the other things I have been reading that some breeders here seem to picture when thinking about the original shetland or miniature shetland. so where on earth did these beautiful new "shetlands" come from????
