Fell Ponies and Mesohippus
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I had the chance recently to take a short scenic drive through Badlands National Park. It was a beautiful spring day, so I interrupted the drive to walk the Fossil Exhibit Trail. The walk allowed me to finally achieve a goal of seeing a fossil of Mesohippus in South Dakota. Mesohippus as you likely know is considered an ancestor of today’s equines though was three-toed and a browser, not a grazer. I have visited numerous places in the region since moving here where Mesohippus fossils are said to have been found, but I never had seen one around here until Badlands. Seeing it completed a circle of sorts that includes Fell Ponies.
When my friend Jackson brushes Rose, she’s in an ideal position to see Rose’s chestnut. When she asked about it, I got to tell a story about it!
When my young friend Jackson visits the ranch and is interested in a pony ride, she stands patiently as I prepare Willowtrail Wild Rose for her ride. Sometimes she will take up a brush to remove some of the mud that Rose loves to have on her coat. When brushing Rose, Jackson’s height is such that she easily sees the chestnut on the inside of Rose’s front legs. The first time she saw it, she asked about it; now she recites the story I told her. She’s obviously a very smart little girl!
Willowtrail Wild Rose’s Chestnut on the inside of her front leg.
What I told Jackson is a story I learned when I was young and my weekend mornings involved reading, including a natural history book that my grandmother gave me. The book said that the very distant ancestors of Fell Ponies (actually all equines) had as many as five toes instead of a hoof (the story of equine evolution has gotten a lot more complex since then, but as near as I can tell, this evolution of the lower limbs still holds). Over time, evolution caused the two outside toes to not be needed and to pull up the leg, leaving the three central toes, as on Mesohippus. Eventually those three central toes merged into one and became the hoof of today’s equines. The remnants of the two outside toes are sometimes still seen on more primitive types of equines, including Fells. The chestnut and the ergot are what is left of these remnant toes. When Jackson asked the question, I of course lifted a hoof, parted the feather, and showed her the ergot that was hidden there, as shown in the picture here.
An ergot on Willowtrail Spring Maiden’s heel.
I love getting questions about my ponies, and I appreciate the one Jackson asked about Rose’s chestnut that allowed me to tell her this story. And I appreciate the curators at Badlands National Park who helped me achieve my goal of seeing a fossil of Mesohippus in South Dakota.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2024
More stories like this one can be found in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.
