Tiny ponies key to horses’ speed

IF IT were not for the diminutive Shetland pony, horse racing might well have been a sport for plodders rather than kings, research has revealed.

An Irish scientist behind the discovery of the speed gene in thoroughbreds has traced its origins back 300 years to mares from the much-loved breed.

Genetic tests by University College Dublin’s Dr Emmeline Hill found that the modern flat racehorse’s make-up may have as much to do with quirky Shetlands as classy Arabian stallions.

Her study showed the speed gene entered bloodlines when stallions were bred with British mares, mainly Shetlands, but also the now-extinct Galloway.