article_snippet.sent: One of the oldest equine breeds on the planet, Fell ponies like The Queen's mount Carltonlima Emma, have roamed the moors of Cumbria since the Neolithic period.
article_snippet.sent: Docile, hardy and thick-set, the majority of Fell ponies are black, grey or bay and measure between 13 and 14hh.
article_snippet.sent: Highly prized by the Carvetii, the Iron Age tribe who occupied the region more than two millennia ago, Fell ponies later caught the eye of the invading Romans and were used as trade goods all over the Empire.
article_snippet.sent: the invading Romans also helped develop the breed into the relatively large animal the invading Romans is today.
article_snippet.sent: Originally thought to have stood around 12hh tall (similar to Dartmoor and Exmoor ponies), by the end of the Roman period, the average Fell was more than a hand higher.
article_snippet.sent: Another invader to fall in love with the Fell pony was the Vikings, who used the animals as pack ponies; a use continued by the Normans.
article_snippet.sent: By the 13th century, the Fell's usefulness as a pack animal was well-established and the Fell pony played an important role in British trade until the end of the 18th century.
article_snippet.sent: Following the Industrial Revolution, Fells were used to transport iron ore and coal from mine to town, as well as underground when the height of the shaft allowed.
article_snippet.sent: Although previously used in trotting races, the Fell pony really came into the Fell pony as a riding horse in the 1950s, when the Fell pony gentle nature and pretty looks made the Fell pony the pony of choice for families.
article_snippet.sent: Today, the Fell pony remains a popular choice for riders of all ages, among the Fell pony the Queen who breeds Fell ponies at Queen Hampton Court stud.
article_snippet.sent: The Fell Pony Society .