Fanciers of Shetlands began importing these hardy little ponies from the Shetland Isles and Europe in the late 1800s. Immediately, the earliest enthusiasts embarked on a road to improve the quality of stock by selectively breeding for improvement and, thereby, established a truly American pony. Today’s American Shetland and all its divisions are tributes to the goals of those early pony enthusiasts who sought to create beautiful, elegant and brilliantly animated ponies.