Template:Featurt airticle/September 2018
A pownie is a smaw horse (Equus ferus caballus). Dependin on context, a pownie mey be a horse that is unner an approximate or exact hicht at the withers or a smaw horse wi a speceefic conformation an temperament. Thare are miny different breeds. Compared tae ither horse, pownies eften exhibit thicker manes, tails an oweraw coat, as weel as proportionally shorter legs, wider baurels, hivier bane, thicker necks, an shorter heids wi braider foreheids. The wird pownie derives frae the auld French poulenet, meanin foal, a young, immatur horse, but this is nae the modren meanin; unlik a horse foal, a pownie remeens smaw whan fully grown. Houiver, on occasion, fowk that are unfameeliar wi horse mey confuise an adult pownie wi a foal.
The auncestors o maist modren pownies developed smaw statur acause thay leeved on the mairgins o leevable horse habitat. Thir smawer ainimals war domesticatit an bred for various purposes aw ower the Northren Hemisphere. Pownies war historically uised for drivin an fraucht transport, as childer's munts, for recreational ridin, an later as competitors an performers in thair awn richt. In the Industrial Revolution, particularly in Great Breetain, a signeeficant nummer war uised as pit pownies, haulin laids o coal in the mines.