Many owners of ponies are part of the My Senior Horse community. We wanted to share this bit of history that is relatively unknown. It involves the race to reach the South Pole in the early 1900s. This story highlights the unsung animals that were part of that quest.

To the Pole

We turn to our sister brand EQUUS to learn more of the story of the “Ponies of the Southern Sky.” Titled because of one man’s fight to remember the unsung dogs and ponies. Many gave their all to the first explorers in their trek to the South Pole.

International officials renamed 11 aircraft navigational “waypoints” in honor of the Antarctic dogs and ponies. The animals all were part of the race to be first to the South Pole.

Englishman Robert Falcon Scott took with him sled dogs and 19 Siberian ponies. His voyage left New Zealand in November of 1910.

Scott was not first to the South Pole. And on the return trip to the coast, all of the remaining humans, dogs, and ponies of his expedition died.

Waypoints and Ponies

100 years after Scott departed on his trek, those 11 navigational waypoints were renamed in honor of the brave dogs and ponies. This was accomplished through the tireless work of now retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Ronald Smith (a navigator and former commander of the U.S. military arm supporting Antarctic research).

Included in the 11 names were five of Scott’s ponies: Snippets, Jimmy Pigg, Bones, Jehu. and Nobby. Roald Amundsen of Norway had six sled dogs honored. They were Per, Helge, Lasse, Mylius, Frithjof and Uroa. Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole

We invite you to read the full story on EQUUS.com.