CHRISTMAS FOAL NEEDS NAME

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30634, 28 December 1964, Page 1

CHRISTMAS FOAL NEEDS NAME

Mrs R. W. Wightman, of Inverness, Parnassus, would like suggestions for a name for her Christmas present. It is a tiny foal, only 23 inches high, born at 4 p.m. on Christmas Day in the paddock beside her farmhouse.

The dam is a Timor pony named Tiny Tot, which is eight years old and only 3ft lin high. Timor ponies originated on the East Indian island of Timor, and have been imported to both Australia and New Zealand because of their hardiness and

their usefulness with stock. Tiny Tot’s foal is a filly, brownish black, with a black mane and tail. Her sire is a 3ft 6in high Christchurch pony, Wee Georgie, from Mrs T. Andrews’s Springmead pony stud. Wee Georgie also has some Timor blood.

Mrs Wightman said yesterday that her daughter, Ann, also aged eight, had been riding Tiny Tot, and the pony was well known as the tiniest pony at country shows in Nelson and Canterbury. They plan to keep the foal, and breed more of the same size. “Wirth's Circus has a

pony only 30 inches high,” said Mrs Wightman, “and we may ask them when they are here next if we can breed from him.” Meanwhile, the new foal is without a name. “He’s just a tiny thing, with wee legs like pencils,” said Mrs Wightman. “We want to keep the name “Tiny' for each foal, and someone suggested we should name this one ‘Tiny Santa’ because he came on Christmas Day.” Mrs Wightman has had Tiny Tot for two years and a half. Tiny Tot was bred at Upper Moutere, Nelson.