Hyskeer

The Highland Pony stallion, Hyskeer, has long been thought to have been the first Highland Pony to be brought to Australian shores and has been of great intrigue to the Highland Pony owners and breeders for a number of decades.  There are letter’s back and forth between the earlier Highland communities between Victoria and Western Australia and even to Scotland, trying to find any information regarding the stallion but nothing of any real substance was uncovered at the time.

Over the past couple of years, I have taken on a number of projects one including the tracing of earlier imported Highland Ponies and how many there were. Through my research it has been proven there were actually a number of Highland Ponies to grace Australian shores before Hyskeer but Hyskeer is the first that was registered as a Highland Pony in his homeland.

What follows is all I have been able to uncover to date regarding this mysterious Western Isles Highland Pony stallion.

Hyskeer was bred by J.H.M. Mackenzie of Calgary, in 1906 by Isleman, out of White Polly. Hyskeer placed 1st in the Highland Pony Entire at the Highland and Agricultural Society’s show at Aberdeen in 1908. He also placed 4th the following year at Sterling, 5th the following year at Dumfries and 1st Highland Pony of Light Type at Inverness in 1911. Hyskeer sired 8 offspring between 1910 and 1913 consisting of 6 mares and 2 stallions, in his homeland prior to being brought over to Australia. One of Hyskeer’s colts was exported from Scotland to America also in 1913 to be used in the production of the American war horses.

Hyskeer was purchased by D.E. Grant in December 1912 and left Scotland, for Australia, in January 1913. He was to arrive at Geraldton WA but instead was carried on to Sydney, arriving early February 1913 and under the watchful eye of the Balmont trainer A.F. Lee, Hyskeer was then loaded on to the steamship Indarra and arrived at Freemantle WA on the 13th of March 1913, where he then travelled onto the Moonyoonooka Estate of D.E. Grant.

Hyskeer stood at public stud from 1913 – 1919 at first for 5 Guineas a mare then from 1916 for 3 Guineas a mare.

I have not been able to find any recorded progeny of Hyskeer once he arrived in Australia, though in 1915 Australia was being advised, by the seat of war state, that there was a good opportunity in Australia for the Highland Pony and that horses showing highland pony blood were outlasting the other varieties just as they did in the Boer War and that America was already take up the cue and importing Highland Pony Stallions to cross with their thoroughbred mares (one of those being the earlier import of a colt by Hyskeer himself).

Hyskeer Highland Pony