Shetland Ponies (Photo credit: Island Trails, Shetland.)
Shetland ponies have been recieving a lot of media attention recently and they certainly deserve it. First, they starred in a campaign to attract visitors to their native country, Scotland. They were photographed in a beautiful setting wearing wooly cardigans. More recently, a moonwalking pony was featured in a video ad for the mobile phone company ‘3’. The star of the video, called socks, only stops dancing when a farmer drives past in his tractor. Shetland ponies, which originate from the Shetland Isles, are hardy animals with heavy coats and short legs. They were originally used for pulling carts, but now it is more common to see them giving rides to children. They are occasionally used by blind people instead of guide dogs.
Listen below
Read by Annette Porte (Scottish accent)
Study the words
Deserve– are worthy of, merit Starred– were the protagonists Campaign– a drive to promote something Native– of origin Setting– location Wooly cardigans– sweaters with buttons made of wool Featured– placed in an important role Hardy– strong and resilient Carts– open farm vehicle with two or four wheels Rides– short trip Occasionally– sometimes Blind– visually impaired Instead of– rather than, in place of
Listen on audioboo (and subscribe to i-tunes podcast) here
Do the takeaway test: Shetland Ponies Shoot to Fame
Related articles
- The Daily Beast – Shetland Ponies in Shetland Cardigans – January 24, 2013 (thestar.blogs.com)
- Want to see a Shetland pony called Socks do the moonwalk? (metro.co.uk)
Tiny Texts 