The Cow-pony Highland is a small pony breed that is endemic to Horse Isle. It is based after the Scottish Highland cow.

Scotland's famous cattle:
Scotland, located at the very northern third of the Island of Great Britain, is known for its magnificent castles, breathtaking wildland, and one very mysterious monster living in the famous Loch Ness lake. But Scotland has in its sleeve one more very real and alive icon that still roams its lands: the Highland cattle.

Originated in the famous Highlands of western Scotland many centuries ago, this shaggy-haired cow breed have been roaming the highlands for many centuries. So valued it was by the Scottish farmers, than in 1885 they established a Herd Book (equal to horse's studbook), to record the pedigrees of their precious stock.

The Highland cow's Herd Book is still going strong today, making the Highland one of the cattle breeds with the oldest Herd Books in the world. Today, Highland cattle is still bred primarily in Scotland, but herds of it can also be found in other European countries as well as in the USA.

A real-life plushy:
Highland cattle often seems as a large-bodied cow in pictures, especially when photographed standing on a hill. But in reality, these are small animals, standing between 8.3hh and 11.3hh.

Their small size, together with their long shaggy coat which comes in a variety of colors, their iconic fluffy forelock, and their gentle nature, all make them the 'plushy' of the cattle world. Just be careful of their long, mighty horns, and you can enjoy a nice cuddle.

What is the Cow-pony Highland:
Many cow enthusiasts are familiar with the adorable shaggy-haired Scottish cow, and therefore we decided to bring it to Horse Isle, sort of. While we have no cows in Horse Isle we do have our unique ponies, and the Cow-pony Highland is a mixture of the two: a pony who shows some of the unique traits of the Highland cow.

Limitations of the Cow-pony Highland:
Highland cows are small in stature, no taller than 11.3hh, and the Cow-pony Highland is no different. This means that, due to its small size, this pony cannot be ridden in Horse Isle. However, it can pull carts and can be used for in-hand shows, the latter being one of the usages of real Highland cows.

In addition, because its modeled after a cow, the overall genetic stats of ordered Cow-pony Highlands are lower than in regular ponies. But, with proper breeding these stats can be brought up to the normal maximum seen in other horse breeds.

Conformation:
The conformation of the Cow-pony Highland integrates characteristics seen in Highland cows (not bulls) with the overall conformation of a pony.

The head is wide and short, the muzzle is broad and squarish, and the ears are angled to the sides of the head. The neck is short and either lacks a crest or has a minimal one. The withers are smooth and connect to a flat back. The croup is flat at the top but curves toward the hindquarters.

The legs are very short and thick, and the body is broad, deep, and muscular. In addition, while Cow-pony Highlands don't have dewlaps like Highland cows do, they do have large and bulgy chests.

What about the horns?
While the Cow-pony Highland doesn't have the horns that the Highland cow has, is does have as prominent frontal bosses as a pony can have. Even though they are not visible under its lush forelock, they are still there, and ponies will be penalized if their frontal bosses are too small.

Unique hair:
The Highland cow is famous for its long-haired coat which can get pretty shaggy. The Cow-pony Highland doesn't have this type of hair, as it doesn't exist in horses in Horse Isle, but it does have curly hair instead.

In addition to unique long-haired coat, the Highland cow also sports a unique lush and bushy forelock. This type of forelock does exist in Horse Isle, and is the reason behind the Cow-pony Highland's medium-length coarse mane.

To complete the hairy look, the Cow-pony Highland also has medium feathering. The tail, however, is thin, as seen in real Highland Cows, but can grow long.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Cow-pony Highlands in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 12.2-13.3, 12.7 (0.3), 0.05.
Sprint: 22-35, 28 (3), 0.53.

Accel: 0.69-0.89, 0.79 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.96-1.14, 1.05 (0.04), 0.01.

Jump: 4.40-4.77, 4.60 (0.08), 0.02.
Pull: 1.67-3.06, 2.35 (0.35), 0.07.

Turning: 36.69-53.18, 46.76 (2.76), 0.55.
Reverse: 1.8-2.5, 2.1 (0.2), 0.03.

Stamina: 48.55-56.58, 51.82 (1.96), 0.38.
Reaction: 0.68-0.80, 0.74 (0.03), 0.01.

Coats & Height:
Usually black or red, but also dun, cream-dilutes, and in rare cases, dominant-white. The coat can be brindle or flaxen, and is always solid and markingless.

Height: 8.3hh to 11.3hh.