2022 was a good year for the province’s critically endangered Newfoundland pony.

The heritage breed, which once numbered in the thousands, suffered a major blow in the 1980s when people started selling off the animals due to the availability of ATVs and municipal regulations that made it difficult and expensive to keep and pasture ponies.

Councillor at large with the Newfoundland Pony Society, Libby Carew, says they had a bit of a post pandemic baby boom in the last year.

She says as far as they know 26 Newfoundland pony foals were born over the last year, mostly in other areas of Canada and the northeast US. That’s not surprising according to Carew because pandemic restrictions prevented pony owners from moving their animals around. Those restrictions have finally eased, making it easier to get mares and stallions together.

Carew is hoping more foals will be born in the coming year, especially here in Newfoundland.