Writing Back to Bozzie, Donald, and Ernest: The Heyl Ponies

In the early 1900s, three young boys named Bozzie, Donald, and Ernest won ponies named Chum, Sultan, and Dapple. Here are excerpts from their letter:

Bozzie and “Chum”

I want to tell all my unseen boy and girl friends how I got my pony, who I am and where I live. My name is Bozzie Foutz Thornton; my home is away back here among the West Virginia hills. We do not have as level country or as smooth roads as the boys and girls who live in the level country, but if you win one of the ponies that The Farmer’s Wife are giving away and he is as good as “Chum” you can go most any place with him, for “Chum” can pull almost as much as a horse and he seems to enjoy showing us how much he can pull and how fast he can go.

Donald and “Sultan”

You can not imagine how surprised and happy I was to get a letter from the Webb Publishing Company telling that I had won “Sultan” and his dandy outfit. I could hardly wait for him to get here. He is the finest pony ever, so gentle and always looking for something good to eat.

It was a great day all about us the day he was expected to arrive. All our neighbors and friends were just as anxious as we were to get him.

Ernest and “Dapple’

“Dapple” in coming way over 1,000 miles to his new home, traveled farther than most of the other prize ponies given by the Webb Publishing Company. He came East to within a few miles of the great Atlantic Ocean, and now lives in southeastern Pennsylvania, that land of fine farms and fancy horses and even here he is considered a winner. He, and two others, out of more than 100 ponies given by the Webb Publishing Company have come to this great state.

If I could write back to the boys, here is what I’d say:

Dear Bozzie, Donald, and Ernest,

It is such a thrill to tell you that your ponies came from the famous Heyl Pony Farm! This magical pony farm was in Washington, Illinois, and, oh boy, was it the place of dreams for anyone who loved ponies.

In 1899, George Heyl, the son of a purebred livestock farmer, traveled to Janesville, Wisconsin to purchase some Percherons. Heyl was known for his horses, hogs, and poultry. The man selling the Percherons told Hyle that he had to take 10 Shetland ponies or he would not sell the Percherons. The story is that the reluctant George Heyl accepted the terms of the sale and he went home with 10 Shetland ponies. I bet he was a little puzzled about his unique load of equine.

Once Heyl was home, however, he realized that Shetland ponies ate less and were easier keepers than the huge, majestic Percherons. The cute, well-mannered ponies were easy to sell, too. From that point forward, the Heyl Family was out of the Percheron business and into raising, showing, and selling Shetland Ponies.

And did they ever find success!

At the World’s Fair in 1904, Heyl won the Grand Champion Stallion class with his Shetland pony named David Harum.

Boys, I have to tell you the truth. When I read that the pony’s name was David Harum, I was confused. “David Harum” sounds like the name of a human! Ponies should be named cute names like Lucky, Lady, or Lottie. Maybe Cookie, Chet, Pita Chip, or Cranky Doodle. Did David Harum have a nickname? Or, did they go into his stall and say, “Well hello, Mr. Harum.”

I did a little digging, and David Harum was black in color and his sire’s name was “Perfect.” His dam’s name was “Spotted Beauty.” Certainly, Mr. Harum’s name did not derive from a combination of his parents!

The only explanation that I can produce in relation to his unique name is that in 1898 there was a book published by Edward Noyes Westcott called David Harum: A Story of American Life. It was a bestseller. The story was also adapted to Broadway, a film, and a radio series. The book, David Harum, was published in 1898 and the pony, David Harum, was born in 1899. So, we must assume that the book was the inspiration for the pony’s name.

Back to the Heyl Pony farm…

After the considerable success of the pony, David Harum, the Heyl pony business began to boom! Oh, what fun the Heyl family must have had! In 1908, The Heyl family built a brand-new 2-story white pony barn. They advertised themselves as the “Finest and best equipped pony farm in the world.” The barn had city water, electric lights, and a motor for clipping the ponies and grinding their food. It had an office, a blacksmith shop, harness rooms, a lavatory, a washroom, and buggy rooms. Each stall was connected to an automatic manure carrier. The second floor of this amazing barn also had a workshop where George Heyl made his own show buggies. This is the kind of barn people like us dream about! I can almost hear the pitter and patter of little hooves and the high-pitched whinny of the ponies.

While David Harum certainly put the Heyl Pony farm on the map, probably the most famous pony at the Heyl farm was a stallion named King Larigo.

King Larigo went to horse shows quite often and did very well. In fact, in 1915, Heyl loaded three train rail cars with his show string and traveled from Illinois to California for the World’s Fair. King Larigo won Grand Champion Shetland Stallion. King and his sons and daughters won 72 ribbons at the World’s Fair that year! From California, the ponies went back into their rail cars and headed straight to New York for another show at Madison Square Garden.

When George Heyl came home from New York, he had with him many blue ribbons and only one pony, King Larigo. Whether intentional or not, he sold most of his show ponies during the trip. However, it seems that Heyl was very keen on keeping King Larigo for himself. The stallion proved to be a hugely successful show pony and a profitable and prolific stallion.

To this day, a great many purebred registered Shetlands have the King Larigo blood in them. My guess is that Chum, Sultan, and Dapple were all King Larigo offspring. During some breeding seasons, the pony farm had up to 50 babies.

The Webb Publishing Company selected ponies from the Heyl Pony Farm to be used at their giveaways. And you three, Bozzie, Donald, and Ernest, had ponies that came from Heyls. It was stated in The Farmer’s Wife magazine advertisement for each of them. Can you imagine the great fun we all would have had if we could have spent our days at the Heyl Pony Farm?

The Heyl family continued to have grand accomplishments with their purebred livestock long after the Lucky Pony Winners contest ended. But I have given you a glimpse of what was occurring at the Heyl Pony Farm about the same time that you all received your ponies.

Fun fact: George Heyl’s daughter, Iona, named every pony born on their farm. She did this from the time she was a little girl until she was an adult when the Heyl Pony Farm held its final dispersal sale. I wonder if she ever used the same name twice. I would love to see her record books.

The Heyl Pony Farm held its final dispersal sale in 1965. A couple of the original barns still stand in Washington, Illinois. I would love to see them. Illinois isn’t too far from me, maybe I’ll make the trip someday.

Boys, you did not know it at the time, but the three of you owned a piece of important pony history with your ponies! You were awarded Heyl Pony Farm ponies!

Warmly, Regina

p.s. Ernest, I didn’t know what a “steam car” was, so I looked it up. It was, as named, a car propelled by steam (not gasoline). The engine was external to the car instead of like it is today, with the engine under the hood (internal). I bet steam cars were loud!