The pony-slave.

Today, we tend to value our equines more than we do our slaves. Ask people their opinions of a horse or a pony and most will answer that they are noble, affectionate and loyal animals. Conversely, ask the same people their opinions of slaves and they will answer that they are shiftless, cunning, sly and lazy creatures that must be driven hard to meet their work quotas.

Therefore, it's not surprising that more people are now using slaves in the roles once reserved for equines. Now, teams of yoked slaves hauling heavy drays and wagons are a common sight on our streets and a natural consequence of this is that slaves are also being used, more and more, as 'ponies' to pull our personal traps and carriages. 

In these days of environmental awareness and the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, there are advantages in using slaves
rather than ponies or horses. For a start, a slave has a smaller environmental footprint, doesn't require as much food and he is easily and inexpensively housed in smaller accommodation than a large, expensive purpose-built stable.

Today, we tend to look at a slave to judge his potential to serve as a pony-slave and depending on his owner's preference, a pony-slave can be smooth bodied or as in the picture above, he can have a light covering of body hair. Some owners believe the retention of hair on a pony-slave adds to his appearance of masculinity and strength. However, it is always a case of the owner's personal preference if his pony is glabrous or hirsute. 

The use of harness and other accoutrements on a pony-slave, as shown in the above, is purely one of ascetics and serves no useful purpose other than to draw favourable attention to the animal's appearance. Somehow, the judicious use of leather harness does emphasise the slave's physique and muscularity and no doubt draws many admiring glances as it is driven through the streets. 

Picture found on the internet and source unknown. The text is mine.