Do you know Shetland pony?
它有粗壯的四肢、鼓鼓的肚子、濃密的的發量、圓圓的眼睛和迷你的耳朵，它可以時刻萌到你，但是你知道它是誰嗎？沒錯！就是它，我們的好朋友--設特蘭矮馬。這個源於英國蘇格蘭東北部設特蘭島的小傢伙可是聞名世界的矮馬品種。雖然肩高不足1米，但它可是皇家貴族的寵物，同時也是是兒童親密的玩伴。
It has sturdy limbs and bulging belly. It has thick hair, round eyes and mini ears. It can always sprout you! Do you know who it is ? It’s our good friend Shetland pony. This little guy is from Shetland Island in northeast of Scotland, England, which is a world-renowned pony breed. Although it is less than 1 meter high, it is a pet of the royal nobles and a close playmate of children.
Why Shetland pony is introduced?
在小朋友眼中，任何動物都是新奇的，都是激發他們探究欲的重要載體，他們不懼危險，用真誠的心去和小動物交流，也能和小動物們成為好朋友。
In the eyes children, animal is novel and an important vehicle to stimulate their desire to explore. Children are not afraid of danger. They want to communicate with them with a sincere heart and make friends with them.
與其他很多小動物相比，設特蘭矮馬有著明顯的優勢。首先，它非常溫順，沒有主動攻擊性，可以長期陪伴孩子，這也是我們引進設特蘭矮馬的首要原因。
Compared with many other small animals, the Shetland pony has many obvious advantages. First of all, it is very docile. It is not aggressive and can accompany children for a long time. This is the primary reason why we introduced into Shetland pony.
其次，它那憨態可掬的外表和萌萌的身材十分受孩子喜愛，也利於孩子駕馭和與之互動。再者，設特蘭矮馬經過良好的調教後，是兒童騎乘的最佳選擇之一，這對於孩子的身體發展無疑是很好的。
Secondly, children like its naive appearance and cute figure.Meanwhile, it is also easy for cildren to control and interact. Moreover, the Shetland pony is one of the best choices for children to ride after a good training, which is undoubtedly good for the physical development of children.
最後，孩子在與馬匹的相處過程中，能夠促進交流、減少自我孤立，建立自信心，對自我認知、建立對生活的目標、了解自身的優點與不足也有著積極的作用。
Finally, during the process of getting along with them, children can promote communication, reduce self-isolation and build up self-confidence. It has a positive effect on their self-awareness to establish goals for life and understanding their own strengths and weaknesses.
我們相信，有馬兒陪伴，而且有進口設特蘭小矮馬陪伴的童年，多出來的不單單是一起陪伴的幸福，受益的更不止童年。
We believe that a childhood accompanied an imported Shetland pony will not only benefit from the happiness of companionship, but also benefit more than childhood.
Let us have a look of mother pony from Kids
Children's concern for Mother pony
自從上次飼養員李爺爺告訴孩子們「馬媽媽快生了」這一消息後，孩子們都是滿眼的期待與好奇。種種問題和討論常常在孩子中展開——馬媽媽什麼時候生寶寶呢？馬媽媽生寶寶需要去醫院嗎？
The breeder Grandpa Li told children that "The mother pony is about to give birth". Therefore, the children are full of anticipation and curiosity. They are wondering When will the mother pony give birth to a baby? Does she need to go to the hospital?
為了解決孩子們的種種疑惑，幫助他們更好地了解馬媽媽，我們通過微信視頻連線了馴馬師張教練。下面就讓我們看一看孩子們都問了哪些問題，張教練又是怎樣回答的吧！
In order to solve all the doubts of the children and help them understand the mother pony better, we connected with the trainer Coach Zhang via WeChat video. Let's see what questions the children have asked and how Coach Zhang answered them!
佳佳：馬媽媽什麼時候生呢？會不會是下周呢？
張教練：想知道馬媽媽什麼時候生可以通過觀察馬媽媽肚子的大小、形狀和她的乳頭來判斷，如果乳頭有乳水出現，那麼馬媽媽基本兩天左右就要生了。
Jiajia: When will the mother pony give birth to a bady? Will it be next week?
Coach Zhang:If you want to know when she will give birth to a baby , you need to observe the size and shape of her belly and nipples. If there is milk in the nipple, she will give birth to a baby in about two days.
楷升：小馬怎麼從肚子裡出來呢？
央央：會不會從屁股裡拉出來呢？
張教練：小馬和其他哺乳動物一樣生寶寶，如小貓、小狗呀。
Kaisheng: How did the baby pony get out of belly of the mother pony?
Yang Yang: Will it come out of the ass?
Coach Zhang: Pony give birth to babies like other mammals, such as kittens and puppies.
佳佳：我們要為馬媽媽準備什麼東西呢？
張教練：我們要將馬房清理乾淨，在地上放上乾淨的墊子或者草，但是一定是較長的草，因為碎草會被小馬吸入鼻腔，給小馬造成傷害。
Jiajia: What prepartions are we going to make?
Coach Zhang: We need to clean the stables and put clean mats or grass on the ground. However, grass should be longer, because the broken grass will be sucked into the nasal cavity of the pony.It does harm to them.
佳佳：小馬怎麼吃東西呢？需要餵嗎？吃什麼呢？
張教練：小馬會自己吃的，一開始會吃奶水。
Jiajia: What does the baby pony eat? Do they need to be fed?
Coach Zhang: The baby pony can eat by itself and it will eat milk at first.
楷升：小馬什麼時候可以吃草呢？
張教練：10-15天可以吃一點點草。
Kaisheng: When can the baby pony eat grass?
Coach Zhang: They can eat a little grass in 10-15 days.
通過張教練的細心科普和解答，孩子們興致勃勃地跟著老師又走向馬廄，用自己的眼睛和小手去一探究竟！
Through Coach Zhang’s careful explaination, the children followed the teacher to the stables enthusiastically, using their own eyes and small hands to observe!
Settland pony and teaching
發達國家的小孩大約在3、4歲就開始接受馬術教育，到6、7歲時，多數孩子可以順利完成1米以上的障礙跳躍。然而在中國，這個年齡段接觸過馬術的孩子少之又少。面對這一問題，我園希望有所突破，接下來我們將對現有的兩匹設特蘭矮馬進行科學地調教，在專業指導下讓孩子儘快接觸到初步的馬術運動。
In developed countries, kids receive equestrian education when they are about 3 or 4 years old. At age of 6 or 7, most children can complete obstacle jumps of more than 1 meter successfully. However, in China, there are very few children at this age who have been exposed to equestrianism. We hope to make a breakthrough.We are going to train the two existing Shetland pony and let the children get in touch with the preliminary equestrian sports as soon as possible under professional guidance.
Our kindergarten will have a new memeber soon. Come and have a look.