There are several reliable sources that have made an effort to describe the breed's living-conditions, among them are Debes, Svabo and Landt. It would be wrong to claim that the Faroese people used to be fond of horses, as the ponies were not rewarded for any hard work but immediately driven back up into the mountains to fend for themselves. These harsh circumstances are essentially what have made pony into what it is today, namely an animal which does not require much food, gets a thick coat in the winter, has strong hoofs and legs. The breed is small, patient and stubborn but also very resolute, resilient and incredibly strong in comparison to their relatively small stature. 200 years ago large flocks of ponies lived in the mountains. The total estimate was around 600-800 ponies. However, as recently as 50 years ago there were only five ponies left: four mares and one stallion. The number of ponies fell drastically due to several different reasons, one of them being the fact that multiple ponies were shipped to England to work in mines. In addition to this, farmers no longer needed horses for heavy work as they started using heavy machinery, which required stronger horses like the Norse Fjordhorse. When farmers eventually started using tractors, there was no longer any need for the breed in the Faroes, and thus the interest in its preservation vanished. In fact, government officials wanted to rid the islands of the horses completely, as there was no apparent use for them. The horses that were not sold were therefore either shot or shoved off cliffs.