New Issue: Faroese Horse (Faroe Islands)

I have a lot of new stamps to review and I'm going to start with this one from the Faroe Islands about their native horse.

I had never heard of a Faroese Horse before. It is basically a small pony that was critically endangered in the 1960s but since then things have improved thanks to a breeding programme.

Faroese people are clearly very proud of their horse and it's not the first time that it has appeared on a Faroe Islands stamp. Here's a set of two stamps from 1993.

The Posta website tells us more about the Faroese horse:0

"In the 1960s, the Faroese horse came close to disappearing forever only five horses remained. Today, it is a story of survival that is still being written.

"The Faroese horse is an indigenous Faroese domestic animal that arrived in the Faroe Islands with the first settlers. It has adapted to the Faroese landscape and traditional agricultural work, and has consequently developed into a small, sturdy horse with a calm and gentle temperament. The Faroese horse can be regarded as one of our oldest and purest cultural treasures, and it has undoubtedly played a vital role in sustaining life in Faroese society. For several hundred years before modern tools and equipment could be imported, the horse provided farmers with both a means of transport and a working animal for tilling the land. Genetic analyses confirm that it constitutes a distinct breed, though one closely related to the Icelandic and Shetland horses.

"As agricultural implements grew larger and heavier, there was an increasing demand for bigger horses to pull them. Foreign horses, primarily Norwegian and Icelandic, were therefore imported and crossbred with the Faroese stock. At the same time, many Faroese horses were sold to Britain to work in the coal mines (this is a remarkable fact). It is estimated that by the early 1800s there were approximately 800 horses in the Faroe Islands, but the crossbreeding and exportation of horses led to the pure Faroese horse passing through a catastrophically narrow genetic bottleneck. By the 1960s, only five breeding horses remained alive, all of them descended from the same four animals. Those four horses are today the ancestors of the entire Faroese horse population."

The horses' survival is mainly due to the Faroese Horse Association (FFR). Posta tells us that the FFR "was founded in 1978 with the aim of preserving the original Faroese horse. At that time, only 13 purebred Faroese horses existed. Through years of dedicated work by passionate enthusiasts, the population has been kept alive and today numbers around 90 horses. The FFR's work is driven largely by volunteers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Faroese horse is critically endangered. The population would need more than 300 breeding mares to be considered merely endangered."

The 27KR stamp shows Skessa, who is a breeding age mare. She is also a riding horse. The 37KR stamp shows four stallions called Munin, Mergur, Óðin and Askur at Heltnin.

Design Quality - This is a slid design. it is based on photography but the composition of the photographs gives space for the country name and the price on the right. The simple design lets the photographs speak for themselves and this time it works very well. It really captures the beauty of these animals. 7/10

Theme/Subject Choice - The Faroese Horse is clearly a very good subject choice for an issue from the Faroe Islands, especially the story of the fight for survival. 10/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - It is hard not to give in full marks here because it is a local story of a local breed being saved by a local organisation. 10/10

Innovation and Creativity - The photographs are really beautiful and the design works well, but I don't think these are particularly creative. 5/10

Collectability - A lot of collectors will like these, whether they're interested in nature, animals or stunning landscapes. Faroe Islands stamps are often popular with collectors because they normally are very focused on local themes. 7/10

Personal Appeal - I absolutely love these, and I've learned about the Faroese Horse! I love the photographs showing the horses in their natural environment. 10/10 Overall Score: 49/60