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[Farael]

Originally Posted by alatar

That said, I will not buy that ponies were very ubiquitous.

Ah, but I thought that a medieval England example would be applicable! Furthermore, owning a horse does not mean that you keep it in your backyard! My girlfriend owns a horse and she (the horse) is in a barn with other horses owned by other people. Who's to say there weren't large horse farms?

To answer further concerns, I've always imagined Hobbiton and Buckland as cities after a fashion. Sure, they weren't cities by our current definition but they were more densely populated than the countryside. So, while moving around these places hobbits would not have a great need for a pony. Furthermore, people who did not travel much (or only travelled for fun, like Frodo) would have no need to own a pony!

That, however, is not to say that ponies were not readily available. It just means that they were not consistenly used by cityfolk.