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American Kerry Bog Pony Society schreef:

The breed owes its escape from extinction in large measure to the vision and tireless efforts of a Kerryman named John Mulvihill. John brought these ponies to national attention, igniting the interest of John Flynn of Weatherby’s, Ireland’s leading DNA laboratory. Weatherby’s confirmed that Mulvihill’s pony, Flashy Fox, possessed unique breed markers. Flashy’s sire, Dempsey Bog, was tested, along with several other ponies in the country. With identification of living foundation stock, a breed was saved. A legend lives.

The Kerry Bog Pony Cooperative Society schreef:

In the 1990s John Mulvihill from Glenbeigh, Co Kerry became aware that these ponies had disappeared from view and were almost extinct. His searches found that in 1992 only 20 mares and six stallions were known to exist.
Dr John Flynn of Weatherbys DNA Laboratory at the Irish Equine Centre heard John Mulvihill talking about the plight of the ponies on the radio. He became interested and offered to DNA type the surviving ponies to see if they were indeed a distinct breed. As a result of genomic studies using nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers the Kerry Bog Pony is now characterised at genetic level.
The most likely origin of the founding population is the northwestern region of Europe. Weatherbys continue to DNA type every registered pony thus building up an invaluable database of genetic information.
[...]
That it has survived into the 21st century to become a scientifically recognised breed is remarkable as there were several well-documented occasions, over the last few centuries when such an insignificant pony, which was never present in large numbers, was threatened with extinction.