I don’t think she is ugly either, just a pasture animal with lots of hay. Not fit, bad haircut on forelock.
Hackneys are not “pretty” like the Welsh, American Shetland ponies. They have a horse-like head, sometimes a strong nose instead of a dish. They usually don’t get really fat all over, as many ponies do. Hay or grass belly would be more common if kept unworked.
They can be working fools, best with daily jobs, as they were designed for in the beginning of the Breed. They just go and go, last for years in work, have nice BIG feet, to take the work on the roads. The best ones have natural knee action even unshod, not flat movers. They will usually jump well too, when ridden.
Can be fun for adults to drive, rather like a zippy sports car with speed and quickness in turns.
I expect with a little work, a good haircut and trim, this pony would be quite good looking in a Hackney way, instead of the look she presents now. Most equines will be vastly improved with a good hair trim, some grooming, working using their back. Heck, even the Spanish Riding School stallions look MUCH more handsome under saddle, “together” than when grazing in a field! My friend’s Lippizan looks like the “old grey mare” out in the field, nothing like she moves or looks when ridden.
