There is no pony at the top of the mast.  I know because I went up there and looked in cascais.  This would seem to be a regrettable oversight on such an upmarket watercraft but perhaps there was one and it chose to leave: The genoa halyard seemed a little chewed which would probably be expected in the absence of any convenient places to store sugar lumps or apples.  Yesterday we took the genoa down to check for further wear.  There was none.  Which of course you would expect if the pony was no longer there.  There was talk of a mousing line if the halyard had worn all the way through. I suspect ponies though, not mice.