what defines a pony?

[Mehitabel]

following on from some of the comments on the 'too big to ride a pony' thread...


in my mind, the pony/horse divide is more about size and toughness than being bred for children - to me, the riding pony types that look like mini tbs are more horsey, as they're delicate flowers, would cope less well with mud, weather, etc, and the native types who are hairy and hardy are what i think of as ponies. i'd call a cob a pony rather than a horse - it's tough and sensible and has an independent mind.

what does everyone else think of as a pony? what defines it, and how does it differ from a 'horse'?

[anuvb]

hmm, I must admit to being a little confused on this. I thought that the official cut-off point was anything over 14.2Hh was a horse anything below and including 14.2Hh was a pony. However, I am also aware that ponies have a different body build and bone structure to horses, so it is not just a matter of height but also of anatomical build. I am also under the impression Falabella's (?sp) whilst being short are mini horses because of their bone structure. I'll see if I can dig out my anatomy books and see if they have info on this.

[Karenr]

I always thought it was based on height - and here was I going to do a post to announce that Cassie is no longer a pony but a horse having reached the grand height of 14.2 just months before her 4th birthday!!!

[Mehitabel]

well, i know arabs are always horses even if small, and welshes, nfs are ponies even if they go over height. not really thinking about scietnific definitions, more what people think in their mental map of horse/pony. wally was saying that she thinks a pony is something bred for a child to ride and a horse as some thing bred to work and carry adults, which would make natives horses. my mental image of pony as opposed to horse is different to that, and i'm interested to see what others think.

[Fraggle]

I always thought it was based on height too.

But.....

A Dales pony is still a Dales pony no matter how big it gets. I must admit though that anything under 14.2hh I would call a pony but I agree that I always think of Natives when I think ponies. (I'm biased that way!)

As this is the forum for adults who ride ponies, I always assume that most people here are talking about stocky ponies who are good weight carriers (no insult intended girls!) and are used for x-country, jumping etc. I don't think of tiny childrens ponies who are sometimes incapable of little more than being led around.

Ponies to me mean 4 wheel drive and going off-roading - the equivilent of a landrover (or a tank in Fat Sammy's case!)

:D

PS. Great topic ES - This one really made my little grey cells work (all 2 of them.)

[Wally]

I like to think of a pony as something which was bred specifically for kids, small, kind, no brain to have bad thoughts with and not suitable for an adult to ride.

Small native horses were used and bred by adults to do a tough job, whether it be agrucultural or industrial. They have a brain and think a bit too much for a child to cope with! They needed it to survive in the wilds of the British Isles, the Steppes, Iceland, Norway and all the other inhospitable places these chaps come from.

Shetlanders, especially older ones rarely refer to Shetlands as ponies, they are horses.

[anuvb]

Originally posted by Es
more what people think in their mental map of horse/pony.

...reading some of the replies and comments on other threads, I would think that the mental map in most (not all) people still comes down to the horse's/pony's build and bone structure. A native has a very typical pony type build, therefore I think we always associate them as ponies. It's also why we can describe a horse as having a pony element to it, particularly if it has a native breed in it's bloodline....

Hazarding a guess, it must be more to do with the proportions of the animal in question. We all have mental images of what we "think" a pony should look like. We're so used to seeing them that we don't really think about what we're seeing. In general, ponies are better proportioned than horses. For example, if you think about the ratio of rider weight to pony weight the majority of ponies (even if they are carrying kids) have a lower ratio and therefore need to be better proportioned than a horse to withstand this greater load. Traditionally, horses on the otherhand have been bred for speed and endurance and the ability to cover large amounts of ground very quickly so people could get from A to B as fast as possible. Therefore, the proportions are different - longer legs to body length etc. So I would think this is what most people's mental images of ponies are. Hence the reason we associate natives as ponies regardless of their size.

I would have to disagree with your cob comment though Es :D I know a 16Hh gypsy cob - and this one is enormous there is no way I would ever consider it a pony!!!!! ;) The horse prides itself on being large and masculine I think if I told it, it was equivalent to it's 11.2Hh neighbour then he'd take it very personally!

Fraggle's right this is good topic! It's really making me think about how I classify horses and ponies.

[chev]

I'd always classified ponies by their proportions and "pony" characteristics too. I think of a pony as having smaller, neater ears, larger eyes, a kind of "rounder" build, if you see what I mean - I'd never thought of them as having been bred for children particularly.

That said, I can see Wally's point. It's also interesting that whenever we've had a really good pony people have tended to describe them as "a good little horse" or a "strong little horse". Does this reflect the "true" definition of horses and ponies or does it simply show that some people just don't take ponies seriously?

For me there is a difference between a pony and a child's pony. None of my three are particularly children's ponies. They are all totally trustworthy with the kids, but they are independant, intelligent and do definitely need reminding of their manners now and then. They can all carry me and they're all challenging rides - not difficult, just... sharp. That sharpness is what makes them stand apart from both horses and children's ponies, I feel.

[Gemma R]

hmmmm good topic :)

Ponies to me are (below 14.2hh) generally more characteristic. I think of them via height but I often think you can get horsey ponies and ponyish horses. If you see what I mean.

My friends old loan pony was 14.2hh and was VERY horsey, horsey paces, horsey temperament very sensible to handle. Same friend had a 15.2hh welshy x who was VERY pony like mischevious, funny to have around a REAL characture.

Ponies to me are just more fun, very clever and mischevious, whereas horses (to me) are boring and dull and just 'do there job'.

That's what I think anyway.

I agree with Chev there is a HUGE difference between ponies in general and ponies that can be classed as real childrens mounts

[suze]

I believe it does come down to bone structure.
Most ponies are under 14.2. Exceptions are the fallabella and the caspian which are always described as horses.

[Wally]

.....not to mention Haflingers, Icelandics, Shetlands, Fjords none of which are described by their breed societies as ponies! Well the Shetlands do, but they are not based in Shetland...Perth, which is MILES away. IN Shetland they are refered to as horses more often than not.

[chev]

...and Welsh cobs, always referred to as "cobs" not horses or ponies, sometimes under 14.2hh sometimes over 14.2hh but never known as Welsh horses!

Another one - polo ponies - always known as polo ponies, not horses, and yet measure over 14.2hh.

I'd also consider the difference in bone structure between a section B (a pony of around 13hh) and a section C (also a pony of around 13hh). They're both Welsh ponies, of the same height restrictions, but vastly different in both build and type.

Very involved question this!!

[tasha]

I always think of a pony as an intelligent equine when it comes to riding, e.g. dont have to stride them into fences, whereas most horses you do have to. As my neighbour says: "The further the distance bewteen the brain and the foot, the more the rider has to think!"

Therefore I think the cutoff point should be 15hh...most 14.2hhs and 14.3hhs I know are more pony-like, in this repect.

[Shady_Indigo]

Hmm in Australia we consider ponies to be
Pony: up to 13.3hh
Galloway: 14hh to 14.3hh
Hack: 15hh and over.

I think it is retarded. Shae is small but she's a lot of Arab so even though she is 14.3hh she is a horse, not a galloway or pony...weird...

[Peace]

Originally posted by Es:
in my mind, the pony/horse divide is more about size and toughness

I agree. In the old days in this country, white people always referred to the Indians' mounts as "ponies," I think because they were generally smaller, and easy-keepers. Reading some contemporary accounts, white people also thought they had quite an attitude - "hammer-headed," "puny and mean" and "chicken-brained" are some of the adjectives they used!

Of course, the Indians generally thought white peoples' horses were big, slow, soft, and stupid, so I guess it went both ways!:)

Reading Indian accounts, though, the words are always translated as "horse," not "pony," so they probably had the same understanding as Wally - a small "native" with brains and toughness was, to them, a horse. (We don't actually have native wild horses here - our mustangs are descended from feral escapees brought over by Europeans).

[AmandaW]

With all the exceptions to the rule it makes you wonder about the requirement for a distinction in the first place doesn't it. I really don't think you can catagorise an equine's character on height alone or bone structure or breed! Horsey 'airheads' seem to come in all shapes and sizes as do the workman-like ones.

I don't think childrens ponies have to be thick though Wally. They just have to be suited to and enjoy that particular job.

My 15.2hh welsh cob x TB is kind, irritable, patient, sharp, stressy, chilled out, wonderful with my children (but I wouldn't put them on her back), lazy, forward, reliable..... all depending on the situation at the time. I would hate for anyone to put her in Box A just because she is over 15.2hh and has x amount of bone.

My love is horses, no matter what shape they are! I wouldn't want to discriminate, you might miss out on a real gem! Although being 5'4'' makes rugging up a 17hander hard work!!!

[Salina]

Suze, eh, how can a fallabella be described as a horse??? they are like, under 9hh

[LindaAd]

Well, the size guide is just rough, isn't it... A falabella is a miniature horse.

But for once I don't agree with Wally - if you say ponies are bred for children to ride, and you exclude the native breeds, then you are just left with show-ponies, and they're bred for children to show - not necessarily the same as riding. I think I'd rather say they're all horses, only some people call some of the smaller ones ponies.

There isn't really a clear line, so that you can say everything on one side is a pony and everything on the other side is a horse, as you can see from all the things people have said in this thread. Polo ponies are ponies even if they're 15hh. Shetlands are horses in Shetland and ponies everywhere else. I think cobs are ponies if they're under about 14.2hh, and pony-ish; my cob is 15.1 and definitely a horse.

In the US I think to "pony" a horse means to lead it from another horse - isn't that right?

[virtuallyhorses]

I can answer this one :) - the official distinction between a pony and a horse is ... its proportions rather than it's height.

A pony is usually stocky in build and short legged. The body length exceeds it's height at it's withers and it's leg length usually equals it's depth.

There are exceptions to the 15hh 'rules' - Arabs are always horses, Prezwalski's 'horse' is a pony etc etc Wally can probably correct me - is it the Norwejians or the Icelanders who have no word for 'pony' since they only knew their own breed which they called a horse (although its a pony) - or is it the other way around ??

[virtuallyhorses]

I've grabbed a random image of one of the 'horsie' type of show ponies discussed above to demonstrate that it still sticks to the pony proportions rule I'm having to cheat quite a bit because its in motion with this next one - but hopefully you'll see the comparison with a true horse in the next post :)

[virtuallyhorses]

Here's a horse and it wouldn't matter whether this TB was 14.3 he'd still be a horse.

I guess the whole 'show pony' thing has blurred this definition somewhat since breeders seem to be actively attempting to make 'little horses' ...so they are getting closer and closer to 'horse' types and proportions. Does this help or hinder the pony vs horse discussion? :)

[Wally]

If the "horse" in the above pic was 12.3hh I'm not sure I would feel happy riding him!

As you say, there is no word for pony in the Norse language so they are all horses.

[Salina]

Now, this is really quite simple, equines are divided into 3 categories, horse, pony and heavy horse. a pony is UNDER 14.2hh and a horse is OVER 14.2hh, but you can get 14.3hh ponies. ponies are generally hardier than horses, and can survive in a field all yr round, a horse needs more care. Ok??? i thought all the posts were quite silly really, a dimwit could figure it out in 3 seconds flat.

[Salina]

Light horse

[Salina]

heavy horse

[Salina]

pony

[Esther.D]

Now, this is really quite simple, equines are divided into 3 categories, horse, pony and heavy horse. a pony is UNDER 14.2hh and a horse is OVER 14.2hh, but you can get 14.3hh ponies. ponies are generally hardier than horses, and can survive in a field all yr round, a horse needs more care. Ok??? i thought all the posts were quite silly really, a dimwit could figure it out in 3 seconds flat.

The point of the earlier posts was not that every one doesn't know the difference between a horse and a pony 'officially'. It was discussing the different breeds and proportions and ehy for instance a falabella, an Icelandic, a Shetland and a Caspian etc can all be officially called horses even though they are pony size.


a horse needs more care.

We have a 16.2hh, Pablo, who is definitely a horse;) but lives out 24/7 365 days a year and will happily stand in the middle of a moor in a blizzard with no rug (having decided to take his off). He has no shoes on and was not groomed all winter other than removing mud from where his tack goes (grooming removes the oils that keep him dry).

There are always exceptions to the rule. Just look at some of the show ponies - Pablo would survive much better than them out in a field 24/7 and they are pony size.

[Esther.D]

Just to illustrate what the others were meaning. Here are two of my own ponies, they are both ponies and they both live out 24/7 but they are utterly different shapes.

Rupert is a New Forest and has been bred as a riding pony, he is 13.2hh. He has long legs and a fairly light build.

Behind him is Gallie, he is 9.3hh, he is from driving stock and is heavily built even for a shetland.

Rupert is in fact more similar to a horse in proportions than he is to Gallie, although they both live out 24/7, they can both do the same jobs and they are both classed as ponies (except in the shetland islands where it is Gallie, not Rupert, who would be classed as the horse).

(Sorry it is a bad photo of Gallie, he looks fat and deformed:rolleyes: )

[LindaAd]

Originally posted by Salina
Now, this is really quite simple, equines are divided into 3 categories, horse, pony and heavy horse. a pony is UNDER 14.2hh and a horse is OVER 14.2hh, but you can get 14.3hh ponies. ponies are generally hardier than horses, and can survive in a field all yr round, a horse needs more care. Ok??? i thought all the posts were quite silly really, a dimwit could figure it out in 3 seconds flat.


Salina, before you start calling people names, perhaps it would be a good idea to stop and ask yourself whether maybe you're the one who is oversimplifying.

[Salina]

FOR GOD SAKE!!! ANYONE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HORSE AND A PONY, YOU CAN SPOT IT A MILE OFF!!! OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVEN'T HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE AROUND HORSES AND PONIES TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM I REALLY AM SHOCKED, :eek:

[Salina]

FOR GOD SAKE!!! ANYONE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HORSE AND A PONY, YOU CAN SPOT IT A MILE OFF!!! OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVEN'T HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE AROUND HORSES AND PONIES TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM I REALLY AM SHOCKED, :eek: I MEAN, HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DON, AND A CONNEMARA??? :rolleyes:

[Gemma R]

oh child honestly you have totally misunderstood the whole point of this thread!! Now I suggest you stop posting on this particular thread before you make more of a fool of yourself or upset any more people!!!!

[Salina]

How dare you call me a fool!!!:mad: this thread is so stupid:mad: and i am NOT a child :mad: i hope the moderators close this thread asap so no more users of this board can be attacked!!!

[Casey76]

For years a 'pony' wassomething small and hairy with a large barrel which children learned to ride on. The I saw some 'show' ponies in a show (doh obviously :p ), and it was like "oooooh small horses"! I didn't actually realise that ponis could actually be so fine boned hehe. I've learnt a lot this past year :D :rolleyes:

[Salina]

A fine boned pony is called ''a riding pony'' they are like mini horses but are still a pony :mad:

[Wally]

Salina, PLEASE keep your post civil. I have Icelandics which range from 12hh to 14hh they are NEVER refered to as ponies, In Shetland, Shetlands are rarly refered to as ponies, they are horses. Fjords are 13hh to 14.2hh, they are horses.

It is not as cut and dried as a height thing.

This thread has been on the board for months and to this point has been civil and very well discussed. I am going to leave it for the moment and bring it to the attention of other moderators.

If it degenerates further it will be closed.

Posts in capital letters are considered very bad form and aggressive, please use proper English as you may well be taken the wrong way.

This is a final warning!

[Esther.D]

And Salina - just a tip- next time you choose someone to insult...try not to insult some of the most experienced people on the board, plus a fair selection of moderators:rolleyes: and when you have dug yourself into a deep hole, don't carry on digging deeper you only make yourself look silly.

i am NOT a child

According to your profile you are 12 years old, according to my knowledge..just as a pony is something under 14.2hh...a child is someone under 16 years. Try not to contradict your own logic.

[virtuallyhorses]

ignoring the child's tantrums ;) :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Wally
...In Shetland, Shetlands are rarely refered to as ponies, they are horses...


I didn't know that Wally - do you think that might also be something about the relationship of the Northern Isles with the Norse people ?

I always picture Thelwell when I think of ponies, esp Shetlands :D - my Mother calls them Shelties (which I had always associated with the dogs) is this also what they're called in the Shetlands or is this a (mainland) Scottish term?

[Esther.D]

my Mother calls them Shelties

I call them shelties too but when I mentioned this on NR everyone thought I was talking about the dogs...I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have been brought up virtually in the Scottish borders so it may be a Scottish/Northern English term..it is certainly fairly common around here.

[virtuallyhorses]

I'll not mention the English bit to my Mum, she's from Aberdeen and her lot are from North East Scotland (Pennan) - she's not got a lot of nice things to say about 'lalanders' (or worse English) :D ;)

[Wally]

The Shetland dialect is based on Old Norse and lowland Scotts languages. Mostly Old Norse. This is why the word horse is used more often than pony.

If a Shetlander asks you if you "Hae Hoarses?" he means Shetlands, He will ask you if "Du haes muckle Hoarses" if he means anything about the size of a 13.2hh as this was the size of most crofting plough /carting horses. The bigger estates had one or two Clydesdales. Anything bigger than about 14hh he will scratch his head and ask wonder what use something that big is!

Here and in the Norselands it is more a language thing....that and Vikings didn't ride ponies!

[joy70]

I always judge them by proportion than height, yup my friend has a couple of cobs who are over 14.2hh and i class em as ponies, then my mate has a 15.2hh who i still class as a pony.

Show ponies, the fine delicate type are ponies that i would never ride, but ponies that most of us adults on this site ride are native ponies even if theyre over 14.2hh, its down to the build. Horses are what i class as TB types.

To me ponies & horses are like motorbikes in the sense that, ponies are like little 150's 200's fast furious and fun and reliable, whereas horses are like the big superbikes, fast and have to be given a great deal of respect and an awful lot of attention etc., wheras native are easy keepers

[Wally]

Icelandics are more like your modern superbkie, small, quick and fun. Big Horses, to me, are more like a Golwing, powerful, but not so fast on the handling or corners!:D ;)

[joy70]

:D Wally couldn't agree with you more! If my pony was a bike he'd be a superbike too :D

Spose in reality the horses would have to be like Harley Davidson's;)

[Wally]

That'a a very good analogy! My tastes in horses are the same as bikes. I'd rather have a small nippy bike than a HUGE tourer!

Never ride anything with legs thinner than your own, and never ride a bike you cannot pick up by yourself once you drop it!:D :D :D ;)

[joy70]

Wally

love it!

unfortunately for me i cannot ride a bike too short to ride the kind i like :( so i will stick with the real ponies rather than the steel horses!! although don't think i could pick Toddy up if i dropped him :eek: :D :) ;) :D

[Mehitabel]

i like the analogy, but i think i'll stick to the kind that can stand up on their own!

[Janette]

This could be further complicated by 'witherless wonders', like Star. She measures in at 14.2, but doesn't have a wither to her name. If she did, she'd be aprox 15hh.
She's crafty, clever, has an attitude the size of a house, has a full size head, for a bridle, cob size for a headcollar, and a 17.5" saddle.

http://groups.msn.com/NRphotos/starandhoney.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=2013

My daughter who is riding her is 12! However, I ride her and am 5'9", with no dangling legs under her belly.

What is Star - horse or pony?

I can't do the conformation thing because the pic is an action shot.

[tasha]

Hmm, what does she ride like Janette? An old friend of mine has a 14.3hh 7/8 Arab, really super mare, who likes like a horse proportion wise and officailly measures up as one. But to ride she is just like a pony (let her do the thinking ;) ) so we always called her one.

I always think of horses that are 14.2-15hh as 'not-a-pony, not-a-horse'!

[Lgd]

Once had a judge write 'attractive pony' on one of Peri's test sheets - said 'pony' is a leggy (although fairly substantial) 16hh TB :D

[Sarah]

i think whether an equine bewteen the height of 14h and 15h2 is a horse or a pony depends on lots of stuff.

Tango is 14h3, but more a pony in outlook than a horse. The one time I object to her being called a pony is when the word is not pronounced pohney, but painey.

I was on riding club camp for grown ups 3 yrs ago and one very 'well bred' lady said (after we had stopped at a 1ft XC fence) 'I'd have thought a little 'painey' like yours would find that easy', the tone that she said 'painey' in has grated ever since. On the last day I realised that she'd annoyed the teacher too as when her eventer stopped at the 3ft drop fence, the teacher said that maybe Sarah on her 'painey' could give a lead and I have never done it so willingly to show up the posh bird on her expensive big horse!

So yes, Tango is really a pohney (though horse sized), but she is definitely not a 'painey'!

bye!

[Janette]

Not really sure of the difference between riding a pony and a horse, tasha :( . But her stride is short, and she is very quick to turn when she's trying to nap back to the other horses in the showring. She loves to jump, hates schooling and is a real XC machine - the perpetual motion type. Is that any help?

[tasha]

Hmm..I would say pony then. What makes the differencee is the distance from head to feet. Ponies have a shorter one, so you can let them do the thinking when it comes to striding jumps etc., and horses have further between the two so you have to do it for them!!

[Janette]

Love that definition Tasha :D
In that case - PONY!!!!
Somtimes, Star does far too much thinking for MY own good. She is adept at breaking and entering - the feed shed, where she happily consumes FOUR breakfasts, the straw store, where she detstryed one of those huge round bales (she did that one by creeping under a hanging pole, then pushing it over her back) and pushing up the diesal consumption on the landrover, by poking open the ventilator shaft on the roof of the trailer with her nose, when ever she is going somewhere.
Definately ponytude.

[Cheko]

My Exmoor is definitely a 'painey' nothing horsy about him at all. Ponies tend to be less likely to panic in a 'hairy' situation, more sure footed and can sense danger quicker. I'd trust my little boy to carry me safely across the moor (even tho he;s never been there) without running me into a bog! Horses dont seem to have this 6th sense! I would still like a horse tho nothing more than 15hh but my at 5'1" and 7stone a little one does me fine!

[PoniesRUs17]

Ponies..... my favorite subject lol :) Well, in America (at least North Carolina) , the subject pony is different then the British Isles. I , personally, have lived in Europe ( England and a little in Finland) and USA and I can see the difference.
Here, for shows a pony has to be under 14.2hh or else it is not allowed to show in that class. To me, a pony is about 14.3hh with the exception of some.
When we talk about ponies (in the us), we tend to think about Welsh X , TB X, and other nice crosses of ponies and horses but we dont no have the native breeds that England does. I have hardly seen any NF, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and such here and sometimes tend to miss them.
But another point, since we don't have the strong, native pony breeds hardly any adults ride ponies here.
Donno, I guess its just different ;) lol

[Alex]

Originally posted by Es
... to me, the riding pony types that look like mini tbs are more horsey, as they're delicate flowers, would cope less well with mud, weather, etc, and the native ...

um lol someone should tell Mily that she's meant to be a 'delicate flower' :D :D :D

She's confuzzling in herself - she's 14.1hh so is a galloway, but her breed is an Australian Riding Pony so... is she a pony or a galloway? hehe When we show she enters the breed ring for Riding Ponies, but other than that she goes in the galloway classes.

[showjumper_de]

my pony!!! 13.2hh peggy

mounted games

my HORSE webster (died nov 2000)

[tiarri]

What an interesting thread. This subject is certainly not as simple as many basic horse books make it out to be. I have always judged a pony on it's proportion and height. when I was younger anything under 14.2hh was a pony. But as I learnt more I started to tak proportion into account to. I dont' think we can have strict rules on anything in the horse world in regards to breeds these days. Humans have created so many that it can be quite a large debate. Riding ponies look like small TBs in proportion but are still classed as ponies. Cobs are horse height but have the proportion of a pony. A miniature horse is tiny but still classed as a horse because of their horse like proportions. lol My new Standardbred, Nugget, is a mere 14hh but is certainly a horse in proportions. I think if I had to pick size OR proportion I would go with proportion rather than size. I tend to find that if they have the pony proportion they have the pony attitude :)
I really think it all comes down to personal judgement.

[Shiny McShine]

To me a pony is just a small horse... simple as that. If it looks like a horse is of no consequence because it is a horse, just a small version. It is probably easier to make a destinction based on whether they are "hotblooded or "coldblooded". I would call Shetlands coldblood ponies, and Riding Ponies hot blooded ponies, to me they are still both ponies though. Just as you get a Shire which is a coldblooded horse and a Thoroughbred which is a hotblooded horse... I'm sure there is no dispute that they are both horses even though their type varies.

[HAYLEY GITTOES]

I have a 14.2 Fell pony, but i always class her as her horse, her personality isnt 'ponyish!' she isnt naughty, i would never put a child on her, and she never dives for grass when were out!

I sometimes think it deppends on there personality to, if they are a pony or a horse!

I hope you understand what ive written!!

[Echo64]

This is weird...I have an Arab but he's a little shortie - I call him a pony because he's got some typical "pony" tendancies, and he's strong like a tank.

We have a Sport Pony, Cassie, and she honestly is like a small horse. We were at a show one time, the judge took one look at her, kind of gave a grunt, then measured her. She's 14.1½ hands high, we measure her CONSTANTLY, and the judge was content to measure her on an upward slant, partways up her neck, she came in at fifteen hands that way.

I don't know what the joke was about that - maybe they were afraid of her (oh, lemme dream!) but I found it utterly ridiculous that they tried their mightiest to stick her out - and we even had her measured by a veterinarian who measured her at 14.1.

[Gem]

the pony i ride is most definetly a horsey pony lol:D

[Cheko]

I have a 14hh Fell pony. He is very bright like a pony should be but not cunning as some of the smaller breeds are. On saying that he is very intelligent and can tell if I'm serious about something, like working him in the school or not. If he thinx I'm not, then he wont try. If he knows I am serious about some schooling, he'll try his very best.:p