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A pony is any of several horse breeds with a specific conformation and temperament. By definition, ponies measure less or equal to 14.2 hands high (hh) at the withers, where one hand is equal to approximately four inches. However, the term "pony" can be used in general (or affectionately) for any small horse, regardless of its actual measurements or breed. Shetland pony. ...
Shetland pony. ...
A Shetland with the winter coat beginning to shed Shetland pony horses are small (on average up to 42 inches (10. ...
Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...
A horses conformation is the horses body proportions in relation to each other. ...
The withers is the highest point on an animals back, on the ridge between its shoulder blades. ...
A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length measurement, usually based on the breadth of a male human hand and thus around 1 dm, i. ...
Compared to horses, ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat, as well as proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavy bone, thick necks, and short heads with broad foreheads.
For showing purposes, ponies are further grouped into small, medium, and large sizes. Small ponies are 12.2 hh and under, medium ponies are over 12.2 but no taller than 13.2 hh (1.27 to 1.37 m), and large ponies are over 13.2 hh but no taller than 14.2 hh (1.37 to 1.47 m).
There are several wild breeds of pony, and these have often been captured and bred for various purposes, especially in Britain and Ireland. These wild breeds along with domestic breeds were used as "pit ponies" hauling loads of coal up from the mines, for freight transport, as children's mounts and for entertainment, and later as competitors and performers in their own right. They are also ridden by adults, as ponies are usually very strong. A pit pony was a type of pony commonly used in coal mines up until the mid 20th century. ...
Ponies are sometimes said to be stubborn, contemptuous, or devious. The situation may result from individual ponies' lack of proper training. Ponies trained by children, rather than by experienced horse trainers, usually turn out to be spoiled because children typically lack the skill to correct bad habits. Properly trained ponies can be appropriate mounts for children who are learning to ride. However, it is often accepted that ponies tend to be more difficult to handle than many horse breeds, despite their small size.
Small breeds that are not ponies
Some equine breeds are not considered ponies, even when they measure under 14.2 hh. One such breed is the Egyptian Arabian horse. Although they are sometimes shorter than 14.2 hh, they are not considered a true "pony" breed. The Icelandic Horse and Fjord Horse are often pony-sized, and of northern European breeding, but they are generally considered horses. The small horses used for polo are called "polo ponies", though they can be a mixture of both "horse" and "pony" breeds. The Arabian horse is a breed of horse with a reputation for intelligence, high spirit, and outstanding stamina. ...
The Icelandic horse is a breed of pony that has lived in Iceland since the mid-800s, having been brought to the island by Viking settlers. ...
Fjord The Fjord horse (known in Norway as a fjording) is a rather short but very strong breed of horse from the mountainous regions of western Norway. ...
A game of polo underway. ...
A horse used in the game of polo is called a pony, but is almost always bigger than the official maximum height for a pony; 1. ...
A miniature horse is not a pony--it is a small horse, under 8.2 hh (86 cm, or 38 in) at the withers. There are also miniature pony breeds. AMHA Registered Pinto Miniature Mare. ...
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