When someone says pony, do you picture a little girl in braids wearing pink? Or maybe a little cowboy with a tiny hat? It’s undeniably cute to see children on their first pony, but pones aren’t just for kids.

I’m one such adult. Eight years after a bad accident left me with a lot of fear, I wanted to get back into riding. But riding a large horse terrified me. I started out with a 14.1-hand Fjord mare, then moved on to an even smaller horse, a 13.2-hand Gypsy named Merida (read all about our journey here).

Now I’m closer to the ground should I fall, and her physical size doesn’t reflect her large heart or athleticism. Initially, I felt a bit weird standing next to my friends and their bigger horses. I wondered if there were other adults, like me, who preferred riding ponies.

I found many adults, in fact, love the advantages of owning and riding a 14.2-hands-or-smaller equine. There are even Facebook groups, like Adults Who Love Their Minis/Ponies and Pony-Owning Adult Support Group, both of which are dedicated to those of us who love horses that are short on height but tall in talent.

Carli McKelvey and Paddy

Carli’s love is a 13.1 hand Connemara gelding named New Heart’s Patriot (aka “Paddy”). Having ridden since high school, she used to research as many different breeds as she could.

“At some point I read about Connemaras, and really fell for the competitive types,” she says. “They were talented athletes with stout bodies and fun personalities.”

Paddy had an uneven start to life. He was left a stud and ended up living alone in a round pen until he was 7 years old. He had a run-in with some barbed wire at one point, which caused an occlusion on his left eye and scarring on his topline.

He received a little bit of training, but wasn’t the type of horse just anyone could ride. In 2016, he crossed paths with McKelvey, but she wasn’t in a position to take on a project horse at that time. But when their paths crossed again three years later, she took him on.

Now McKelvey is pursuing her dressage dreams, and Paddy is excelling. She doesn’t find his height to be a disadvantage in this sport.

“He is quite nice, and I’ve been told that he is FEI quality,” she says. “His dam’s sire, Ballywhim An Luan, was an FEI-competitive pony. Some Connemaras are carefully bred for sport, and this pony happens to be one of them.

“I love that he is small but mighty,” continues McKelvey. “While 13 hands, he has the 12-foot stride of a larger horse. He’s also pretty stout, with large, flat knees, good bone on his cannons, and large feet. He’s just in a small package, perfect for an adult like me returning to riding. I’m living my little-girl pony riding dreams, while also considering where my 6-year-old daughter might take him in the future, like Pony Club (although Pony Club includes horses and ponies of all sizes), FEI Pony dressage classes, and Pony Finals.”

Diana Harris and Skuggi

Diana Harris, who has been riding since 2001, visited a friend who was working at an Icelandic horse farm in 2005. It was the first time she had seen the breed, and she was smitten.

“They are truly a fantastic breed and offer the whole package,” she says. “They’re strong, versatile and sociable. They’re also a gaited breed, which means they’re extremely smooth to ride. They are often referred to as the Ferraris of the horse world.”

Harris met Skuggi when he was just 8 months old and purchased him when he was 2. Since then, the two have had many adventures out on the trail as well as in working equitation. Skuggi matured to 13.2 hands.

“I couldn’t ask for a better trail partner,” she says. “His size is great for all of the obstacles we come across. I went for a New Year’s Day trail ride with two of my best friends, and we had to go over, around and even under at least 15 downed trees. We were able to go under one that my friends had to find another way around, as their horses would were too tall. I call Skuggi my sub-compact, four-wheel-drive mountain goat!”

You may wonder if he falls behind on the trail, being shorter in stature.

“It’s actually the other way around,” Harris laughs. “I always have to stop and wait for everyone to catch up with us.”

She found that for working equitation, Skuggi’s size was not a disadvantage, but an advantage. “Some of the obstacles during the ‘ease of handling’ phase have tight spacing, and I feel having a smaller mount gives me a slight advantage in maneuvering around them.”

Cheyanne Fisch and Tony

Tony, a 12-hand grade gelding, was a gift to Cheyanne Fisch, who has been riding her entire life.

“Tony changed my whole mindset on the size aspect,” she says. “I never really wanted a pony, as I love the giants, but Tony grabbed a hold of my heart and showed me what ponies are capable of doing.”

She says the thing she loves most about his size has to do with grooming: It takes half the time to groom him as it does the big horses, and half as much product.

“In the beginning, his size did bother me,” Fisch admits. “I was self-conscious about going to shows or even riding in front of others, like adults shouldn’t ride ponies, but after going to our first show and hearing all the kind words, his size stopped affecting my thoughts. Now I don’t think too much about it.”

Tony has tons of heart and is always out front when it comes to trail riding, leading the other horses, even out-walking the bigger equines. Together, the pair do almost everything under the sun, including schooling shows, jumping, cattle sorting, gaming, International Mountain Trail Challenge Association competitions, mounted archery, mounted shooting and tricks.

“I just absolutely love his try—despite his size,” she says. “We may be small, but we are mighty.”

Follow their journey at Facebook.com/TheLittlePonyTony.

Give it a Try

Wanting a smaller equine—whether a true pony breed like a Welsh, or just a small individual from a horse breed like the Arabian—can be a matter of preference. But there are also a lot of people that have ponies because they are smaller to handle and closer to the ground should you fall.

Having a smaller equine to share with young kids or grandchildren is another benefit that draws many adults to ponies. Whatever the reason, adults riding ponies have learned the secret that great things often come in small packages.

This article about adults riding ponies appeared in the May 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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A recent study has shown that judges tend to favor pudgy ponies over their more-svelte counterparts in the show ring. This is despite the fact that carrying extra weight may predispose these horses and ponies to such health conditions as an increased risk of laminitis or founder, and adds additional strain on joints, hooves, heart and lungs.

Equine health professionals assign a Henneke body condition score (BCS) to objectively determine the amount of fat cover on a horse. This system evaluates the amount of fat on a horse’s neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, loin and tailhead, and offers an overall score between 1 (thinnest) and 9 (most obese). The ideal body condition score is about a 5, where the ribs aren’t easily seen, but can be felt.

Case in Point

Shannon Pratt-Phillips, Ph.D., an equine nutrition professor at North Carolina State University, and a team of researchers visually evaluated 337 ponies at the 2021 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals, presented by Honor Hill Farms. Pony Finals is the year-end championship event for qualified pony riders from across the country; competition is grouped by pony height (small, medium and large), show experience (regular and green), and rider age.

The scientists evaluated each of the ponies as they prepared for the model (in-hand) phase of competition, which evaluates the pony’s conformation and physical blemishes, but also takes into account handler and pony turnout and presentation.

The two researchers evaluating the ponies had extensive body condition scoring experience and were also experts at cresty neck scoring (CNS). CNS is a 0 to 5 scale used to measure the accumulation of fat along the top of the neck. The amount of fat found in this area can be disproportionate to the amount of total body fat; a score of 3 or higher could signal an increased risk of equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis.

The CNS and the BCS from both evaluators were averaged and compared to the model scores from the three Pony Finals judges. The scientists found that the medium ponies were fatter and crestier than the large ponies. They also found a positive correlation between BCS and the model score from judges in the large ponies, suggesting that Pony Finals judges prefer a heavier pony in the model.

These findings concerned the researchers, who reported that the additional weight the ponies carry could affect their health and longevity, as well as their performance. They recommend that efforts be made to encourage judges to reward a more ideal body condition.

It’s important to remember that USEF Pony Finals judges are some of the top judges in the nation; many have judged for decades and are considered the best in their field. The findings beg two questions: How can judges be encouraged to reward non-chubby ponies, and more broadly, is there truly a pony weight issue at all?

How are Judges Trained?

U.S. Equestrian is the national governing body for most horse sport in the United States. This organization issues licenses for all hunter and jumper judges (and others), which qualifies them to judge at U.S. Equestrian-sanctioned competitions.

However, U.S. Equestrian does not provide the materials the judges can study from to pass their licensing exams; these are provided by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), a national affiliate of U.S. Equestrian that represents all levels of hunter and jumper participants. Material for the clinics is sourced from the U.S. Equestrian Rulebook and the USHJA Officials’ Education Committee curriculum, according to USHJA Officials’ Education Committee (OEC) members.

To become a U.S. Equestrian-licensed judge, one must apprentice under established judges at multiple licensed competitions, and one must have positive evaluations from the experienced judges.

Applicants must also attend a clinic. Ongoing education for carded judges is required: Each judge must attend a clinic to maintain their license every three to five years, depending on the license level.

Would pony weight and condition ever be addressed in formal settings like rulebooks? Not likely, says the USHJA OEC.

“This is an example of a topical issue addressed formally in clinics [and] in forums, as well as informally between licensed judges,” committee members say. “Topical issues, such as rule changes and more nuanced trends are addressed in the USHJA clinics.”

The OEC hosts periodic forums geared toward licensed judges and course designers, where a panel leads an in-depth discussion on current issues. Additional ways the “weight issue” could be addressed is through OEC-produced webinars.

The OEC points out that equine weight is not addressed anywhere in the U.S. Equestrian rulebook, but both U.S. Equestrian and USHJA have multiple, extensive best practices efforts in place. Many committees, such as the USHJA Horse and Rider Advocate Committee, work to educate membership on a multitude of equine management topics such as equine weight and wellness. Additionally, USHJA members can always contact committee members with questions and concerns on topics that fall under their purview, the OEC reiterates.

“Ultimately, the job of equine management broadly—and equine weight management specifically—does not fall on licensed judges. Their job is to pin the class based on performance in the competition ring in that class on that day,” the OEC says.

A Judge’s Perspective on the Pony Weight Issue

Kathleen Stamps, a licensed “R” judge with 15 years of experience judging some of the best hunters, jumpers, and hunt seat equitation riders in the nation, concurs.

“While data collection is a good tool to evaluate and interpret, it’s not the way the ponies are being judged,” she explains. “Judges are looking at the whole picture of the pony and placing that pony in accordance with the rest of the ponies in the class.”

The model class, where the researchers saw the ponies (but did not touch them), is judged with one goal in mind: “The best body wins in the class,” says Stamps. “The super fat pony could be first or last, depending on what other ponies are in the class. There are so many factors to consider, including issues that can’t be overlooked, like crooked legs, bad feet, a bone spavin [and other conformational issues].”

The pony may not be stood up well or may not jog or just be having a bad day; things happen that have nothing to do with weight, Stamps reiterates. This is why it’s difficult to correlate the scientists’ scores with the judges’ outcome in the model.

Though this study suggests a significant relationship between pony weight and Pony Finals model placings, it’s critical to remember that more than just how the pony looks was being judged: It’s the overall picture the pony and handler presented, on that day, in that class, under those judges. Horse showing is, after all, subjective.

This article about judges’ preference of weight in ponies appeared in the April 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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The Definition of Miniature Horse vs. Pony

Merriam-Webster defines a pony as “a small horse; especially one of any of several horse breeds of very small stocky animals noted for their gentleness and endurance.”

The same dictionary defines Miniature Horse as… nothing, actually. There is no listing for “miniature horse.” Commence the head-scratching…

Size and Appearance Matters: How does the horse industry differentiate them?

Ponies are distinguished from full-sized horses based on size and stature. Ponies are smaller—under 14.2 hands—and usually stockier than horses. Ponies also often have thicker coats, manes, and tails than horses. They are proportioned differently than a full-sized horse, with shorter legs, wider barrels, and a thicker neck. There are dozens of breeds characterized as ponies, from the popular Shetland and Hackney breeds to the lesser-known Fell and Exmoor.

In comparison to ponies, the difference with Miniature Horses is that they are currently bred to resemble a full-sized horse on a smaller scale. A much smaller scale. According to the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA), they must be under 34 inches up to the last hairs at the base of the mane at their withers (Minis are measured in inches rather than hands). The current miniature horse is bred to be more refined than the pony, with a long, flexible neck, straight legs, and a short back.

The American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) also registers Minis between 34” and 38”.

Historical Influence

The roles ponies and minis have played in history have contributed to their current size, appearance, and temperament.

The earliest appearance of Miniature Horses is recorded to have been in 1650 at the Palace of Versailles where King Louis XIV kept a zoo with unusual animals, including tiny horses. Miniature Horses were originally brought to the United States to work in coal mines, as their small size enabled them to access underground tunnels. They have also been bred in South America over time to develop the current petite and proportional ideal standard, epitomized by the tiny Falabella.

Ponies are stockier and hardier than most horses; they had to survive in harsh climates and on rugged terrain. They first appeared as domesticated stock in the United States the 1800’s to be used in coal mines and for agricultural work and driving. However, they have been in the wild in the U.S. since at least the 1600’s on Assateague Island, off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia.

What Do You Do With a Miniature Horse or Pony?

Both little equines have their fans.

According to the AMHA, “today’s American Miniature Horse is among the fastest growing and most beloved of equine breeds.” Miniature horses shouldn’t be ridden because of their small stature, but they are popular for driving and in-hand classes. The AMHA says, “Miniature Horse owners come from all walks of life. Some Miniature Horses are owned as companions by families with small children or by retired adults with a passion to enjoy life, while others are purchased solely as investments.” Minis have also become increasingly popular therapy animals.

Ponies come in a wide variety of breeds, and they are especially popular children’s mounts, competing in just about any type of equestrian sport, whether it be jumping, eventing, driving, and more. In some communities, ponies are still used for farm work because their strength enables them to pull heavy equipment.

Miniature Horses vs. Ponies Key Takeaway

Though there may always be some wiggle room when it comes to classifying and defining horses, ponies, and Minis, hopefully, this clears things up a bit for our petite equine friends.

Now let us know in the comments: where does your preference lie, with Miniature Horses or with ponies?

Learn More:
◆ A Guide to Miniature Horse Care
◆ 5 Fun Facts About Miniature Horses

This article about the difference between miniature horses vs. ponies is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Standing on a remote beach in Ireland, I breathed in the salty air and listened to the sound of the North Atlantic lapping its shores. I felt a wave of nerves as I stepped up to take the reins of the large gray stallion in front of me. My foot reached for the stirrup and I swung my leg up and around to settle in the saddle. Closing my hands softly on the reins, we connected with each other. In that moment, all nerves disappeared. I was home.

The Beginning

I grew up in a tiny town in northwestern Wisconsin. No one in my family was interested in horses, yet at 3 years old I was completely obsessed. Thankfully, my amazing parents were supportive even though they had no idea what they were getting into. Horse owners in our community recognized my passion and offered up their horses for excellent riding and learning opportunities.

I understood from very early on that having horses was special and not something to take for granted. They were my responsibility, which meant learning everything I could about the care and training that they needed.

It also meant learning how to earn and save money. At 12, I was paid for my first professional training job, and at 13, I built a website and launched an online horse advertising business that connected buyers and sellers around the United States.

From working with Skyrian ponies at a therapeutic riding center in Greece to riding at the original Stud farm of the Lipizzaner horse, the years went by and I rode every breed I could in every discipline that I could.

The Dream

You know that idea, dream, or goal that always hangs around in the back of your head? The one that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t done yet? Goals like writing a book, starting a business, adopting a dog, traveling to a new country, learning a new discipline or buying that new horse.

For me, the dream was to ride every breed. This idea has changed every aspect of my life. It is now sending me around the world on a journey unlike any other.

Why?

We no longer need horses in the way we used to. Many people don’t even realize the influence that horses have had on our past. Horses helped us build and conquer civilizations. They provided ways for us to carry goods faster and over longer distances. They even helped with the spread of languages.

The Irish Draught, which is now an endangered breed, was developed because farmers in Ireland had small plots of land and needed one horse that could do it all. The American Saddlebred was used during the Civil War as the preferred mount of choice by Generals. After the war, they inspired the country to reconnect through horse shows. The Nez Perce Horse is a breed developed in the 1990s by the same tribe that originally bred the Appaloosa.

What I have found on a regular basis is that all around the world there are people dedicating their lives to their horses. Yet many breeds are not well known, even within the horse industry and between horse owners.

The Quest to Discover the Horse

“The Quest” was officially launched in September of 2017. I am documenting my journey and every breed along the way. I invite you to come along for the ride.

Meet the horses and hear their stories, like one of the horses that played Hidalgo in the movie of the same name. See what it’s like to ride each breed. Learn the history of what makes each breed so special.

(Left) Peruvian stallion at Meadowbrook Farm. (Right) Icelandic gelding at Elk Ridge Ranch. Photos Courtesy Alyssa Mathews.

Some of the breeds even I hadn’t heard of before, including some that originated right here in the United States: the Blazer, Camarillo White Horse, California Vaquero, Georgian Grande and the McCurdy Plantation Horse.

The project is still in its early stages, and yet I’ve been honored by the response and encouragement from the equestrian community. Over 2 million video views and 16,000 horse fans from 45 different countries are along for the ride. Almost 1,500 different horses have been suggested as breed representatives, and more emails arrive daily.

People have welcomed me with open arms on my journey to discover the horse. They have shared their homes, their horses, their lives, their joys and their struggles with me.

No matter the discipline that we ride or the breed that we own, we all have a connection because of these amazing horses—a connection that I’ve felt around the world.

It spans all generations and types of people. We are equestrians, and that is a truly incredible gift.

This article about Alyssa Mathews’ quest to discover the horse originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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