And if not, why are they NOT ponies? Technically they ARE under 14 hands (I’m rounding, get off my back :])…I don’t have any opinion one way or another, but several of my friends were discussing this the other day and couldn’t come to a conclusion.
What do y’all think/know? Very curious.
The whole pony vs horse thing is all vague and shifty regardless of the breed. Seems everyone has different rules. Sometimes its a height only thing. Sometimes a certain breed is considered a horse or a pony based on breed and the animals actual size doesn’t matter. So there is no set in stone answer. Mini horse people will tell you it is a horse. USEF will tell you it us a pony. In the end the nomenclature doesn’t really matter, they are still adorable.
Adorable… and evil.
But yes, they are considered horses.
They’re ponies, with typical pony metabolisms and pony health concerns. Lots of AMHR minis are all or mostly shetland, many are double-registered.
But in conversation, I call 'em horses to avoid pissing people off.
Some miniature-horse fanciers seem to consider them the same thing as a Shetland Pony. Why, I have no idea.
http://www.shetlandminiature.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_horse
An American Shetland Pony is nothing like a “real” (British) Shetland Pony.
Again, I have no idea why.
Because frequently with AMHR they ARE the same thing. I don’t think it’s a hard concept.
My AMHR mare is also ASPC and is 100% pure shetland. I can trace her back to “real” ponies imported from Britain.
Her son is just ASPC at this point, but if he’s under 38" as a 3yo I can get AMHR papers on him - his sire was only ASPC at the time of breeding, and didn’t get AMHR papers until later. Otherwise the colt would have been registrable as a miniature horse and a Shetland from day 1.
ETA: And to really blow your mind, here’s a horse that is AMHA, AMHR and ASPC, and a winner in all 3.
http://www.atlastminiatures.com/the-stallions/mccarthy-aloha-3n1
Technically, they are ponies (under 14.2hh). The Miniature Horse breeders try to breed for the smallest possible horse looking type. Some do it well, some, well… :no:
I’ve always said it’s only a Miniature Horse (note capitalization) if it has registration papers from an accredited Miniature Horse registry. Otherwise, it’s just a small pony… :lol:
[QUOTE=Eventer13;7791611]
Adorable… and evil.
But yes, they are considered horses.[/QUOTE]
Oh, so you’ve been to my house?
Mind I’m not an expert, but this is what I remember from my reading when they first became popular:
The original Miniature horse was the Falabella. It came from South America and was supposedly bred down from Iberina/Arabian type horses and reported that it contained none of the pony genetics which would be the shaggier colder blooded critters from the British Isle etc. So great emphasis was placed on calling them HORSES by their breeders and fans. The idea was to get the proportions and refinement of a horse in the tiny pony package. IMO the Hackney people had already done it. The closest mini version of a refined horse I’ve ever seen are the Hackneys.
Anyway, as always happens, new breeds and types of minis popped up. They intermingled with Shetlands and Hackneys and other popular pony characters that were readily available. Size varied. Bloodlines moreso. Now the lines are very blurred. Technically they’re supposed to be horses. If you DNAed any of them I’ll bet you’d find a percentage of pony.
under 32 inches they are horses over 32inches but under 14.2h are ponies
but to add confusion to the horse/pony thing…there are no Morgan ponies as all Morgans no matter what size are horses
[QUOTE=gaitedincali;7791617]
They’re ponies, with typical pony metabolisms and pony health concerns…[/QUOTE]
This. I think, it is very helpful to think of them as ponies, so that their management does not get mixed up.
Like good ponies, they need their appetites reined in, but otherwise, they are pretty hardy and that mind! Not a trace of a horse there! :lol:
We call ours minis or little ponies.
We have leggier one that has more horse-like conformation and then a short-legged midget, which I think has a dwarf somewhere down the line (diluted though- he is very healthy).
I have found out that most of them only maintain their horse-like conformation on a very strict diet (the breeder showed us a tiny cup of grain/supplement plus half a small flake in the morning and another half in the evening as the example of the diet, we should keep them on to have them “look like miniature horses.”).
We limit ours quite a bit with muzzles and such, they are in a good weight, yet they both look more like round ponies than lean horses.
To further add to the available information, Paso Fino horses ARE horses even if they are under 14.2. Most of them are in fact under 14.2.
LOL! I grew up riding a 14hh Arabian. Of course for local show purposes, we left his paper at home and I showed him as a pony. You would occasionally get some cranky horse Mom who wanted him in the horse classes so her kid wouldn’t have to compete against him in the pony classes.
[QUOTE=clanter;7792333]
under 32 inches they are horses over 32inches but under 14.2h are ponies
but to add confusion to the horse/pony thing…there are no Morgan ponies as all Morgans no matter what size are horses[/QUOTE]
Uh, no. AMHA (American Miniature Horse Association) registers horses under 34". AMHR (American Miniature Horse Registry) registers horses under 38". All are considered Miniature Horses.
[QUOTE=Field of Dreams Mini Horses;7792463]
Uh, no. AMHA (American Miniature Horse Association) registers horses under 34". AMHR (American Miniature Horse Registry) registers horses under 38". All are considered Miniature Horses.[/QUOTE]
thanks, the three we have are under 32inches so that height stuck in my mind
The American Shetland is indeed different from the Shetland from Scotland - but they are sure beautiful and used in chariot racing. We had a Shetland, but she was not like the original Shetland - must have been American. Very elegant and cute.
I wish there was more opportunity to see Hackney ponies and horses - just see them at the Royal Winter Fair and I’m at the opposite end of a very big country. They are so spectacular, yet normal, compared to the gaited showhorses. (IMO)
Also Icelandics are always horses, not ponies even though they are snack sized.
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