Dumb Question: How big do you consider a pony for eventing?

[ozjb]

I just read the article on EN about the Palomino pony (SO cute) and was surprised to read that at 14.3, he is considered a pony.

I always thought that 14.2 and below is a pony and anything else is a horse. Certainly, in dressage the cut off for a pony is 148 cm, which is a smidgen over 14.2, but not 14.3.

I live in Australia and if you turned up with a “pony” who was 14.3, you would be out on your ear! LOL Friends with a brilliant dressage pony who is spot on 148 cm always bring their official height paperwork with them to comps as they are always challenged.

Do we know what the limits are on the Pony Eventing Championships in Europe are?

Just wondering . . .

[poltroon]

We have very few eventing competitions (if any) restricted to ponies. So there’s no issue with animals being kicked out of the Intermediate (or Advanced!) division for being overheight.

In this case, Will’ya Love Me is described as a pony because he is a purebred Connemara Pony, even though he is a wee bit overheight.

Our limit is also 14.2 for hunter and jumper ponies and 148 cm for dressage.
http://eventingnation.com/where-are-they-now-wilya-love-me-pony-superstar/

[Sannois]

Well Look at Forest Nymph! She is 14.3 I believe.

[quietann]

It might be an FEI thing. They allow barefoot ponies to be 148 cm and shod ponies to be 149 cm.

147.32 cm is 14.2 hands (58 inches)
148 cm is 58.27 inches
149 cm is 58.67 inches

Not huge differences but for some it’s enough.

[Hilary]

Ah, that’s why it was worded that way -he is a horse in terms of height, but a pony breed. The Haflingers are like this too in reverse. They are horse breed, but ours is pony height. Depending on the show he enters pony or horse divisions. If breed specific, he is a horse. if not, he’s a pony.

[Highflyer]

I think he was pony height when Courtney Sendak first got him. He was only 2 or 3 I think.

[IronwoodFarm]

As Hilary noted, it depends on the breed. A Fjord is a horse, but the breed standard is 13.2 to 14.2. It depends on the type of show entered. In driving, my stallion is considered a pony at 14.1. In eventing, he just competes with everyone else.

[Hunterkid]

Fei considers 14.3hh a pony. Everyone else considers 14.2hh a pony. Have you ever heard the term fei pony?

[poltroon]

Again, I think the point here is that the US is unique among the eventing powers in not having a substantial eventing circuit restricted to ponies. The European pony championships are an amazing opportunity for ponies and kids to show off what they can do, but in the US we have nothing like it. So if you have a pony that events, you probably don’t even have a measurement card for it (unless you also dabble in pony dressage or pony jumpers).

http://eventingconnect.today/2015/08/13/2015-fei-european-championships-for-ponies-video-break/

By contrast, in the US, I think we’d have trouble even finding four junior riders nationwide who are doing CIC* on a pony.

Thus the OP’s confusion.

[Janet]

[QUOTE=Hunterkid;8374591]
Fei considers 14.3hh a pony. Everyone else considers 14.2hh a pony. Have you ever heard the term fei pony?[/QUOTE]
I am prety sure that FEI considers 138cm (about 14h 2 1/4", but definitely less that 14h3") the cut off for ponies, for ALL Disciplines.

[Willesdon]

The FEI’s definition of a pony is “a small horse whose height at the withers, having been measured on a smooth level surface, does not exceed 148 cm without shoes or 149 cm with shoes.”

Interesting read http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2008/04/17/fei-pony-measurement-rules-fine-tuned-and-regulated

Well Look at Forest Nymph! She is 14.3 I believe

According to the breed gurus, she is too big to be a registered New Forest as the breed max is 14.2. The UK breed society had no interest in her success as an eventer.

[ozjb]

Ponies compete along side horses in eventing here in Australia, too. No distinction.

Kids here start on ponies. It’s unusual to see otherwise. We are an American family (been here for almost 20 years) but a few years ago, we had an American family join our Pony Club. Their child had ridden in the US and they were adamant that their child HAD to have a proper horse. No ponies for them. I found it interesting how differently we perceived the best way to start kids riding.

Anyway, thanks for the answers! Glad to know that ponies are still 14.2 and below.

[Hunterkid]

[QUOTE=Janet;8374900]
I am prety sure that FEI considers 138cm (about 14h 2 1/4", but definitely less that 14h3") the cut off for ponies, for ALL Disciplines.[/QUOTE]

It’s actually 150cm or 151cm(with shoes).

Which is 14.3hh.

But remember this is fei.

[ozjb]

Not that it matters as this is an eventing board, but the FEI Dressage rules for 2015 state 1.48m for ponies! Now, off to check Pony Eventing rules!

We love ponies!

[ozjb]

I stand corrected! I had no idea that ponies could grow at FEI events. Who knew??

[Mango20]

151cm with shoes? Looks like I’ve got an eventing pony, then!
All this time I thought she was just a very small horse.

[Hunterkid]

[QUOTE=Mango20;8375848]
151cm with shoes? Looks like I’ve got an eventing pony, then!
All this time I thought she was just a very small horse.[/QUOTE]

Only at fei events !

[quietann]

[QUOTE=quietann;8374564]
It might be an FEI thing. They allow barefoot ponies to be 148 cm and shod ponies to be 149 cm.

147.32 cm is 14.2 hands (58 inches)
148 cm is 58.27 inches
149 cm is 58.67 inches

Not huge differences but for some it’s enough.[/QUOTE]

Adding to this,

150 cm is 59.1 inches (14.3 plus a bit)
151 cm is 59.4 inches (basically 14.3 1/2 minus a bit)

But now I am confused, because my initial measures (148 and 149) came right off an FEI webpage.

In Europe (and other places where FEI rules seem more integrated), what happens to the horse who is 150 cm competing at a “non FEI” event vs an FEI event?

[Hunterkid]

Read farther down the page! *^

[Catnipped]

If you actually read the article it states that because the ponies are being measured in a competition (read exciting) environment they allow the extra height when they are measured at shows.