My pony lives out 24/7 now and we’re both happy with that. But finding pasture board is getting hard to find (with good care and decent arenas) so if I look for full board in the future, can I expect a reduced rate for a 13.2h pony?
In reality, he would be in a stall that could be used for a larger horse, plus can suck up hay like a big one, so he wouldn’t be using fewer resources and be less expensive. Most barns don’t offer smaller stalls
No, IME they tend to be just as much work as horses and only slightly cheaper to feed.
No
Maybe I’m weird, but I’ve been offered reduced board for my donkey (only once) and turned it down and paid for full board. I feel like a discount is inviting the chance for resentment or subpar care. Sure, she may live on air and use less bedding, but she still needs good care and safe facilities. Plus she can cause just as much wear and tear as any full sized horse.
I have seen reduced board for mini ponies/very small equines, I have not heard about discounts for a medium-large pony. It is too complicated to adjust board based on how much each equine eats, and sometimes the “diet” pen is actually more work than the free choice horses.
I have medium and large ponies and have boarded them out at various times. They have always been in a full stall and never a reduced board. I have never had an issue with this though. They still take the same amount of time to muck a stall, turn out, feed etc. They may get a little less hay and grain, but not that much less.
I keep my horses (welsh cobs and welsh ponies of cob type) at home though I did have to board twice within the last 8 years. Once in order to go on vacation and have them cared for because it was easier than finding a reliable pet/farm sitter and for one month while I was moving from one place to another (sold a larger ranch for a smaller horse property). I did not receive any discount for the yearling (matured to top of the line pony), his 13 hand dam or the 13 hand pony gelding that I was competing at the time. I paid full board for each of the three because the management requirements were the same. Both times I provided my own feed (ration balancer + supplements, all prepackaged/prepared daily) and they provided the hay, the actual feeding, the turn out, the stall cleaning and availability of the facility amenities.
The pony is theoretically taking up space a horse COULD have, so even if the pony costs slightly less, that doesn’t mean that the profit margin is that much greater. If the pony owner demanded a discount (I know you’re not asking), I’d assume the barn owner would just say, "fine, then I will find a horse to fill that spot instead).
There are all sorts of little costs barn owners also don’t nickel and dime owners about, FWIW, which I assume the assumption it balances out in the end. For example, horses who can only go out alone (or which certain other horses), cribbers (more wear and tear on the facility), and so forth.
I paid the full board amount for my weanling, and then as a yearling, where she was still pony-sized. In fact, at 22 she’s still only 14.3. The work is the same, regardless of the size of the horse.
A friend of mine used to board her Shetland for half a price, however, she regularly had to cover fence repair expenses that her little gremlin caused… She has now moved him to her own property and got another Shetland to be a companion to the first one as she had not enough stress in her life. 
I have small ponies and pay full board. I am occasionally offered discounts by outside service providers for bodywork, clipping, blanket cleaning - though I never ask!
I’ve always had small horses. Back in my boarding days, I boarded anywhere from one to five, at places ranging from pasture to partial self care to full board.
I boarded for several years at a place where stall, turnout, and hay (grown on-site) was included; the boarder provided concentrate rations, supplements, and bedding. By the time I worked up to four and then, eventually five, I’d already boarded there for years. The BO (who lived on-site) voluntarily offered the additional stall I required for free – so I ended up with a discount that was 20-25% off what would have been the total bill for four or five separate people.
By this time, I had a reputation as a trouble-free boarder who paid in full on the first, with non-destructive, well-mannered horses (especially important because her children fed and turned-out). I kept a lot of my tack and equipment in my trailer, so didn’t require as much space in the tack and feed room as multiple people would. Didn’t require as much parking space as multiple trailers would have, either. I helped bring in hay from the fields and stack it in the hay barn, I never left a mess in the barn aisles, I’d volunteer to clean out the water troughs, etc.
It was a whole lot less trouble for her to have me as a single boarder than to deal with several people. My discount was for that reason, not due to the size of my horses.
I’ve never heard of this, and of course I don’t know with the occasional mini that has been boarded at our barn. On the flip side, I feel kind of guilty that board has had to increase due to hay prices, and here my two eat literally twice as much as some of the small easy keeper types that are in light work. Not sure the work is the same - they probably poo 2x as much as well!
I have boarded 13.2 pony and paid the same as a full sized horse. I was looking to board my minis for a short while and I couldn’t even find a place to take them full price! No one around here will even consider boarding a mini 
.
I’ve not heard of a pony rate anywhere in my area. My fjord is 13ish hands and it never crossed my mind to ask about a discounted rate even though his diet (minus hay) is on my dime too. My barn has several larger (12X14) stalls that have an additional charge to them for the amount of bedding needed I presume, but the other stalls (10X14) are all at the base board price.
No
Never
I dont know the arrangements for most of the ponies and owners I have known in boarding barns. But the only time I knew there was a discount was with a small pony that shared a stall and turnout with the same owner’s horse.
No, I would charge more for having to deal with the pony brain
My farrier ex-SO used to say that he wanted to charge double for all minis and ponies. And given that he did a lot of drafts without stocks, that was saying a lot!
Why is it that most mini owners (and many pony owners) don’t treat them like real horses and teach them manners?
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