Are they ponies?? or miniatures??

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
K

kaykay

Guest
Took this from the other thread and from a call i got over the weekend. A woman called CMHR. She just bought her first miniature. or wait maybe its a pony?? Shes not sure as the person she bought it from called it a mini-pony LOL. I asked her how tall the horse is. She said around 37". So i tried to explain to her the different height divisions etc. And then she says her friend got really upset when she called it a pony and told her its a MINIATURE. (the horse is not registered) So she asks me over and over what is it?? a pony or a miniature?? I ask her if it really matters??? I said yes your horse is a minature by AMHR standards because its under 38".

Why do people get so upset about this??? I have friends that will just about rip you a new one if you call their miniature a pony. It makes no difference to me at all. You can call mine ponies, minis, mini ponies who cares??? Just dont call them stupid or fat and im happy LOL.

With the exception of falabellas they all descended from Shetland ponies. Why is that such a bad thing?? And why do people try to act like that isnt true?? And people need to remember that miniatures are NOT A BREED. They are a height registry. Shetlands are a breed. Keep in mind that the greatest historical stallions of miniature bloodlines are shetlands.

And now with some of us myself included crossing back the ASPC/AMHR horses what should we call them??? Maybe this is the true miniature-pony.

Just some food for thought. I have never understood why the word "pony" is so looked down upon by some miniature breeders.
 
And they were previously refered to as Midget Ponies. That is how a 1967 sale bill for the Smith/McCoy dispersal sale has them listed.
 
kaykay said:
Why do people get so upset about this??? I have friends that will just about rip you a new one if you call their miniature a pony.  It makes no difference to me at all.  You can call mine ponies, minis, mini ponies who cares??? Just dont call them stupid or fat and im happy LOL.  ..........

Just some food for thought.  I have never understood why the word "pony" is so looked down upon by some miniature breeders.

434176[/snapback]

I think it all depends on the context of the statement. When I was a kid (a very long time ago
new_shocked.gif
), ponies were short, fat, squatty little things (of course, I know not all of them were, but that was my preception
wacko.gif
). I would not want my minis considered in that catagory. Miniature breeders strive for true "horse" conformation.

As a breed, I suppose one must be registered in order to be considered a "Miniature" just as a pinto must be registered in the Paint Horse Association in order to be considered a Paint.

Technically, any horse under a certain height is a pony, but I can see why many want the additional definition of "Miniature".

With the exception of falabellas they all descended from Shetland ponies. ...  Keep in mind that the greatest historical stallions of miniature bloodlines are shetlands.
I will not argue with the fact that many of the ancestors of Miniatures are Shetlands, but from what I have read, there are other sources as well. Shetlands originated in the Shetland Islands of the British Isles. There were miniatures bred in other areas of Europe as well. The Falabellas are not native of South America. Their ancestors were also imported from Europe.

I guess Miniatures and ponies are like squares and rectangles. All Miniatures are ponies but all ponies are not Miniatures.
 
I'm not going to start a fight & I see your points & I really should not write in this post.. But I can't help it
shutup.gif


I personal really dislike it when some one calls one of my minis a pony.. I feel that horses and ponies are different.. Just like zebras to donkeys.. They are all equines.. Just different types.. I feel that ponies tend to be chubby and more compact .. Some thing cute.. I have ponies & love them
wub.gif
yes.gif
& I feel that horses have a little more legs, a little more stretched, longer necks.. I also have horses, I love horses too
yes.gif
but in a field you can usually see the difference between a horse & a pony in a field.. By height & build..

Now I know minis have a lot of pony in them, but I feel that they are breed to look more like a horse... now there are chubby minis, I have one! But they aren’t the national top 10 minis are they? I think minis are to be fine & ponies aren’t as fine... now there are the new Shetlands, which are kind of like roadsters, but still minis don't look like that either..
wacko.gif


I feel its kind of like a comparison that a thoroughbred is the same as a Arabian... yes TB are bred from Arabs.. But they are not built the same, & I do think they look the same...

& Although minis are a height breed... they do have standards that they have to go under to fit the breed.. These are known in the shows.. If you have horse that doesn't have a short back or long neck.. Why would it not do well in halter? Because (IMO) minis are to look like horses...

I kind of feel like its wrong advertising..
wacko.gif
unsure.gif
I don't know

Know please don't yell at me, this is MO, its how I feel, I don't want to offend anyone, & if anything I said did I’m so sorry, I really do love all equines
unsure.gif
MO don't be angry.. I really fear posting this
unsure.gif
 
The term "pony" has nothing to do with conformation. It is a height thing..same as "miniature" is a height thing...

A pony is ANY Equine that is under 14.2 Hands...58". But, American Horse Shows Assoc. always had two different divisions for the cut off height of a pony. They say a Western pony is under 56" , and that an English pony is under 58" . I don't know their ruling on that at this time, but it is commonly accepted that under 14.2 is a pony.

There are many breeds of full sized horses that have small ones born, and are actually ponies. That is why the Quarter Pony, and POA registries were created.

I get weary of people saying that their minis don't look like a pony...exactly what is a pony supposed to look like? Do you think the American Shetlands look like ponys? How about Hackney Ponies? The chunky little ponies, that many people refer to , play a BIG part in the genetics of the American Miniature Horse. Also, many of the European ponys have a chunky build, but so do the big drafts..and I wouldn't dream of calling one of THOSE a pony!
rolleyes.gif


I use both terms for my miniatures. It just depends on what comes out of my mouth...or fingers..first..
biggrin.gif
 
For those who get so upset when a mini is called a pony haven't seen the "ponies" I have seen.............MOST are very stunning animals and sure outdo a lot of the minis I see around (and I am not a "pony" person, only raise minis")

To me I could honestly care less what anyone calls them............calling them a pony is not devaluing what I think of my horse/herd, Calling them a mini same thing............

I have even had several big horse people in All honesty come up to me and ask if I had a mini throughbred or arabian (and they were dead serious) and then I try to explain that really they are just called a miniature horse they get so confused as all they have seen as "MINI" is the short fat ones that people have tried to bred for color and height and totally left out the conformation side of it all, so when they see fitted show horses of mine for the first time it is hard to me to get acrosst the point that the horse they are looking at's sire/dam are not a full sized horse.

To me it is sort of one of those whats in a name type of things..........it is just a name that we have given them.

To me if you are confident in your breeding/showing/or whatever program, what people call your horses, either pony or mini (as both are really proper) then it won't doesn't matter if they call them..........to me it wouldn't hurt me if people called my horses pigs, I would just think of them as uneducated people who don't have a clue, but I would let it pass as my horses are still the same old horses I have no matter what others call them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
midnight you are entitled to your opinion!!! No one is going to flame you. But i think maybe you are not very familiar with what shetlands look like today. Heres some pics of mine for reference

Patches

patchesshow-214x151.jpg


Back in Black our new aspc/amhr stallion

backblack.jpg


Star

StarrifzDM05.jpg
 
Well, I just bought myself a P O N Y from Sundance LB stock farm, and let me tell you, when you walk around that place and wipe the drool off your face, you will understand that Shetland doesn't = short, stubby, chubby. Elegance is more like it! I bought one of the nicest fillies I have ever seen, and am now considering a second, oooooohhhhh my wallet is squeaking, more than that, I will be eating Top Ramen, but THAT LOOK is what I want in my breeding program, the conformation, and the MOVEMENT, which is beyond extravagant.

OOOHHH, I am such a goner.
 
You know I don't care if someone calls one of my minis a pony. LOL By all techincal definitions the ARE ponies. Pony is a general word that describes any animal below a certain height. In order to be more specific you would have to call them by their breed name: Dartmoor, Haflinger, POA, Connemera(sp?), Shetland... or Miniature.

Miniature is a breed. It is a breed designated by height, but it is still a particular standard. I would truly like to see the books closed with AMHA as did AMHR (as I hear is coming... I do wish though the R had done it more slowly as well, that was my only beef with that.) Closing the books will create a blood breed as well. But tomatoe, tomato, makes no difference, they are a breed, and that is the name of the breed.

'Pony' is not a breed.

I do understand why some people get so 'bent out of shape' at the word, because unfortunately there are some generalized negatives associated with the word pony of any breed. I just personally don't feel the need to get all upset about that.
 
Every horse in my avatar is a pony...ASPC registered, as well as being under 38" making them a miniature horse as well. Thus I have taken to calling mine Miniature Shetlands. Yes they are ponies, and actaully I have come to be very fond of the word.

MaryAnn once said "you cant say the word without it making you smile, just try it pony, pony, pony!"

Mini, Miniature, Pony, small horse, whatever you call them they are what they are.
 
Kaykay, thanks, & I know some of those Shetlands are very showy.. But I feel ponies are kind of chubby or very stylish, with high knee action.. But I do feel minis are in the middle.. They’re fine, but not as classy or high stepping.. Shetlands may even be better looking than minis... but I feel that’s it, there are different... they don't really look like show ponies or Shetlands.. They look like minis to me, I could go into a barn & pick between a mini & Shetlands.... I still feel like its comparing a Thoroughbred to a Arabian.. But like I said that’s only MO
unsure.gif
 
I think some people think when they hear pony they think of the older style, kid broke (sometimes
rolleyes.gif
), pet pony.

Not the ponies you see in the show ring. When I first got into minis I was thinking somewhat of the same thing. But once I started showing at AMHR shows I realized what people meant. The show ponies are gorgeous. I would love to have an AMHR/ASPC miniature one day.
 
I call mine ponies...it is an endearment!!

I know they are miniature horses,but to me having big horses all my life they are ponies. Also my grandfather raised ponies... and they were very nice! I do not think that there is a big diffence in confermation really. There are a few QH,paints and Morgans that would not fit the long legs and neck type.LOL

I grew up with ponies only rode ponies until I was 15 and my legs got too long(they did really, after all I am 5 ft 1 inch tall:))

I love to hear people say"AH LOOK AT THE LITTLE PONY!!"
 
Taking offense to the term pony suggests that we as a group have a bit of a chip on our collective shoulders; we so expect the insults and slights that we find them even when they are not intended.

To consider the term "pony" to be an insult is to show a lack of awareness of the many beautiful ponies. Look at not only the magnificent Shetlands, but Welsh Ponies, Hackneys, Caspians (though rare) and the sport ponies.

Miniature does not necessarily guarantee refinement and horselike proportions. There is just as great a difference between a pet-quality miniature and a show quality miniature as there is between the stereotypical dumpy Shetland and a refined show quality (whatever category) Shetland.

It's all a matter of how you wrap your mind around it...when someone refers to your little guys as ponies, think of it as a comparison to the many gorgeous ponies of the world. At our county fair, virtually everyone referred to Mingus as a pony, and accompanied it with such adjectives as "gorgeous" "horse-like" "well-proportioned" "just like a small version of my _______" (the last being the ultimate compliment, for someone to compare my mini to their own beloved horse). There was no way "pony" was meant as an insult.
 
littlearab said:
I call mine ponies...it is an endearment!!I know they are miniature horses,but to me having big horses all my life they are ponies. Also my grandfather raised ponies... and they were very nice! I do not think that there is a big diffence in confermation really. There are a few QH,paints and Morgans that would not fit the long legs and neck type.LOL

I grew up with ponies only rode ponies until I was 15 and my legs got too long(they did really, after all I am 5 ft 1 inch tall:))

I love to hear people say"AH LOOK AT THE LITTLE PONY!!"

434232[/snapback]

That being said, I have a TB, sport horses, QH/pony, welsh & miniatures.. We say "the horses, ponies & minis" ... we just don't classify our minis & ponies together.. One or the other to us...
unsure.gif
 
Gotta jump in here too. We wouldn't have our beloved minis if it weren't for the pony....the shetland. I adore the Gold Melody Boy line and so many others.

I love this quote: MaryAnn once said "you cant say the word without it making you smile, just try it pony, pony, pony!"

I tried it and failed...big grin.
rolleyes.gif
Well, I gotta go check on the "ponies".
yes.gif
To me, it is an endearment. I love my kids...they're minis but I always say...gotta feed the ponies...gotta get the ponies...it does make you smile. Thanks MA
 
I used to care...now I don't. Mostly because it is easier to explain that it is a size registry...I have one who could be called a pony as he is 37 inches tall and big enough for some riding and lots of driving...but my littler ones...I do try to explain the difference to people.

Of course now that I am going to own a Falabella...I may have to change my ways.
rolleyes.gif


I don't care what they are called by others, but I make sure I call them a miniature horse, because I am proud of them. I don't try to correct people unless they are using a stereo type about shetlands they had when they were a kid who were fat and ornery...
 
Just to clarify, I don't think it’s an insult, I agree with lilhorseladie "I don't care what they are called by others, but I make sure I call them a miniature horse, because I am proud of them." only I do care what others call them, I will only correct them. I wont be mad or any thing.

kind of like teaching.. helping others learn because they may not know... they may not even know about minis!! if you don't let them know, how well they learn??
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Latest posts

Back
Top