Good Morning,
Here is a post I did last year explaining this program:
The NSPR (National Show Pony Registry) is a new division of the ASPC/AMHR/ASPR. It was created three years ago for those folks who were breeding their Shetlands to larger ponies to create a pony that a child could step up to before they moved onto a "big" horse.
When the BOD decided that there was a need then they set the parameters for this program....You can have one parent registered AMHR, ASPC, or ASPR. The other parent could be one of the following:
AMHR x ASPC, AMHR x ASPR, ASPC x ASPR, AMHR x ?, ASPC x ?, ASPR x ?. The question could be a registered horse, POA, Welsh, Hackney, etc. I was working with a registered Paint mare who was 14.2 and was breeding her to my Shetland stallion. The requirement of this program was that no NSPR could go over 14.2 in height. This IS NOT a breeding registry but a registry for performance only ponies. All horses involved will be DNA'd.
Since some folks were breeding AMHR to Shetlands this gave them an avenue to put those off type (papered ponies) in a sister registry and not loose their idenity. It never was intended for the smaller horses but will have some anyway. If my registered Paint had her foal my foals registration would show her sire registration and her dam's registration. If only one parent registered and the other a grade pony, then you would have seen one side registered other listed as grade.
The ASPC Congress is where these ponies are to be shown, and any club that wanted to put NSPR classes into their show premiums they can. Most of these classes are Pony Hunter Hack, Pony Western Pleasure and Pony Pleasure Driving.
Also, according to the rules: Great care will be taken with the classes and rules, in order that these animals will be able to go from a show approved by ASPC to another Western, Hunter, or Carriage show and not have to change rules, equiptment, or training.
Again, Since this is a performance only division it was created for those folks who were breeding their Shetlands to other breeds. We just lost one fine example back in May. "Theodore O'Conner" was a Shetland, Arabian and Thorougbred cross, stood a little over 13 hands and loved the cross country course. He was the USEF Pony of the Year last year. I had been following his success until recently when he bolted from his barn in May, fell and cut the tendons in his back legs. Had to be humanly put down. A small pony with a BIG HEART! He didn't know he wasn't as big as his counterparts but could do the same stuff they could do.
Personally, I would love to see this division grow. I know it was origially set up for our youth who want a larger pony, but as you can see with "Teddy" a woman up to 5'5 could ride him. I would love to go back to ridding again and can see this division take hold with the women of the ASPC/AMHR (men too that were small enough) but most of the time it's the women who love to do this sort of stuff.
Again it's promote, promote, promote....we have to get off of this merry-go-round that these ponies are the mean, fat, stubborn ponies of the past. They have evolved into beautiful, graceful, elegeant ponies with nice head set's for driving. Long gone are the ponies of the past but they are not forgotten. That is why they are "AMERICAN" Shetland Ponies, something we all can be proud of! They may not have as much of the original blood from the 1800's (some still do) but there again, we American's like things with beauty and grace don't be ashame of your pony, show it off with pride.
We all will have to take our time, educate people on the "American" Shetland and all other aspects of divisions within our Registry. We have so much to give back to our communities but don't. Now is the time to turn this ship in a new direction, get out there and take your ponies to venues where the other "Horse World" can see them. They are the very ones that are buying other breed's of ponies, why not ours?
Now, lets get the word out there, promote, promote, promote, help Kay with this endeavor, let us know about publications that we have not tapped into, if you go to other breed shows, ask if we can rent a stall or two, put up our banners and litature from the ASPC/AMHR and let people "see" what we have to offer. Then we all will benefit from sales of our fine ponies. Once the word gets out about our fine ponies it's a win, win situation for all.
Thanks.
Hope this helps.
Karen
