Pet peeve

[markadoodle]

So, this is referring to the whole horse/pony situation between you and other people.

I will be the first to say I shouldn't - but I get offended; often.

When going to the Chiropractor's I receive questions and comments like;

How are the Miniature ponies doing?

Do you have any new Mini ponies?

When is your Mini pony due?

Oh I love those little ponies!

How many Miniature Ponies do you own this year?

Another thing that gets to me is when someone that doesn't know hardly anything about the - let alone animals in general - tell other people about them, all false information, I try to be so kind and educate people about them but it's hard when they don't respect or listen to you - today after talking about them I was talking about one of my favorite A mares being 33" and she insists that is to big to be a Mini so I kindly explained about sizing, and still after the conversation she continues to think they are only at average about the size of a 13-15"..

I was just wondering what your opinions of the matter are?

Had to vent, and wanted to ask - don't mean to be rude to anyone. Nor to offend anyones opinion.

I will add sometimes I'll go to the field say "Hey pretty ponies.." or something like that, but while trying to educate people, I always refer to them as horses.

 

[Minimor]

When going to the Chiropractor's I receive questions and comments like;How are the Miniature ponies doing?

Do you have any new Mini ponies?

When is your Mini pony due?

Oh I love those little ponies!

How many Miniature Ponies do you own this year?

I don't see anything there to get offended about. I could care less if someone refers to the little horses as "ponies"--despite the name of the registry, they are just as much 'ponies' as they are 'horses'. I call them ponies all the time.

Much as some people hate to admit it, Minis are primarily ponies...not just Shetlands but other pony breeds as well...you'd be hard pressed to find much for the recognized "horse" breeds in any of them.

 

[markadoodle]

Much as some people hate to admit it, Minis are primarily ponies...not just Shetlands but other pony breeds as well...you'd be hard pressed to find much for the recognized "horse" breeds in any of them.

I completely agree with this, after all, they were pit ponies/ came from pit ponies before they were ever a breed. I also know it is a waste of my time to get upset over it.

I as well call mine ponies but I think it is just when I try telling someone about the breed they refer to them as pony. I don't know why it bothers me. It's just one of those Potato patato... tomato tamato.. things.



Again sorry if I offend[ed] anyone.

 

[anoki]

hey, that's nothin'....

Try owning/breeding Cardigan Welsh Corgis.....you should hear the lines I get when people ask what they are....

Are those Welsh Corgis or Pembrokes

What mix is that? Really a purebred, it can't be, it HAS to be a mix. Are you sure? You must be mistaken, *I'm* positive it's -such and such- a dog....(ok, *I* must be the idiot.... and believe me I've had SEVERAL people say that to me)

Is that a border collie puppy?

HERDING dog?? Those things herd??

and the list goes on and on and on and on....

I used to get-not offended, just rubbed the wrong way I guess when people would call my minis ponies....I have learned to let it slide...

~kathryn

 

[miniwhinny]

THEY are ponies. It doesn't matter what we want to call them genetically not only do they cluster in the pony group they are placed right next to the Island Shetland Pony - their closest genetic relative. Calling them horses is a nice marketing ploy but the same way you can prove who your relatives are...it's been done for minis as part of the equine genome project. Deny until the sun turns blue but they ARE ponies

 

[Riverrose28]

It doesn't bother me at all anymore. Whatever they want to call them is fine with me, as long as I can show them off and brag about them. I had a buyer come buy this evening, she has already made a deposit several weeks ago, we are just waiting for the filly to be weaned, one of her quests said I can't wait to see your new kitty, and walked in the barn saying here kitty, kitty. Oh well I have sold a horse, made a friend, and her friends can call them whatever. You will find as you get older you get a thick skin. People come here all the time and say these horses look like little miniature arabians. They don't look like miniatures that I've seen. So education is important.

 

[JennyB]

I know how you feel and we get people coming in here who want to see itty bitty miniature horses and ours are registered Shetland's, so they just naturally assume. They actually shake their heads and walk away! I figure oh well their loss!

 

I think most people on the whole don't think they are being rude, they are just un-educated and that's what we are here for is to also educate them.

 

Before there were Miniature Horses, there were ponies. All kinds of ponies, so when people see anything small, most call them ponies or mini ponies. You can't really blame them and for most who don't care about Equine's in general, they are gonna call them anything! So all we can do is bite our tongues if you must and explain to them the differences.

 

I get a little more frustrated with long standing horse people who should really know better, but don't

than non-horse people.

 

Jenny

 

[RockRiverTiff]

Another thing that gets to me is when someone that doesn't know hardly anything about the - let alone animals in general - tell other people about them, all false information,

The pony thing doesn't bother me. I choose to call them Miniature horses, because that's what they're registered as, but we've taken them to open shows before and there they technically are ponies. But the above point is a pet peeve of mine too. I've had several people try to educate me on my own horses; I really wonder where they're getting the bogus information they're so confident in repeating.

 

[Whitewave]

oh i got one....new neighbors moved in next door in Jan.. they come to the fence when I'm thoughing hay out and yell " hey how much did those Highland Ponies cost ".. I calmly walk over and say " oh you mean my miniature horses?" they say " No that brown one with white the Highland pony" ..I then went on to explain that the "Bay Pinto" is an American miniture horse as are the other two...

Well to this day they still tell me " wow those Hghlands sure are small arent they rideable?" I've come to relize you can't educate stupid so I just smile and go on working them..

 

[LittleRibbie]

Horses, Ponies, What ever people want to call them is fine with me. I often refer to them as my little ponies. For the most part, with how people are so wrapped up in their own lives some days, just the fact that they are interrested in talking about my minis and are asking ??'s.....Im happy with that. I love talking horses and ponies!!

What does irk me is when people come by and say that they have seen much much smaller minis....I dont think they mean to, but to me its implying that my minis are not very good b/c they are bigger. You attempt to explain A Minis or B Minis and they automatically think of their report cards in school.....an A is better than a B.

Or they wonder why ours dont have much fur b/c the minis down the road are like " cute little furry bears".....well its friggin Summer and I choose to brush and clip my horses and the horses down the street havent seen a brush in years and they DO look like little bears with big bellies!!

Thats O.K. at night when I shut the barn light off I say "NIGHTY NIGHT MY LITTLE PONIES".....Im happy just the way they are!!

 

[Magic]

Well to this day they still tell me " wow those Hghlands sure are small arent they rideable?" I've come to relize you can't educate stupid so I just smile and go on working them..

That bugs me too, people who just WON'T listen to the people who obviously know what they are talking about. They've heard something somewhere are are determined that THAT is the truth, and you can't change their minds for anything. Every one of us can keep learning, IF we open ourselves to doing so.

I love the "I just smile" part.

 

[miniwhinny]

What does irk me is when people come by and say that they have seen much much smaller minis....I dont think they mean to, but to me its implying that my minis are not very good b/c they are bigger. You attempt to explain A Minis or B Minis and they automatically think of their report cards in school.....an A is better than a B.

I'd irk you them

This is a height breed with the word "miniature" being the focus. I'm not saying there aren't any fabulous larger ponies out there - I see people post them on this board all the time....but I wouldn't classify them as "miniature" for one second. I'd buy one if I wanted a nice pony (which I don't)- but I wouldn't buy one if I was wanting to purchase a miniature

 

[Marty]

Markadoodle you are adorable and I luv ya but please don't let junk like that bug you. Don't waste your time and sweat the small stuff that doesn't matter in the grande scheme of things.

I could care less what anyone wants to call my horses.

(I removed the middle part of my post because it was really off topic)

 

[weebiscuit]

Every year the Head Start teacher brings her class to our farm on a field trip at the end of May. The teacher just lives a mile down the road from us and I see her all the time. She kept referring to my horses as ponies, and one day I told her they were actually a different breed, the American Miniature Horse and I explained all about the registries and heights and how there was a separate pony registry and on and on. Three days later she came for the field trip, and three days after that I received a big card all the kids had drawn pictures on, and the teacher had written, "Thank you for letting us come to see your ponies." LOL!

When people call them ponies I usually say they are American Miniature Horses, which is a separate breed, but I don't get upset or offended if they continue to call them ponies.