Ponies are really unique little animals. Not only are they pretty much miniature versions of horses, but there are tons of different facts about ponies that you probably have never heard before! Here are 5 fun facts that you probably didn’t know about ponies.
1. In Relation To Their Body Size & Weight, Ponies Are Stronger Than Horses
I know it might sound strange to say that a tiny pony like the Shetland breed is stronger than a full grown horse. But for the most part, this is true!
Fully grown ponies are a lot stockier and bulkier than fully grown horses. Not only this, but in relation to their body size, ponies can carry or pull more weight than a horse can.
2. Ponies Are Smarter & More Stubborn
For any of you who own or have owned a pony of your own, I am sure you knwo how stubborn and unpredictable these little guys can be.
It is a lot harder to find a safe, calm, reliable pony suitable for a young child to ride than it is to find a horse of the same manner. This is because ponies are so much more stubborn, head strong, fresh, and smart.
Ponies tend to break out of some things, sneak their way past others, and problem sold a lot better than horses can.
Not only are ponies know to be smarter than horses, but they are also a lot more temperamental. Finding a sane, safe, reliable, and predictable pony is really hard to find just because of the hot temperament that most of these little equines have.
If you get a pony for your child rather than a horse, your child is a lot more liekely to get bucked off, kicked, bit, or go through some sort of other issue than if they were riding a horse.
3. Ponies Have A Longer Lifespan Than Horses
Horses will live to be between 25 and 30 years old on average. Some horse breeds, like the Friesan, can only live to be 15 years old.
The average lifespan of a pony fals anywhere around 35 years of age. Not only are ponies stronger and smarter, but they are also longet lived thanks to their hardiness and the genetics they inherited from their wild ancestors.
If the average pony lifespan lands around 35 years of age, this means that some ponies will even live to be in their forties.
There was once a shetland pony that lived to be a whopping 51 years old!
4. The Welsh Pony Is Often Voted Best Pony Breed
Yes, I know it may seem strange, but the Welsh pony is regualrly voted as best poby breed in the world. Because the shetland pony is such a popular choice for children’s riding, it is actually quite a surprise to me why the Shetland pony is not choasen over the Welsh pony.
Part of the reason why the Welsh pony was ranked so high among the other pony breeds is because of the fact that this pony can literally do anything. The disciplines this breed is used for include:
- Dressage
- Hunt Seat (both flat work and jumping)
- Showjumping
- Cross Country
- Western Pleasure
- General Riding
- Gymkhanas
- Cattle Work
- Trail Riding
5. Ponies Have Really Thick Hair
Ponies, nearly every single breed, will have an incredibly thick mane, tail, and winter coat. This is kind of like a staple for this type of horse and is often a trait that people will look towards when it comes to identifying an equine animal as a horse or pony.
The mane and tail of ponies is so much thicker than that of horses tha t it can even be hard to braid or maintain their hair in any certain way just because of the extra time and effort that goes into taking care of the pony’s hair.
Ponies already will have really thick coats as comparted to the coats seen on horses. When they get their winter coats in however, their hair is even more fluffly. Lets just say that ponies definitely got the good hair gene when it comes both to mane and tail as well as when looking at their coat.