Riding pony is a

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and pony, ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrianism, equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days ...

classification used to refer to certain types of

ponies A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...

. Competition is divided into sections based on height and type, and include being judged under saddle in standard pleasure horse classes, as well as in related events such as sidesaddle or in-hand. Riding ponies were originally developed in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and are now bred all over the world. Generally speaking, where the term "riding pony" is used in a competition schedule it is accepted as referring to ponies shown under saddle on the flat, as hunter ponies and driving ponies have separate classes.

Characteristics

Riding ponies are conformed more like a small

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

than a pony, with small heads and ears. They are compact, with sloping shoulders and a slim build. Their feet are tough and they possess strong limbs. They are well-proportioned with comfortable

gait Gait is the pattern of Motion (physics), movement of the limb (anatomy), limbs of animals, including Gait (human), humans, during Animal locomotion, locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on s ...

s and free-flowing movement. There are three types: * Show pony: the classic "show riding pony", show ponies resemble miniature show hacks with pony features, and often contain

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

blood. Show ponies are shown in three height sections - up to , , and 13.2 to . * Show hunter: similar to the show pony, but with more substance. The pony should be suitable to carry a child across country. Height class divisions are the same as for show ponies. * Working hunter: stockier, more workmanlike, and expected to jump a short course of natural fences. Height class divisions are divided into over and under . Fences should be no higher than for ponies under 13 hands high and no higher than for ponies over 13 hands.

History

Children's ponies in Britain were originally of native varieties, now the Mountain and Moorland pony breeds, used for riding and hunting. When pony classes were added to horse shows in the early 1920s, breeders began crossing Welsh and

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

ponies with small

and

horses. From the 1930s into the 1950s, Arabian blood was again introduced to improve stamina and refinement, which included one of the most influential sires, Naseel. The result was an elegant, but small, animal that is now seen in the show ring. In 1893, The Polo Pony Stud Book was formed, encouraging the breeding of fine riding and polo ponies. By 1899, there were over 100 stallions and 600

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

s registered, almost half of which were native ponies. The society changed its name in 1903 to Polo Pony and Riding Pony Stud book, and again in 1913 to the National Pony Society. Over the years, the native breeds formed their own societies, and the NPS became dedicated to British riding ponies. Since 1994, foreign-bred ponies were placed on a separate register.

Standardized breeds

The general riding pony group has developed, aside from various British

crossbreed A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

s, into several standardized breeds, including the Australian Riding Pony, Belgian Riding Pony, Czechoslovakian Small Riding Pony, German Riding Pony, (developed in the 1970s in France, and said to be a more all-around, less-refined type), Pony of the Americas (developed in the United States in the 1950s), and four specific

Welsh pony The Welsh Pony and Cob is a group of four closelyrelated horse breeds including both pony and cob (horse), cob types, which originated in Wales. The four sections within the breed registry, breed society for the Welsh breeds are primarily dist ...

varieties.

External links

The Riding Pony Studbook UK

NPS- National Pony Society

The Riding Pony Stud Book Society of Australia Inc
{{British horses Types of horse