What is the cut off height for ponies?

GSD Woman

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 December 2018
Messages
1,747
Visit site
I noticed in the article on the Cow Horse that he won a pony competition and he was 15 hands. In the USA he would have been considered a horse not a pony. Is the cut off for ponies taller than in the US?
 
It entirely depends on breed too. Technically in the UK 14.3hh and under is a pony. But you get some Native Ponies that go bigger (Welsh cobs!) But are still deemed ponies. Arabs can be smaller but are still deemed to be horses. Then you get the stupid American Miniature Horses which are tiny but are deemed horses.

It's a weird one.
 
All 14.2 & under are ponies except....
BSPS WHP & SHP classes, as there is a section for exceeding 14hh (143) not exceeding 15hh (153cms)
Then we have native PONY classes under the NPS & BSPS, Dales have no upper height, nor do Welsh section D's in their respective breed society regs.

As for Cow Horse/Pony regs, i know nada......
 
overheight connemaras usually are 15h+ technically pony though, same with welshies D though theres no height limit but still pony... suppose it depends on the breed!
 
That’s interesting. Tali is 148cm which is just over 14.2 so I assumed she was a horse but as she’s a haflinger which is a pony breed she would still be classified as a pony? She rides like a pony so she’s a pony to me but I thought it was more regimented 😂
 
A Fjord horse is always a horse, even though a lot of them is technically of pony height.

In Sweden using the cm scale, up to exactly 148 cm = pony, 148,1 cm = horse, unless it's one of the exception breeds, such as Icelandic horse, and Fjord horse. Although unusual, some Standardbreds can be just below 148 cm, but they're still also classed as horses, and compete in harness racing just like any other Standardbred. But if you would enter a pony sized Fjord or Standardbred in an ordinary show jumping class, they would compete against same sized ponies. And e.g. an overheight Connemara pony competing in show jumping, must do so as a horse.

It's not difficult to understand, when you're used to it.

That’s interesting. Tali is 148cm which is just over 14.2 so I assumed she was a horse but as she’s a haflinger which is a pony breed she would still be classified as a pony? She rides like a pony so she’s a pony to me but I thought it was more regimented 😂

A Haflinger should be between 13.2-15 hands/137-152 cm, and I think their breed society class them as small horses, not ponies.
 
That’s interesting. Tali is 148cm which is just over 14.2 so I assumed she was a horse but as she’s a haflinger which is a pony breed she would still be classified as a pony? She rides like a pony so she’s a pony to me but I thought it was more regimented 😂
When we went fully metric for ponies at the end of the 80s, all got rounded up for competition, so 12.2 became 128 (would have been 127 before) and 13hh to be 133 etc etc...
The only pony breed society's I know of that didnt fully change are shetlands which are still in inches (centimetres in brackets), and registered Fell ponies - which the FPS have the breed max height at 14hh max - they didnt go to 143cms, but stuck at 142.2cms as maximum height, the exact equivalent to 14hh.
 
It was at NCPA in 2009, but not as a hunter pony as I'd have assumed

 
When we went fully metric for ponies at the end of the 80s, all got rounded up for competition, so 12.2 became 128 (would have been 127 before) and 13hh to be 133 etc etc...
The only pony breed society's I know of that didnt fully change are shetlands which are still in inches (centimetres in brackets), and registered Fell ponies - which the FPS have the breed max height at 14hh max - they didnt go to 143cms, but stuck at 142.2cms as maximum height, the exact equivalent to 14hh.

That's because it would sound stupid to say 8hh 😂😂
 
My haflinger, pictured over there, would have been very offended to be called a pony😠 although she certainly behaved like one most of the time. Haffies are like ponies on steroids, but I believe they are officially classed as horses, whatever their height.

I am sure this is all helping a lot with your original question OP 😀
 
I noticed in the article on the Cow Horse that he won a pony competition and he was 15 hands. In the USA he would have been considered a horse not a pony. Is the cut off for ponies taller than in the US?
14.2 hhs is normally always the cut off, then it goes to horses

For many forms of competition, the official definition of a pony is a horse that measures less than 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) at the withers.


In the past through my years of training we were always taught over 14.2hh is a horse. When you google it now it stills says the same apart from in western where the cut off is 14hh
 
Last edited:
14.2 hhs is normally always the cut off, then it goes to horses

For many forms of competition, the official definition of a pony is a horse that measures less than 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) at the withers.


In the past through my years of training we were always taught over 14.2hh is a horse. When you google it now it stills says the same apart from in western where the cut off is 14hh


That is what I'm used to. I know that some horse breeds such as Arabians might be under 14.2 but are considered horses.
 
It was at NCPA in 2009, but not as a hunter pony as I'd have assumed

The coloured plaited (non-native) ponies go up to 15hh to allow for hunter pony types but also because the horse classes have a ride judge and many of those are men. Not really fair to ask a 14.3hh fine pony to take a ride judge.
 
Top