How are horses and ponies related?

The truth, though, is that ponies and horses are not two stages of development of a single animal. They're actually different, although related and quite similar, creatures. Ponies remain small when they're fully grown. All types of horses are known as equines. read more

However, many horses of lesser stature exist because no one has seen fit to define them as ponies. 'Pony' is a state of mind in its user. Indeed, over the years, the size of that figure X has been largely determined by the average height and weight of an adult man - since a cultural definition of a 'horse' is an equine capable of carrying an adult man. read more

Ponies are indeed small horses, the same way a Chihuauha is a small dog, and there is in fact a height standard (14.2 hh) defining the word"pony". But some small breeds are never referred to as ponies (the Miniature Horse, Icelandic Horse and Caspian Horse come to mind), and mounts used for polo are traditionally called ponies even if they're 16hh. read more

The main distinction between ponies and horses is height. A horse is usually considered to be an equine that's at least 14.2 hands (or about four feet ten inches) tall. A pony, on the other hand (pun totally intended!), is an equine less than 14.2 hands. read more