Horse Trivia

In general, horses under 147cm are categorised into pony - the term pony doesn't refer to a specific breed.

Ponies are generally considered friendly and have excellent durability. It is often used for children who are learning to ride and also can be treated as a mascot character.

Ponies are small but they are amazingly athletic and can run about 40km per hour.

Japanese native pony which were mentioned previously are also categorized as ponies.

Here are some examples of ponies, excluding Japanese native pony.

The Shetland pony is originating from the Shetland Isles.

The ancestors of the Shetland pony traced back to 10,000 years ago from now, it is believed that it has been moved to the Shetland isles from the Scandinavian countries when they were still connected with the glaciers.

It stands between 71cm to 107cm, which is particularly small within the pony breeds.

As it originally from the Shetland isles which is famous for its sever cold weather and strong winds, Shetland ponies have heavy coats, long horsehair and short legs.
They are bay, chestnut, black and gray in color and sometimes spots.

As a common character for horses that live in high latitude area, they have a large muzzle to warm the air up before its entering to the lungs.

The breed developed in the harsh conditions of the Shetland Isles, so it is hardy and strong.
It has distinctive gaits; quick and free, set the knee and hocks high.

Today, Shetland pony is ridden by children and shown at horse shows and horse therapies but they were first used for carrying seaweed, coal and plowing farm land.

The Shetland has been trained as a guide horse to take the same role as guide dogs. In the United States, this is also used for breeding purposes.

It can also be seen in the zoo and very popular because it is very cute!

It has a well-shaped head, small ears and wide frame. Its character is powerful and intelligent.

For its size, the Shetland pony is the strongest breed in pony breeds.

It has a long lifespan – it is quite common for the Shetland pony to live longer than 30 years.

However, it has a higher risk on heart diseases; the keeper must be careful with the feed. It is also said that the high risk of laminitis.

The Falabella miniature horse is one of the smallest horses in the world, originally from Argentina.

Falabella is named after the breeder, the Falabella family from Argentina.

Average breed heights are between 70cm~78cm, small ones are only about 40cm.

It was developed quite recently - in the early 20th century, based on the Shetland pony, the Welsh pony, the Andalusian and the Iberian horses.

The breed is proportioned similarly to the Thoroughbred or the Arabian, with a sleek coat and a slim frame. The breed also inherited some cob-like features from pony bloodlines, including strong bone structure, and a thicker hair coat, mane, tail and fetlocks.

Bay and black are the most common colors, but there are also pinto and palomino.

It is too small as a riding horse but popular as a pet due to its friendly character, cute appearance and robustness.

Most Falabella is considered intelligent and easily trainable, therefore it is often seen at the horse shows. It is able to jump obstacles up to 90 cm without a rider.

Falabella can also be trained as guide horse.

It is not so common in Japan but it may become popular as a pet in the near future.

The Haflinger is developed in Italy, Austria and Bayern area in Germany. Generally stands around 130cm, noted that it has a high homogeneity as a breed.

Its name originated from the name of its home village, Hafling in northern Italy.

The Haflinger is always in chestnut colour and its horsehair is usually paler than its body colour – a very beautiful horse.

It has a wide body with well-muscled strong legs and very strong back.

You may imagine a small horse when you hear the word 'pony' yet this breed has a wide strong body and very powerful.
Therefore adults can easily ride on it. It is still used as a workhorse at the farm in its country too.

It has been very useful in its country of origin because it is strong against the disease and has a very good stomach which can digest any feeds.

It is popular as a riding horse and imported into Japan as well.

As it is a pretty pony, it might have been used as a mascot character at the riding club.

The Fell pony is a English native horse breed originally from Pennines, developed by crossbreeding the Friesian with the Scottish Galloway (now extinct).

The Hackney pony was produced based on the Fell pony breed.

It stands between 130cm to 140cm and bay, black, brown and gray in color but not in chestnut.

As Fell ponies were bred for the hash condition in the mountain of Northern England, they have an excellent cold resistance and are adaptable to almost any climate.
They are also noted for hardiness and sure-footedness even in the rough terrain.

It considered to have a good temperament and intelligence.

It used to use for carrying lead, copper, iron and agricultural products.

Due to its physical strength and good temperament, it is believed that it could have travelled over 400km within a week.

It was also used for the mailing service until the 20th century.

The Fell pony has the regular gaits, particularly good for its trot.

Today it is mainly used for a horse riding but also well known for its high performance in trekking, Horse-drawn carriage competition and so on.

The Welsh pony & cob have its ancestors in the native ponies once lived in the highland in Wales, the United Kingdom. These native ponies were crossbred with the Eastern breeds by Romans.

It is believed that native ponies already existed in Wales before 1600 BC.

In 1901, the first stud book for the Welsh breeds was established in the United Kingdom, (in 1907 in the United States), the breed has categorized into four sections distinguished by height; A, B, C and D accordingly.

It was bred aiming to create a wide variety of horses, the smaller types are particularly popular children's ponies.

The Welsh mountain pony is the base of the all other three types. It is the smallest within these four, only up to122cm.

It is often disproved as a smart, active and brave breed - although it has a small body, the Welsh mountain pony is a typical of ponies, tough and robust.

It is simply called the Welsh in the United States.

It stands up to 134cm, very similar to the section A, but noted for its elegant free-flowing movement

Produced by crossbreeding Section A, Section C, Thoroughbred and Hackney. It is a very sophisticated riding-type pony with its athletic ability. An energetic horse but calm at the same time.

Best known for its free-moving gaits, while still retaining the substance and hardiness of the Section A. It is also a popular children's ponies.

The Welsh pony of cob type may not exceed 134 cm high, well known for its strong body and good temperament.

Section C resulted from a crossbreeding between the Welsh mountain pony (Section A) and the Welsh Cob (Section D).

Today, Section C ponies are still produced from this cross but also influenced by the Norfolk Trotter, Hackney and Yorkshire Coach bloodlines.

It is mainly used for jumping competitions.

The Welsh cob is the largest within the four, over 134cm high.

It can be used for an adult riding horse as well as for children.

Alongside with the Section C, it is well known for its physical strength and calm character.

Noted for its large eyes and well-shaped ears, relatively short legs.

Although the clear origin remains unknown, it is believed to be diverted from the Section A and also possibly influenced by the Hackney, the Arabian and Spanish native horses.

It has a long history as a trooper and workhorse and it reminds its popularity.

They are also commonly used for horse riding, show jumping as well as hunting and trekking due to their ability to adapt into the wild environment.