How is the temperament of a pony different from a horse?

Floyd R: How is the temperament of a pony different from a horse?
Is the temperament of a pony different from a horse? Which one is easier to train based on your experience?
Does anyone have an experiences with mules?

Answers and Views:

Answer by little_miss_lyla
I’d say it depends on the raising of the pony/horse in the beginning, and how it was being trained when it first started behaving wildly or anything. In my experience, ponies are much more rebellious than horses, and are harder to break. My pony had to be sold because it was just too stubborn. It wouldn’t do anything, and bucked anyone off who tried to ride it. The horses I’ve had have never been that hard.

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Answer by horserider258
I’d say a horse was easier to train from my experience because ponies are very temperamental but then again all the horses i’ve trained had a little bit of prior training, not much but i’d suggest a horse when it come to how hard training would be, all ponies i know and have trained are usually very stubborn! good luck hope my opinion helped a little =]

Answer by Adelina
in my experience ponies are more stubborn than horses

Answer by riverpatches16
Ponies tend to have more “character”. They also if well broke can be much sturdier, hardier, and calmer than horses. Horses tend to be flightier, but more willing. Not saying that all horses are spooky just more easily shaken. Either can easily be the opposite end of the stick from what i said as well. It mostly depends on the training and the way they are raised. Both can be trained without difficulty if you know what your doing. I personally perfer training horses, but i wouldn’t give up my pony for the world.

yes i had a mule at one point they are wonderful on trails so sturdy and sure-footed, but they can be very very stubborn at times. They can be trained to do anything a horse does, as well.

Answer by Trainer0KidzNponies
Though in general certain breeds were specifically bred for temper Horses and ponies are only separated by height, so you have to consider breed. You can categorize every breed in the world into 3 groups. Hot bloods, Cold bloods, and Warm bloods.

Ponies are always either Hot or Cold. A cold blooded pony example would be a Shetland. A Hot blood would be Caspian. Most Hot bloods are from Arab blood.

Horses can be all three. Hot bloods are Arabs, Thoroughbreds, etc. Cold bloods are breeds like Shires, Belgians, etc. A Warm blood is a mix between the two, but most just because its a mix does not mean it is an actual breed. Holstieners would be an example of a Warmblood breed.

Of the 3 Cold bloods were breed for their strength and temperament. Hot bloods can be just that, Hot. Warmbloods can inherit either but generally are calmer than Hot bloods.

Now that being said, there is no reason that an Arab could or couldn’t be more calm than a Shire. Its the trend.

Ponies are often made into child mounts. Over time they become spoiled.and lets face it, most kids aren’t going to be riding that pony correctly a majority of its life. They can become sour easily due to our own cultural trend. This is way most people say ‘Ponies are though,’ or that they have attitudes.

Likewise a horse is most likely an older child or adult mount. Usually horses are not spoiled by the hands of an adult. Horses are treated more like the large powerful animal they are. There for a natural respect occurs. However in this day in age old school and new methods are colliding.

Mules follow the same set of rules, however because of the mules intelligence he can be far more dangerous than a horse. A horse can be re-taught respect, he can be taught not to question his rider. A mule, once it realizes he is stronger, will most certainly take anyone for a ride and challenge him. However when handled properly, a Mule is the best of both worlds.

The easiest to deal with, for me, is a pony (in height not in breed) because I am shorter. Any horse under 14.2 is easier to work with because it is simply less animal to manage.

If you are thinking of working or training a horse with no experience prior please don’t. If you are looking to buy, lease, take lessons, etc. I would recommend a horse as you can complete at any age on a horse, while most shows cut off adults from riding a 14.2h animal.

Answer by PRINTS
We just sold two ponies who were trained by the Amish before we got them. These ponies were wonderful and had really nice temperments and manners. The thing to consider is the fact that many ponies are small and good trainers may not be riding them. A horse or a pony can become difficult, develop bad habits and become a disipline problem when an experienced rider is not regularly riding/training them. Since children ride ponies more than adults will, the ponies may develop evasive habits or just get ornary, especially if the children are pulling on their faces with the bridle/reins, kicking unmercifully, etc. The ponies we had were: a Hackney and a Welsh/Shetland cross. They were sweet, well-mannered, and obedient. They liked attention. They were both trained to drive, too. Our 15 hand horse is also well-mannered and he also gets a lot of attention. If you plan on getting a pony, try to get one that is a size you can either ride yourself and train regularly or you can find a trainer who can ride for you, if you are not that experienced. A pony of aboaut 12 to 13 hands can be ridden by a smaller adult or by a taller adult who does not weigh a lot, for training purposes. If you only want a pony for a child to have a little fun on, once in awhile, or be led around, then just get one who seems good natured and watch it being ridden. A well-broke horse may be a good choice for a child who is not terribly experienced, and a “babysitter” horse is the best of all, if the rider is not terribly experienced. Allow your child or adult to take lessons on the animal so they can understand how to handle it, kindly and correctly. A horse or a pony can be difficult – it all depends on the training, and the rider who is handling it on a regular basis.

Taking riding lessons is a good way to be exposed to horses of various temperments and abilities. Leasing is good, too. Never purchase a horse or a pony without someone along who knows about horses. You need to find a safe horse or pony, and only an experieced person can see which animal that is.