What height does a pony become a horse?

Pony Lover ‘O8: What height does a pony become a horse?
What height does a pony become a horse?
I have mixed answers about this some say 15hh Is still a pony and some say 14.2hh is a horse its really confusing me.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Thats my girl:)
Ive always been told that 14.2hh or higher is a horse.

Answer by amy k
14.2hh is classed as a pony and above 14.3hh is a horse there is a lot of confusion at shows etc as horses shoes can add extra height so therefore officials complain that some ponies cannot compete in classes as technically are taller with shoes such a silly thing.

Answer by Sarah H
14.2 and under = a pony
14.3 and above = a horse

without shoes of course

Happy New Year!

Answer by minstral06
It really depends on the breed, for example an American Miniature Horse, is actually classed as a horse and it can be as small as 21 inches high. In general I’d say 15hh -15.2hh as the borderline. This confused us with our pony too, as hes 15.2hh but is a ‘Riding Pony’ lol

Answer by ???
14.2hh is pony anything bigger is definitely a horse!

Answer by see arr harr
As a general sweeping statement, 14.2h and under is a pony – above that it’s a horse.

But it depends on breed as well – for example a Highland pony should be no taller than 14.2, but if one goes above that it’s still a Highland pony, even if it’s 15hands. Also show ponies go up to 15h, and some small breeds are classified as horses.

So, somewhere between 14.2 and 15h, breed dependent! If it’s of unknown breeding, it’s safe to say that over 14.2 it’s a horse.

Answer by !Aimee!
Its really difficult to answer that, as there are many conflicting oppinions. I have a 14.2 traditional like cob who looks more like a horse than a pony, and has to have full sized headcollers. Yet really he is a pony! Some people say 15hh beocmes a horse & i have heard others say 14.2! so it will be intresting to have a scan down your answers later to see other folks oppinion!

Answer by ARABIANS!
An equine taller than 14.2 hh is a horse.
An equine shorter than 14.2 hh is a pony.

Answer by clyff12
14.2h classifies a pony to a horse.

Answer by kaz_bert
No query about it… upto 14.2 is a pony, and anything over is a horse!!!! :o)

Answer by my avatar is hot but I’m not
14.2 and above is officially a horse by American show standards..

Answer by barrel racer
14.2 hh. or higher is a horse. 14.1 and anything below is condisdered a pony.

Answer by jamla
14.3 is a horses , at show ‘s i have had the judge measure my horese as he a cob he looked bigger for pony classes which was true , biggest laugh on him when measured 13.3 shows sight can be deceiving

Answer by Its me!!
Ponys will never become horses. There are 3 like sizes of equines, pony, horse , and heavy horse or something like that. A pony can only be as tall as 14hh or 14.2hh like if someone says that they hav a pony and it is taller than 14.2 hh it isnt really a pony, its a horse. The heavy horses are like the clydesdales and belgains. You may be thinking about a foal. A foal is a baby equine.

Answer by ibbibud
It can be quite confusing. Horse registries have height requirements for their breed standards. So do some show registries. They most all state that anything under 14.2 is a pony. The Arab is a small horse, I have some 14.1 individuals. They look like ponies, but they are horses and are registered as such. If a pony breed allows it, ponies can be in the 15 hand range. This is a specific breed pony.
Many generally feel any equine under 14.2 is a pony. Period. So the lines are definitely very smudgy. If you show in 4H, they have definite cut offs, breeds aside, for showing classifications. If you show dressage or hunter, anything under 16 hands is a verifiable midget, definitely a pony!!
So if you just go by height, a pony becomes a horse when it grows past 14.1… a horse becomes a pony when it fails to make that 14.2 cut off.
If you go by people’s opinions, the pony is in the eye of the beholder, and if you go by breeds, it’s whatever the breed standard says, and if you go by shows, you follow the particular rules. There is no one, definitive answer.

Answer by umiplum
14.2 hh is a pony but after that they are a horse. If you are looking onto buying a large pony the best size is 14.1 incase the farrier dosnt cut there feat enuf. they would have to go in horse classes.

Answer by Sam P
14.2hh is a pony
polo ponys are 15hh but they are still called ponys just thought id say that
but over 14.2hh is a horse
even 14.3hh is a horse
iv got loads of pony books two prove that and iv got a pony of ma own.
i hope this has solved your question
good luck
sam

Answer by Bobbi
A pony is a pony, it is a breed…some pony breeds have height restrictions, differ with breeds, that will either put determine their class of pony or not let them be registered as a pony at all, but it doesn’t make them a horse. Now, there are horses that will always be classified as horses, no matter how short they are, they will still be horses…mini horses for example. Rule of thumb is if a horse/pony is 14.2HH or under, they are pony size and taller, they are horse size

Answer by Ravanne_1
There is more to classifying a horse vs a pony that just height. Tradittionally the height maker is 14.2 h, but there are some very tall pony breeds that can exceed that height, and many horse breeds like Arabs and Morgans where it’s not unusual to have smaller individuals that just top out at 14h.

There are confirmational difference between horses and ponies. Ponies typically have shorter legs in proportion to their bodies, thicker manes and tails, stockier bodies, shorter heads with broader foreheads than horses. But just as there are very stocky horses with short legs, there are also taller, finely boned ponies. The rules can be pretty loose and some are very breed specific.

Answer by eqxrider
height wise, not breed wise.
14.2 and under is a pony height. always.
14.3 and over is a horse height. always.

regardless of whether your horse is of horse or pony breeding, if he falls into a certain height category, that he is.

for example, if you have a pure bred welsh pony that somehow ended up to be 15 hh, then that’s a horse. Even if his breed is welsh pony, he’s a horse.

Answer by Savannah Ann
I had a horse that was 14.2hh tall and showed her as a pony, but any taller even half a hh would be considered a horse.

Answer by Aimee M
ok up to 13.3hh is a pony, 14hh-to 14.3hh is a galloway and 15hh and over is a horse.

Answer by westerngamergirl
a pony is a pony and a horse is a horse. like a dog is a dog and a wolf is a wolf. they are different species of the same family. if an equine is of a pony breed, then it is a pony no matter how tall or short it is. an equine that is of a horse breed, then it is a hors no matter how tall or short it is.

generally, a pony is 14.1 hh and below, and a horse is 14.2 hh and above. but, sometimes there are those oddballs every now or then that are strangley bigger or strangely smaller than normal.

so to answer your question, it will never matter.

Answer by The Questionable One
A pony cant become a horse because a pony will only grow under 14.3 hh but a colt/filly becomes a horse when it is over 14.3 hh (a colt is a male horse under the age of four and they stop growing around 4 and a filly is a female horse under the age of 4)

Answer by Lucky Jenny
14.2 is a pony anything above is a horse

But there are some breeds that don’t follow this rule
I have a welsh/ Quarter Horse, he is 14.2 and is a pony,