[paul m]

Goosey has put up a picture of a 'wild pony'


and I've uploaded one of 'wild horses' in the Pyrenees:


The thing is, I've never really been sure of what the difference is between horses and ponies (other than size). Are they genetic variants or species? How many of them are wild and how many just allowed to graze freely?

[goosey]

I think the destiction between the two is basically to do with size. Horses are 14.3 hands and larger where as ponies can be up to and including 14.2 hands high. A "hand" is four inches. As usual, there are a few exceptions to the rule .
Ponies are usually more stocky and more resistant to bad weather than horses, amazingly ponies are stronger. A huge Shire horse can pull its own weight but a Shetland pony can pull twice its own weight.

In your gallery submission of your horses Paul, you mention how well they look ( one looks pregnant to me) - which is exactly what I thought when I saw the ponies a bit muddy but healthy.

I would have thought that the ones in the wild are wild, if they had been kept previously, fed, stabled and groomed I doubt they would survive in the wild.

[paul m]

Thanks, I shall have to measure the next ones I see - although I'm not sure how my hands compare to the standard hand.
I wouldn't like to say how tall the Basque ones were - the follower was clearly a pony!

I know these are ponies because there was a sign up.



They're Exmoor ponies which have been brought in (in preference to sheep and cows) to maintain the SSSI at Cressbrook Dale. Even though they've been there less than a year, they are quite friendly - I suspect that people feed them which rather ruins the point of their being there .....

Originally Posted by goosey

I think the destiction between the two is basically to do with size. Horses are 14.3 hands and larger where as ponies can be up to and including 14.2 hands high. A "hand" is four inches. As usual, there are a few exceptions to the rule .
Ponies are usually more stocky and more resistant to bad weather than horses, amazingly ponies are stronger. A huge Shire horse can pull its own weight but a Shetland pony can pull twice its own weight.

In your gallery submission of your horses Paul, you mention how well they look ( one looks pregnant to me) - which is exactly what I thought when I saw the ponies a bit muddy but healthy.

I would have thought that the ones in the wild are wild, if they had been kept previously, fed, stabled and groomed I doub they would survive in the wild.