Why is a Mini a Horse and Not a Pony?

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Just my opinion but ponies takes in a wide bunch of types including shetlands, hacknies, and "undersized" quarterhorses. To say "miniature" is to differenciate what you're talking about. These are specifically under 38" and if they are the more modern bred, look very refined and nothing like shetlands. I own one of the older stocky type minis and while he's a good old man, he does not look nor act like my better bred, fine boned, sweet tempered show types. (ok here come the flames!)
 
:bgrin Well in our county you have to pay personal property taxes on horses, ponies and mules. You are allowed 1 per household member not to pay taxes on. Of course horses tax wise are valued at I think $180.00, ponies are valued at $30. I choose we are a pony farm for tax purposes and I still go with anything under 14.2 in the horse world is a pony no matter what registration it has, so even our Morgan mare that is not quite 14.2 is a pony.

I usually tell people we raise vertically challenged horses and when they ask further I say we raise quarter of quarter horses, then they don't understand that, so I say miniatures and if they don't understand that I say little bitty ponies.
 
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Just the way I think of it...

If someone said to me "I have miniature horses" the picture that that would bring to my mind is horses in the 30 inch range, that you can do a lot with, but cannot ride most, and most are not used for riding.

If someone said to me "I have ponies" I would think of ponies in the 12-14 hand range, that are mainly used for riding.

Miniature horses ARE miniatures. Not necessarily horses or ponies, but they are miniature equines. Just like miniature cows are miniature cows, miniature rabbits are miniature rabbits, etc. It really just is a more specific term for size, because saying "I have miniature horses" is easier than saying "I have really really small horses." If you said "I have really really small horses" you would probably be asked what you meant by that, as in what size they are, simply because everyone considers different sizes small. If you said "I have miniature horses" most people would get the picture that you own horses in the 30 inch range.

Look at me, I'm rambling
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: :lol:
 

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