True story - adult D and I had finished an online yoga class, and as we were clearing our space(s) saw her cat, Kona - we think she may have seen too many online classes…
I have a question. You have said that you raise Ponies. What is the difference between a pony and a horse?
BTW, lovely photos!
As far as our farm (and most of the world) is concerned, it’s height. In US English showing - where most of our ponies are destined to go - there are three divisions, Small, Medium, and Large ponies. All equines are measured at the top of their withers (in human"ese" that’s the top point on their shoulder). They are measured in “hands” in the US with a hand = 4 inches. Small ponies are anything under 12.2hh (hh=hands high), so 50" or smaller. Medium ponies range from just over 12.2 to 13.2hh, so >48" to 52". Large ponies go from just over 13.2" to 14.2", so >52" to 56".
The size limits can vary some based upon what you are doing and where you are in the world, but that’s the most common range in English showing in the US. We used to raise all sizes, but we downsized when my stable hands, er, boys, grew up and went off to college. At our peak we had 29 here on the farm. Now we just have 2 broodmares (both larges) and our stallion (a medium) + the baby (should be a large) with another one due in another month or possibly two.
There are a few breeds out there that are smaller or larger and still consider their equines ponies or horses, so there’s that variance too.
Both of my broodmares are from “horse” breeds, but that means nothing TBH. They’re ponies as they measure 14.1hh.
And actually… the West was won on ponies. Horses have gone up in height (mostly) in fairly recent years. Look at almost any old painting or bronze and you’ll see the legs of the rider hanging well below the equine’s belly. They were riding ponies. Draft horses have always been large, but there are also breeds of Draft ponies. (Draft being usually used for pulling or carrying knights in armor in history.)
Thanks for that awesome explanation!
I don’t have a natural affinity for horses. Almost every one I’ve ridden had tried to buck me off! Once on a horse riding trip in Glacier NP (my daughter’s birthday choice) when a tree fell in the woods and scared all of the horses!
But I love looking at them and watching others ride them.
Thanks again for taking the time to educate me.
No problem! I enjoy it TBH. I was the horse crazy kid driving my parents bonkers, except I was a lucky one whose dad actually bought my sister and I ponies for our birthdays one year. I’m still shaky riding a bike since I spent so much more time on my ponies.
For health reasons I don’t ride anymore though. I still enjoy raising the babies, but even then we might actually downsize completely if the right offer came around. Life changes as we get older.
LOVE IT! Thanks so much for sharing. Kind of reminds you there is good in the world, despite all this crazy stuff going on.
Such a cute equine baby!
You might want to celebrate his arrival with a glass of 14 Hands (we buy their table wine which is inexpensive but surprisingly good, and that is how I learned about “hands” used for sizing horses).
OMG this is hilarious! She needs her own YouTube channel teaching yoga.
Call him “Doctor Diamond”. Love the diamond marking.
Hadn’t heard of that one before. I wonder if it’s available locally… I’ll check!
Maybe. I’ll suggest it. We’ve been wondering about Doctor “Something” for this one, though haven’t really come up with a second possibility yet. We like to have options in mind. We’ve nixed “Pfizer” and “Moderna!”
Definitely not Janssen or Astra!
Just a thought… you can name him Tony. Pony Tony.
Been here for around 9 months and I finally caught a sunset over water- there have been some beautiful watercolor sunsets here, but I’m usually driving on the highway at sunset or in the house.
Those little booties are beautiful. Would you consider selling them? I have a new granddaughter. I would love a pair for her.
Sure. I PM’d you.
So when your dad said “Clean your room and do your chores and I will buy you a pony…”… He wasn’t kidding!
Well, TBH, my dad was a Hoarder so I never really knew what “clean your room” meant until I went away to college.
I was always an early riser though, so from a very young age I was told to, “go play outside” or “go help grandpa in the barn” (he was a dairy farmer). There was a time in high school when I would exercise my horse before school, even through winter. Dad put up lights for me outside. It could have been more of a plan to keep me outdoors.
Remember way back when the Army had a slogan saying, “we do more before 9am than most people do all day?” I was puzzled. Didn’t seem odd to me!
Saturday morning’s cute baby pic. We were having the ponies “mow” along a shared drive (fenced everywhere except the drive - hence the gatekeeper at the end, with the pic taken by the other gatekeeper). No name yet… I’ve been calling him “Cute Little Dude.” He doesn’t seem to mind - he loved having his neck scratched (natural for babies).
Also, this is a link to a super short Sunday morning frolic right after I let him out. He played a lot, but this is the only one I caught on camera, because apparently, the camera means stop and itch something or look at your surroundings, etc. Only when the camera is down are you supposed to run and play! I ended up stopping the video when I did because “something” on the other side of the tree had to be investigated for a few minutes.
@Creekland, I think if lived your life (with ponies!), I’d never be tempted by CC.
Adorable. I thought of you as we rode our bikes to New Freedom PA and at the end of the trail there is a place that has horses and ponies. Didn’t see any babies though.