Pony of the Americas
| Pony of the Americas | |
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| Important data | |
| Origin: | USA, 1954 |
| Main breeding area: | United States |
| Distribution: | in the USA far, in Europe low |
| Stick measure : | 117-142 cm |
| Colors : | Tiger piebald |
| Main application area: | Sport horse |
The Pony of the Americas ( POA ) is a horse breed that originated in the USA in 1954 .
history
The "Pony of the Americas" (POA for short) is, as the name suggests, an American breed. The most important horses on which this breed is based are small Arabian horses, which among other things brought the typical head into the breed ("baby doll" head), Quarter Horses , from which the muscular, compact body originates, Appaloosas , which their characteristic Hereditary colors and coat markings, and American Shetland ponies , which were bred at the beginning due to their small building. Today the POA studbook is very limited. Only registered POAs, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas are permitted. Foals from crosses with other breeds (which were previously permitted), such as Arabs and Welsh ponies , only receive POA papers on request and in individual cases.
The home country of this breed, the United States, has remained by far the largest breeding area for POA to this day. Almost 50,000 representatives of this breed currently live in the USA, in Germany there are probably around 150, and hardly more in all of Europe. Besides a few motivated breeders in Germany, only Australia has started to set up its own POA breed.
The story of the Ponies of the Americas began in July 1954 with the birth of the stallion Black Hand POA # 1 . In the more than 50 years since then, this breed has become the largest and most popular in the USA alongside the Quarter Horses and Appaloosas , especially for children and adolescents, but sometimes also for adults. Official POA shows take place in almost all American states today, the highlight of the year for breeders and riders is the “International Show” with all “Western Horse” -typical disciplines.
Appearance
Ponies of the Americas are more reminiscent of small horses than ponies . POAs have the athletic, elegant body of a modern western horse, as well as a wedge-shaped head and long, powerful legs. The height must be between 46 and 56 inches, i.e. 117 and 142 cm.
The aim of breeding are small, strong, colorful horses with the structure and gait of a large horse and not the movement patterns of a pony.
The Americans coined the term “little horse look” for the POA.
Ideally, the POA buildings resemble those of the Quarter Horses with well-muscled shoulders, short, strong hocks, a smooth topline, muscular hindquarters and a sloping croup . The POA is a small western horse and its building allows it to participate equally in all western disciplines. The strong bone structure and the good muscles make POA popular family horses, they are well suited as show and leisure horses.
At the age of six, POA are considered fully grown in terms of size and color / fur pattern and only then are the final papers ("permanent papers") available from the American parent association. Single-colored POAs and those that are too large receive “pink papers”. This means that although they are approved for breeding, they are not allowed to participate in the official POA shows.
colour
For Ponies of the Americas, the tiger spotting of the Appaloosas is usually required. These are a number of very different coat patterns, but they are all caused by the same gene.
One of the most widespread colorations is blanket , which is described by the coloration white on the loins and croup to the hips and dark, G-shaped spots. In some animals, the spotting is spread over the whole body, which is commonly referred to as the leopard pattern . "Leopard ponies" with few spots are also called "few-spot leopards" in English. In both the blanket and the leopard pattern, the spots in the middle can be darker and have a lighter ring on the outside. This particular look is also called a halo .
Ponies in which white hair (so-called graver hair) flows into the basic color are also known as varnish roan . The descriptive terms red , blue and marbelized roan are often associated with these fur pattern variations . Irregular edges on patches of white or dark hair are signs of paint or pinto coat patterns, which are prohibited under POA breeding guidelines.
Tiger piebalds often have piebald skin under their white fur, rather than pink skin like other piebalds. This is called mottled skin (Eng. "Piebald skin").
The white sclera, or dermis, of one or both eyes of the POA is usually clearly visible. All horses and ponies have such a sclera. It is the area of the eye that encloses the iris (the colored or pigmented middle part of the eye). The white sclera is often confused with the "fear white" in other horse breeds.
Strong, clearly defined, vertical, lighter or darker stripes in the hooves ("striped hooves") and the speckled skin around the nostrils , lips and genitoanal area ("mottled skin") are further characteristics of this horse breed.
Essence
As with many other horse breeds, the nature of the POA differs from horse to horse. With animals from responsible and purposeful breeding, the ponies are often very nervous, friendly, calm and balanced. Such specimens are usually versatile, attentive, docile and willing to perform. The POA are very popular due to their friendly nature and perseverance and are ideally suited for children and young people, but also for adults as leisure and sport horses. They are also an ideal breed to use in therapeutic riding .
literature
- Sandy Ransford (translated by Simone Wiemken): Horses & Ponies. TESSLOFF Verlag 2005, ISBN 3-788-6101-66 .
