Maybe this is a silly question. What is the difference between a horse and a pony? I always thought they were just like miniature horses, but I get the impression they aren't.

As far as I know, size. Some equine breeds grow to a small adult size and some grow to a larger size. I think that's the only difference.

Sally is quite right. According to trusty wikipedia, ponies are generally smaller, have thicker manes and tails, short legs, wide chests... etc.

Good wikipedia. *Feeds wikipedia sugar cubes*

I freely admit that I didn't know any of that before I looked it up. For a while as a kid I always thought that "pony" was just what you called a baby horse. heh.

It is not simply a matter of size but of proportion too. You see a horse below a certain height is a miniature horse, but when the proportions are right then the breed is a pony.

I thought ti was the difference between the chick and the hen?

Are they called ponies while they are babies aswell?

Or are they still a horse if they will eventually grow to be full sized?

They can be foals, fillies or clts when they're babies.

Pony used to be definted by height until miniature horses were bred, now it's definted by height and proportion. If a pony is too tall, but you can prove the ancestry, some places will still let you register it as a pony.

This is interesting, I thought the same thing too. So what about mules and donkeys? What's the difference there? I think the first time I rode was on a mule. I think. *scratches head*

A donkey is a different species, but they are still equines. You can cross breed horses and donkeys to get mules. A mule is a (usually) infertile hybrid, like a liger.

The search feature is your friend, lol. I know there are a couple threads with thorough descriptions of the difference between a horse, pony, and miniature horse.

http://www.equineboard.com/minature-horse-vs-pony-108.html

The search feature is your friend, lol. I know there are a couple threads with thorough descriptions of the difference between a horse, pony, and miniature horse.

http://www.equineboard.com/minature-horse-vs-pony-108.html

Should've started there huh? I 'll make sure to read and fully comprehend :) It's just easier to ask sometimes!

On my way to read now!