558 Principles of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Pony Breeds Ponies are the smallest recognized breeds of horses and include miniature horses. Vera Zinkova/Shutterstock.com American Miniature Horse. The miniature horse is the smallest horse breed. In order to be considered a miniature horse, the animal must stand less than 8.2 hands at the withers. The breed standard requires these horses to have the same proportional conformation as their larger light breed counterparts. These horses originated from the Argentine Falabella horses, who were crossbred beginning in the fifteenth century to create a distinctly small breed of horse. While mainly used as companion animals, these horses are also used in shows and are showing promise as therapy animals, perhaps even replacing seeing-eye dogs for some individuals. Photo courtesy of Pony of the Americas Club, Inc./Impulse Photography Pony of the Americas (POA). The Pony of the Americas (POA) is a breed that originated in the mid-1950s in Iowa. These ponies were developed as a combination of Shetland Ponies and Arabian and Appaloosa breeds. Today, the breed also incorporates Quarter Horse and Welsh Pony genetics. Characteristics of the breed include heights between 11.2 and 14 hands, muscular builds with slightly dished heads, and white sclera (the white outer layer of the eyeball) around their eyes. They are most commonly found with a spotted coat pattern. POAs are used in many disciplines and are commonly trained for use by youth in competitions. Shetland. The Shetland Pony originated from the cart ponies used in the Shetland Isles to haul peat and coal. Their small size allowed the ponies to easily enter mines and pull coal carts. Shetlands range from 7 hands to a maximum height of 10.2 hands. They are heavy boned, muscular in build, and have thick necks and strong toplines (the muscles going over the haunches, back, and neck of a horse). Today, they are used primarily for youth riders, but are also shown in harness driving classes and used for pleasure driving. Vera Zinkova/Shutterstock.com Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.