Australia is slowly waking to what the Europeans have always known, ‘bigger is not necessarily better’. Europeans have been breeding sport ponies for years; equines that are horse-like in movement, extremely athletic, while still maintaining many pony qualities.  These ponies have competed in their own divisions as well as standing just as tall in results against their bigger counterparts, with many ponies even beating the big horses at FEI level.

 

In America,  the United Kingdom and now Australia, the German Riding Pony is the admitted model of these registries. The German Riding Pony is not a breed but rather a specific type of pony that has been purpose bred for many generations.

 

Originally developed in Germany in the 1960’s, the German Riding Pony (deutches reitpony), is graded and tested at various ‘keurings’ (inspections) for the individual reitpony registries, much the same as the various European warmblood and sport horse registries.

 

In America, breeders have bred quality performance ponies for many years, but like Australia, never had a specific registry for these ponies. In 1997 the American Warmblood Registry created the American Sport Pony Division, specifically put in place to register and recognise the success of these performance ponies. Although many of these ponies were registered as part breds in breed groups, therefore recognizing one part of their pedigree, no other registry recorded the full pedigree. The new organization now documents parentage, regardless of breed in order to give breeders the necessary documentation to establish an organised breeding program.

The American Sport Pony Division now gives breeders support and validation of their ponies as well as providing the necessary structure for improvement and promotion. Such was the growth of the new division, that in 2003, the American Sports Pony Registry was launched as a stand alone entity. Ponies are registered and graded in hand, at liberty, under saddle and jumping. The American Sports Pony Registry has a minimum height of 13.2hh, with a maximum of 14.2hh. Ponies that fall outside of this range maybe classified as breeding stock.

 

Along similar guidelines, the Sports Pony Stud Book Society was begun in Great Britain several years ago. The SPSS has a height maximum of 15hh, recognizing the value of smaller warmbloods and sport horse types with the potential for dressage and/or jumping that are ineligible to be registered in the various UK Warmblood and Sporthorse registries. Great Britain have long utilized their nine indigenous Mountain and Moorland breeds as well as the British Riding Pony in performance breeding programmes. A growing

number of imported European ponies have been appearing in Great Britain with many of these ponies having ancestors in the British native pony or riding pony stud books. The difference is that  these imports have been selectively bred and performance tested for several generations on their paces, soundness and temperament, rather than for a breed type or show ring potential. The SPSS now provides a grading system for the evolving purpose bred pony, along with automatic registration for ponies already graded with the various European registries and the American Sports Pony Registry.

 

In Australia the sports pony movement is growing in leaps and bounds, with a huge amount of interest in purpose bred dressage ponies. On the 1st January, 2004  the new Australian Sports Pony Registry was launched; the only registry in Australia that assesses ponies 148 cms and under on an international scale, regardless of type or breed, for their movement, temperament and sports

potential.

 

Until recently, ponies in Australia could not compete in open official dressage events, unlike the rest of the world that allows ponies to compete in open competition as well as holding specific pony events, on a local, national and international level. While Europe does have a rider age maximum for the pony events, adults can and do ride ponies in open competition. In America and the UK adults are allowed to compete on ponies in practically any dressage competition they choose.

 

Why is it important to allow ponies, who are traditionally a juniors mount, to compete with adult riders you may well ask. Europe, America and the UK have long recognized that before ponies can start competing at the higher levels of dressage, they require training and competition experience by adults in order to create a safe ‘schoolmaster’ type for the juniors to learn on. One only has to look to many of the top European dressage riders who began their careers on a big moving ‘schoolmaster’ type of pony to see the value in these purpose bred ponies and their correct training program.

 

In 2003, the Equestrian Federation of Australia implemented junior pony dressage (riders 10-16 years) and in 2005, showed the foresight to also implement adult pony dressage as well. However, specific pony dressage competitions are still very few and far between and we are a long way from having ponies at FEI level. The lack of competition was partly addressed in 2006 by the Victorian Branch of the EFA introducing a ‘trial’ that now allows ponies to compete in open official competition up to and including Advanced. While some competitions such as state championships etc. are still ‘out of bounds’ to ponies in general, the trial is a step in the right

direction and it is hoped that the rest of Australia will follow suit, thus allowing ponies to start coming through the ranks and become a force of their own. Strangely enough, ponies, regardless of height, are allowed to compete in official EFA showjumping and eventing with some restrictions on levels according to the age of the junior riders.