Sport Pony

Recognizing A Sport Pony - by pwynnnorman@sportponiesunlimited.com from Ponies-L
Below is a short comparison of two foals' movement relating to the Ponies-L list discussion on recognizing a potential sport pony (and "what is a sport pony") ...

Now, more than a decade later, I just watched his full sister's second foal, just like her first, gallop around with that same free way of going, neck low between her shoulder blades--so unlike its carriage at the trot--totally freeing up her back to produce real reach in her legs (both ahead of her body and under her body). Not everyone is looking for ground-covering stride like that, but over time, I've sure learned to be darn pleased when I see it (and tremendously disappointed when I don't!)

The lead colt is Ted's sister's first, the one behind it is actually a 3/4 sibling to the first, but as different from him as night is from day.

The chestnut is "upheaded" all the time, he moves with a tight back, his gait is choppy, and while he isn't short-strided, his stride is "inefficient," in my opinion, because he has too much knee action that does NOT reach forward (some have knee which does, though--knee action is not necessarily a bad thing in a galloper, IMO, it's just how it impacts reach and efficiency that is important). Anyway, with his tail up, the chestnut could "fool" you into thinking, at this age, that he has dressage talent.



But the proof of the difference between these guys lies NOT in that isolated moment that a picture is taken (or, IMO, on that isolated day at the inspection when the baby is walking/trotting around "on air", "head up, tail up" with excitement, but rather in the consistency OF moments, so to speak. To illustrate that, I'll close with a comparison of two shots, which, to me, typify the different carriages these two colts have, even when they are playing:




It's the way the brown one drops his neck DOWN, between his shoulders, even at play, that I saw in this year's filly the other day (she's not yet a week old.

So exciting to imagine that carriage translated to into jumping form!