is there a difference between a shetland pony and a minirature horse?

Question

if so what?

which would cost more to have? any price range

Answer 1

They are different breeds. Mini horses should have the same conformation as horses, only smaller, ideally their proportions are identical to a horses. Shetlands are small ponies, and have conformation that is very different from horses. They have shorter legs, are stockier, etc.

edit- They would cost around the same ammount to keep. Shetlands (from my experiance) are not as high maintinance as minis, but their attitudes make them less then ideal kids ponies most of the time. I actually think that horses are easier to care for than ponies, you dont have to worry about them foundering all the time, and they are generally more mellow/ less pushy. The only difference in cost is the ammount of feed really, but feed is the least of all the expenses when you own any kind of equine...

Answer 2

Price range depends on the horse. Not the breed so much.
Miniature horse sizes:
Mini A Height gets to 34 inches tops.
Mini B height ranges from just above 34 inches to 38 inches.

Ponies: Just above 38 inches upward to somewhere between 14 to 15 hands.
horses: Range from somewhere between 14 hands up to nearly 17 hands.
Draft horses: Range from about 15 inches to above 18 inches.

All except for mini A's and mini B's are guestimates. There are some miniature ponies as well.

I have a 34 inch miniature shetland pony and a 27.5 inch mini palomino horse. There attitudes are considerably different. My palomino is quite laid back and my shetland is quite curious about everything. He's always investigating and getting into things. Many people say that shetlands are mean ponies. I see them as a very misunderstood pony. Personality wise, they are very different than other equine.

Other people have gone into the physical differences and so I will not go into that here.

Answer 3

A pony must be under 14.2 hands, a miniature horse must be at least 34" or under to be registered with the American Miniature Horse registry, American miniature Horse Association or the World Class Miniature Horse Registry. Although the breed specifications for pedigrees and confirmation are different, the AMHR has a B height class of 34.5" to 36" anything taller can be registered as a pony in the National Show Pony Registry or with the American Shetland Pony Registry. These shetlands are called classic/modern Shetlands, and like a mini must look like a small version of a horse. An old style Shetland/welsh pony will have a stockier build and shorter legs. Contact the AMHR website for more info.

Answer 4

A Shetland pony is a pony
A Miniature horse is a horse

As for difference in price range not really. You can find Shetland pony for the same price as a Miniature horse or a Miniature horse for the same price as a Shetland pony.

Answer 5

Yes there is. They are actually two different breeds. The Miniature horse and Shetland pony have different body types and characteristics. For example the Miniature pony only stands 34-38 inches, while the Shetland pony can stand as tall as 40 inches. Also, Shetland ponies are very strong for their size and be ridden and pull carriages. Miniature ponies are usually too small to be ridden except by the smallest of children. You can read more about the breeds and their different characteristics by visiting The American Miniature Horse Association at http://www.amha.org/ and The American Shetland pony Club at www.shetlandminiature.com.
As well as, by visiting the sources listed below.

Answer 6

Yes and no. There are two registries for miniatures - one is a dual registry and allows larger heights and alo registers Shetlands. The other registry only registers horses under a certain height. One is American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA) And the other is AMHRA - which also registers Shetlands.

The goal of mini breeders is to get conformation like a large horse - just in miniature. However, there are many minis who have pony-like conformation. If a Shetland is small enough, it can be registered by AMHRA as a mini as well. The AMHA has higher standards and limits height to 34 inches. The AMHRA allows larger minis.
Neither is more expensive to buy or care for- it is the class of horse within the registry that will drive the price up higher. (Better conformation.)
If I'd read the post above mine, I'd not have bothered. She's more of an expert than I am!

Answer 7

A Shetland pony and a miniature horse are two completely different breeds

Answer 8

Miniature horses(fabellas) were bred at the Recreo de Roca Ranch down by Buenos Aires, Argentina. by crossing a small shetland with a real small TB.
Miniature horses are used in harness and halter, but are not used for riding, as their legs are not very strong or straight, They have a large head for the body and have 1 less vertebra.
The maximum height is about 7 hands (28 inches) They do make wonderful pets.

Shetlands can be ridden and they are not born mean!! If you have 30 kids running you and beating you and kicking on ya and jerking your head around, I spose you'd have an attitude too.(Not being a smartypants, people just dont think why they get mad!)

They are larger than min horses and can be used for alot more.

Answer 9

Yes they are to different breeds. Also the minature horse (who also qualifies as a pony because of height) only comes to about knee high or a little bit abouve the knee i think for them to quilfy as a minature they have to be 48 inches or shorter but im not sure of it. A Shetland pony is bigger than a mini and can hold people that are heavier than 50-60 pounds.

Answer 10

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A miniature horse is smaller than a shetland pony. You can't ride it and despit e it's size it is a horse because of its looks. Ponies look completely different than horses) Shetland ponies are slightly bigger than a Mini. Still only a small child could ride a Setland pony. I would reccomend neither to you.