The Pony of the Americas (POA) is a wonderful breed of pony especially bred for children. In 1954 Les Boomhower bred Shetland Ponies in Iowa. His neighbor offered to sell him an appy/Arab cross mare that had been accidentally bred to a Shetland. Les decided to wait to purchase the mare until the foal was born since he wasn't sure what the foal would be like. When the foal was born it was a beautifully marked little leopard appaloosa...Les bought the mare and foal...naming the foal Black Hand because of one of it's distinctive markings.

Les starting thinking about how this foal could be the foundation for a new breed especially for kids. He got together with some friends and founded the Pony of the Americas. The goal was to produce a gentle, easy to train pony that children could handle themselves. Even now, adults are very limited in showing the POA. Les and his friends developed the new breed by crossing Appaloosas with Shetland Ponies, Arabians, Quarter Horses, Mustangs and Welsh Ponies. The requirements for registration were strict:

    * Height between 44 & 52 inches
    * Head small and dished
    * Body muscled like a Quarter Horse
    * Coloring like an Appaloosa - visible at 40 feet

Today there are about 40,000 registered POAs which are ridden both English and Western. They are also popular in Pony Club. POAs are used in the following events:

    * Western
    * English
    * Games
    * Jumping
    * Dressage
    * Driving Costume
    * Halter
    * MORE!

You can find out more about POAs at the Official POA Website

This is Hearty Double Impact, 13.3 hands high. He is build solidly and can even carry Pam's 6'2" husband, Everette. Hearty got his name because he has a heart on his rear end... can you find it?

Coat Patterns - There are 7 common terms for the basic coat patterns the POA can exhibit:
    * Blanket
    * Spots - dark body with white spots or snowflake pattern; white body with dark spots or leopard pattern; white body with few dark spots which may not be noticeable when the horse has its winter hair or few spot leopard. Hearty is a leopard.
    * Blanket with spots
    * Roan
    * Roan blanket
    * Roan blanket with spots
    * Solid
    * Also - varnish marks - darker areas or hair usually on the legs, face, hips.

POA patterns are highly variable and there are many which may not fit into specific categories easily.

Mottled or Parti-colored Skin - This characteristic is unique to the Appaloosa and POA , and those with Appaloosa heritage. Mottled skin is a basic and decisive indicator of an Appaloosa. Mottled skin is different than pink or flesh colored skin because it normally contains areas of dark pigmented skin within its area. The result is a speckled or blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin.

White Sclera - The sclera is the area of the eye that encircles the cornea - the colored or pigmented part. The white of the human eye is an example. All horses have sclera but the POA's is white and usually more readily visible than other breeds. All horse can show white around the eye if it is rolled back, up or down, or if the eyelid id lifted. Readily visible white sclera is a distinctive Appaloosa and POA characteristic provided it si not in combination with a large white face marking, such as a bald face.

Striped  Hooves - Many Appaloosas and POAs will have bold and clearly defined vertically light or dark striped hooves. Verticle stripes may result from an injury to the coronet or a white marking on the leg. Also, light colored horses tend to have thin stripes in their hooves. As a result, all striped hooves do not necessarily distinguish Appaloosas from non-Appaloosas. Look for other Appaloosa characteristics if any of these situations apply to your horse.

Breeds of Horses

- Pony of the Americas