One of many jokes that runs universally through the equestrian community is that any horse that measures under 14.2 hands is the devil; these devils are our adorable friends, the ponies. As every rider knows, it’s the difficult mounts that teach you the most, so there’s quite a bit to be learned from these small but powerful puffballs. As a short-statured equestrian, I have had the simultaneous blessing and curse of never moving completely past my pony days. One of my favorite, though at times, most uncooperative, college mounts was, in fact, a pony. That being said, and definitely in the spirit of the “naughty pony” joke, there are a few things you learn from spending a decade in a smaller saddle:

The Smaller They Are, The Harder You Fall

So maybe the trip to the ground is a few feet shorter, but the pony power is all too real. There’s nothing quite like a feisty pony throwing a few power bucks or slamming on the breaks at the literal base of the jump. Your body might hurt a little less, but, because they’re so small, your pride probably hurts so much more.

Silly Amateur, Ponies Are For Kids

There’s nothing quite like a pony who’s made the decision to strictly only do his job. He may act like a total mule for a more advanced, or even just an older rider, but as soon as a little kid climbs aboard, he’s 100% babysitter. He’s just decided you should stay in your lane and leave him alone. Forget a weight limit, age limit is more like it.

A Quick Rhythm

This is probably one of the more serious points of this list. A pony stride is just so much smaller than a horse stride that the next time you climb on a larger horse, you may feel as though he is not moving forward at all. Some refer to this as pony psychosis, results may vary.

Herd Politics

Who runs the field? You guessed it, ponies. They’ve developed a need for over compensation for their size, and it doesn’t matter if that’s in or out of the ring. In their turnout groups, so many of the little guys easily become the biggest bullies. Or maybe they’re just being teased. We’ll never know. Either way, good luck catching them when it’s time to come in.

How To Be Moody

Ponies are a lot like mares in the sense that their moods and attitudes towards work will shift at the drop of a hat. As a rider, it is essential to adapt to any mount you may have, but that’s much harder when the same mount seems like he could be one of any six horses at any moment in time. So put on your tough face, or your patient one, but always bring your sense of humor. Just when you least expect it, your pony might bring his or her game face.

You Love This Sport

Remember when you were young, and riding a pony in competition was much more acceptable? Why did that ever stop? Could we change the cut-off please? Ponies are by far the best kind of partner a small rider could ask for.