A pony saddle, English or Western, is built on a saddle tree to fit a pony instead of a horse.
Saddles for ponies commonly have a seat size to fit a child, but some of them come in sizes to fit an adult rider. For more information about ponies, please scroll down beneath the saddles for sale.
You can purchase some of the saddles below by themselves, while others are available in sets that include additional Western tack such as breast collars and/or headstalls.
Below: A pony saddle. This one’s from HorseSaddleShop.
horsesaddleshop.com
Comparison Shop Pony Saddles
Below are pony saddles for sale from several major online sellers.
From eBay, Amazon, and HorseSaddleShop
Below are pony saddles for sale from several major online sellers. This page lets you compare selection and prices.
See more pony saddles on HorseSaddleShop
Pony Saddle Photos
Below: A red roan pony takes his child rider through a pasture. The pony is saddled with a ranch pony saddle built for ranch work and roping.
Below: A buckstitched pony saddle on a chestnut pony.
Below: This young rider has just finished roping a calf in this pony saddle.
What Is A Pony?
In the world of horses, a pony is often determined simply by a matter of height: A pony, when mature and finished growing, is typically defined as shorter than 14.2 hands tall. (A horse, then, is 14.2 hands tall or taller.)
While a leading distinction between horses and ponies is usually a matter of how tall they are when mature, there are other common traits that ponies share besides height. For example, many ponies are known for their thick, stocky, conformation as well as long, thick manes, forelocks, and tails. They also commonly have long, shaggy body hair in colder temperatures. All of these traits, however, while being common to ponies aren’t necessarily accurate to all of them…… and some of these traits might even be true for some horses.
There are breeds of ponies. Popular pony breeds include the Shetland, Welsh, Connemara, Chincoteague, Pony of the Americas (POA), and more.
Below: A pony with a long, thick, forelock and mane.
A Little More About Horses and Ponies
Horses and ponies are both members of the same scientific family (Equus ferus caballus), so the differences between them are purely up to what the people around them decide the differences should be. So, if a horse matures at a height shorter than 14.2 but looks more like a horse than a pony, or if a pony matures at a height of 14.2 or taller but looks more like a pony than a horse, there might be a gray area as to which category, horse or pony, it actually belongs to.
In the case of some breed registries, size doesn’t even matter. The Caspian horse, for example, typically matures at a height less than 14.2, putting it into the pony height category. However, since Caspian horses are considered to have conformation, gaits, and other traits more like that of a horse than a pony, it is considered to be a horse regardless of its height.
Pony Saddles vs Youth Saddles
The main difference between a pony saddle and a youth saddle is the size of the equine the saddle is made to fit:
- A pony saddle is built on a saddle tree to fit a pony.
- A youth saddle is built on a tree to fit a horse.
However, it’s not always that simple. For example, while most pony saddles are made with seats and stirrup leathers in sizes and lengths for children, some of them are large enough to carry a small adult.
In addition, while most youth saddles are also designed for younger and/or smaller riders, some of them can also accommodate smaller adults.