Horses and Ponies

Horses may be classified as light horses, ponies, or draft horses, according to size, build, and use. Light horses are 14-2 to 17 hands high measured at the withers, and they weigh 900 to 1,400 pounds. A hand is 4 inches ; thus 14-2 hands is 58 inches, or 14 hands, 2 inches. Ponies are under 14-2 hands high and weigh up to 900 pounds. Draft horses are 14-2 to 17-2 hands high, weigh 1,400 pounds or more, and are used primarily for pulling loads and other heavy work.

Light horses are used primarily for riding, driving, racing, or light farm work and in addition to being smaller they are generally more rangy and more active than draft horses. Light horses and ponies have continued to increase in numbers and importance. Saddle clubs are growing in membership. Horse shows are increasing in size and number. More people are riding horses for pleasure than ever before. On the western ranges, cow ponies are still used in the traditional manner; mechanical replacement has not yet been devised.

Wild Horses

In 1971 Congress Passed The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act To require the protection, management, and control of wild free- roaming horses and burros on public lands.  Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they give rise to the diversity of life forms within the Country and greatly enhance the lives of the American people; knowning that these horses and burros are quickly vanishing from the American landscape. It is the policy of The nation's lawmakers that wild free-roaming horses and burros will be protected against capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to make this happen they will be considered in the area where presently found, as an essential part of the natural system of the public lands.

Breeds of Horses