This Scottish breed is quite possibly the cutest, most commonly recognized pony breed out there: the Shetland Pony! Named after the islands they lived on in Northern Scotland, this breed comes in various colors, coat patterns, and markings — from black, brown, and bay to buckskin, roan, and palomino.

The Shetland pony is a small, hardy breed of horse from the Shetland Isles, off Scotland’s north-east coast. Shetland pony: history | common uses | breed type | health problems

However, American Shetlands are different from the original Shetland Pony as they were influenced by several horse and pony breeds. Shetland Ponies are small but strong. These compact little horses can pull up to twice their body weight, which is 400 to 450 pounds (181.4 to 204.1 kg) on average.

Shetland Pony size can be described as small with a Shetland standing at 10.5 hands whereas adult light horse breeds averagely stand at 14.2 hands. Despite its small size, the Shetland pony has a stocky and sturdy body built. Their size does not hinder them from participating in many equestrian disciplines since they are strong and muscular ponies.

Aside from height, the American Shetland has a very different look than the Shetland Pony from the isles. The American Shetland – which is further divided into four breed types – are lighter in bone, with more refined features like that of an Arabian.