Pony of the Americas winning families of fans

By Marty Metzger
North Forty News

A truly American pony breed took just one short decade to grow to an impressive size.

The Pony of the Americas began in 1955 when three Mason City, Iowa, couples and three individuals birthed the idea of a new breed similar to some appaloosa ponies they had seen.

One of those people, lawyer Leslie Boomhower, had a small appaloosa mare that had, the previous year, produced a foal by a Shetland pony. Black Hand, as the colt was named, became the first registered POA. By 1966, he had sired 31 registered POA offspring. Joining him in fathering the breed were other early noteworthy studs including Dragon, Corette's Scottish Chieftain, Siri Chief and Apache Chief.

Dragon's pedigree and story are quite fascinating. The 50-inch tall leopard, foaled in 1946, was discovered by Ellis Dunn of Texas while scouting for potential POA stock west of Mexico City. He purchased the "skinny as a snake" pony for $26.

At the U.S. border, Dragon joined a few appaloosa mares. Rafael Nieves of McAllen, Texas, paid the little herd's tariff across. Dragon's fee was higher than his purchase price, and export records listed the mares as dogs and Dragon as a gelding. By 1966, that "gelding" had sired 143 registered POA foals.

Although the stud's lineage is unknown, he proved to be a pure appaloosa mustang because he unerringly reproduced appaloosa breed characteristics. Those mustangs trace back to the Spanish conquistadors' horses imported to the Americas from the 16th through 18th centuries. Dragon became not only a pre-potent sire but also a lauded performance champion.

By the mid-1960s, the color-based POA breed's member ranks swelled from its original nine founders to more than 2,500, haling from nearly every state in the U.S., Canada, England, Mexico, Venezuela and Singapore. The breed had nearly 5,000 registered horses, enthusiasts published a monthly magazine and an international show boasted 500 entries.

The breed's height standard increased along with POA memberships. The original maximum of 52 inches was bumped up to 54 inches in 1964. The POA's size limit recently sprouted another 2 inches and is now 56 inches.

Values have also leapt upwards. While Champion Dragon fetched a mere $26, his 2008 descendants are priced considerably dearer. POA breeder Mary Herring of Wellington said that at a recent sale one individual fetched $24,000. Seekers of top show stock should be prepared to "spend major money," said Herring.

She and her husband, Tom, have been aficionados and owners for 37 years. Herring agreed that the breed's conformation has changed over the decades. Since its inception, the breed, which still allows certain outcrosses, has evolved to resemble small, modern appaloosas and quarter horses.

"They now look and travel like a horse," she confirmed.

The Herrings originally toted their young daughter to shows. Now, as POA breeders, they tote only stock.

"We've been in POAs since 1971," Herring said. "Our daughter is grown, but we stayed on. We show the ponies in halter and raise them. The Colorado POA Club is a good family organization."

Club longtimers generously offer new members information and advice. Some even occasionally offer a summer lease on free use of extra show ponies to a club family with more kids than mounts of their own.

Wellington area resident Barbara Klein found that camaraderie an irresistible magnet. Klein had owned POAs for 20 years even though her three children competed little. After being widowed in 1986, Klein sold off the ponies.

But in October 2006 she went to the International Sale in Des Moines and returned to Colorado with a 4-year-old few-spot leopard mare. She subsequently acquired a varnish roan mare from Illinois. Klein had raised this mare's sire, which subsequently became a Supreme Champion and top sire. In Spring 2007, she had both mares bred. The few-spot didn't catch but the roan produced a 2008 bay filly with a lacy blanket. Klein intends to show or sell the filly in 2009. She laughed at the thought that at age 71 she might begin a POA breeding program. Her reasons for doing so are twofold.

"I returned to POAs because people in the club were so great and I'd missed them," she said. "I still know a lot of people, mostly breeders, from 20 years ago who are still active. And when I was originally in POAs, there wasn't a lot you could do with a long line yearling. Now they have lunge line and in-hand trail classes."

The club also currently offers some saddle classes for adults 19 and over on large ponies. Beginning in 2009, adults will be able to show any size pony in that class.

Klein and Herring concurred that Colorado is primarily a horse area. Interest in POAs is strong in the Midwest, Texas, California and a few other areas but limited in the Rocky Mountain region. The Colorado POA club has 24 member families but is working hard to expand.

This year's weeklong Classic show at The Ranch in Loveland, for example, drew 50 entries for its four-day span over the Fourth of July holiday and was preceded by the Promotional Show. Event participants traveled from as far away as Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Texas to compete. The show is scheduled to run again with the same dates in 2009 and 2010.

Like their larger look-alikes, POAs are easy to spot. For a good pony with a distinct appearance that provides showing opportunities for children and adults, strongly consider a POA.

For more information, call Colorado club president Peggy Lough at 970-483-7491 in Wiggins or Mary Herring at 568-3311. They can also direct you to ponies for sale. Information about the national club is also online at www.poac.org.