Post by Terry on Aug 25, 2014 23:24:31 GMT
Since Sis is a POA, I decided to post info about the POA breed. 
A Brief History of the POA Breed
In 1954, Les Boomhower was a Shetland pony breeder and a lawyer with his own practice in Mason City, Iowa. A neighbor offered Les an Arabian/Appaloosa mare who had been bred to a Shetland stallion. She was due to foal that spring. Les waited until the foal was born before he bought the mare. The little colt born of this union was white with what looked like black paint smears all over his body.
What intrigued Les the most were the spots on the colt’s flank that formed a definite black hand. Another idea was forming in Les’ mind as he watched the colt he named Black Hand. He called his Shetland breeder friends to his Memory Lane Ranch to discuss his idea, and the Pony Of the Americas Club was born. Les’ expertise in the law set up a solid foundation for this new breed registry.
The standards Les and his friends set up were a real challenge to any breeder. To be registered as a POA, strict guidelines were followed. The pony had to be between the height limits of 44 inches to 52 inches. The head was to be small and dished as the Arab; the body was to be muscled as the Quarter Horse; and the coloring had to be Appaloosa, visible at 40 feet. This was to be a breed for children to ride and show. Adults could only show the animals at halter or with a cart. So these equines must also be gentle and easy to train.
From the original national POA Club came state clubs, state shows, regional shows and sales, a world class international show and sale and a world championship show. The registry went from Black Hand POA #1 in 1954 to 1996′s registry of over 40,000. The height limit of the breed increased to 46 inches and 54 inches in 1963. It was about this time the Shetland began to disappear from the POA breeding program. Larger ponies like the Welsh and small horses like the wild mustang and the Arab were combined with Indian ponies, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas by the breeders to achieve that “little horse” look. The membership voted in 1985 to again raise the upper height limit to 56 inches beginning in 1986. The age limit of a child showing went from age 16 in 1954 to 18 in 1973. In 1987, 19 and over riding classes were added with a limitation for the POAs under saddle to be only 2, 3, and 4 year olds in training. In 1988, the first national POA Convention was held. In 1990, a Hall of Fame for POAs and POA members was begun.
Besides the usual high point standings, the breed added Register of Merit Awards for halter, performance and gaming. A POA earning all three receives the highest of all awards, Supreme Champion. The first Supreme Champion mare was GR’s Siri Raindrop. The first Supreme Champion stallion was Chief Little Britches and the first Supreme Champion gelding was Cindy’s Fury. Breeders whose POAs receive a number of these outstanding awards can earn Bronze, Silver, Golden, and Diamond Premier Breeder Awards. A mare and stallion can earn Premier and Golden Premier status when a number of their offspring have achieved Supreme Champion. Futurities also offer monetary and prestige rewards for the breeders.
These gentle child-size equines can give a boy or girl confidence and responsibility which will serve in later life. The POA motto is “Try hard, win humbly, lose gracefully and, if you must … protest with dignity.” This perhaps more than anything else, sets POA exhibitors apart from others in the world of horse show competition. Boys and girls cheer for each other even though they are competing against each other. Deep friendships are made that last entire lifetimes for both parents and children from coast to coast. POAs are perfect for trail and endurance riding, ranch work and hunting. The gentle disposition, durability and intelligence of the breed serves it well.
Characteristics
POA coat patterns vary widely and, over time, some ponies get additional color. One of the most common colorations is a blanket pattern, which is characterized by white over the loin and hips with dark, round, g-shaped spots. These spots may vary in size from tiny specks to spots four or more inches in diameter. Others will show white over the hips without dark spots. This variation on the blanket pattern is known as 
-capped.
Some animals carry the spotting over their entire body, which is commonly referred to as a leopard pattern. Leopard ponies with sparsely spotted coats are appropriately termed few-spot leopards.
In both blanket and leopard patterns, the spots may be darker in the middle with a lighter ring surrounding the spot. This unique look is called a halo.
Ponies that have white hairs mixed in with the base coat color are said to be roan. Often associated with this coat pattern variation are the descriptive terms red, blue and marbleized roans. Roan POAs often show varnish marks which are darker areas appearing most often on the upper legs, point of the hip, bridge of the nose, and on the cheek bones. These dark patches have smooth edges that gradually blend into the hair in the surrounding area. Irregular edges on patches of white or dark hair are indicative of a paint or pinto coat pattern, which are expressly prohibited in the POA registry.
www.poac.org/images/ch_coatpattern1.jpg
www.poac.org/images/ch_coatpattern2.jpg
www.poac.org/images/ch_coatpattern3.jpg
Mottled Skin
The primary characteristic after the coat pattern is mottled skin. Mottled or parti-colored skin is unique to the Appaloosa and POA. Because of this, it is a decisive indicator of a POA. Different from commonly found pink skin (as found under blazes and stockings) mottled skin is a speckled or blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin.
There are several places on a pony where mottled skin can be seen easily. These are the eyes, muzzle, udder or sheath and anus or vulva. The mottled skin found on the eyes and muzzle will often have a different appearance than that which is found in the genital area. As our photo shows, the mottled skin on the muzzle and around the eyes is a speckled combination of pigmented and non-pigmented skin. The mottled skin found on the genitals is more of a blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin.
When searching for mottled skin, the lips of the pony should not be separated, as all horses and ponies have a line between pigmented and non-pigmented skin on their lips. POA mottled skin should show good contrast between dark and light areas. Other breeds of horses and ponies can have simple differences in pigmentation of certain areas and should not be considered examples of mottled skin. These differences are often found on the underside of the tail, penis or the upper inside of the legs.
The POAC Official Handbook states that marginal, gray or roan ponies must have mottled skin in at least two places — muzzle, eyes or genital area — and white sclera encircling one or both eyes, to qualify for tentative or permanent registration status. Since a pony must be tentatively or permanently registered in order to show, these same requirements must be met for a pony to be allowed to show at an approved POA show.
White Sclera & Striped Hooves
There are two other characteristics of the POA which can be readily identified but, under certain circumstances, can be found in other breeds. Consequently, the POA owner needs to know what to look for in determining a POA characteristic.
White sclera on a POA is usually very visible. All horses and ponies have sclera; it is the area of the eye which encircles the iris (the colored or pigmented portion). The POA’s sclera is white and usually readily visible. All horses and ponies can show white around the eye if it is rolled back, up and down, or if the eyelid is lifted. When looking for POA characteristics, keep the pony’s head in a normal, relaxed position.
Bold, clearly defined vertically light or dark stripes on the hooves are another POA characteristic. Because there are several factors which can influence the striping of hooves, the owner must look carefully in determining POA stripes. Striping can be caused by an injury to the coronet band or a dark spot in the coronet band of a pony with a white sock. These kinds of striping should not be considered when looking for POA-type characteristics. In the photo of the pony with the white right hind ankle, the dark spots in the coronet band are creating the stripes on the hoof and cannot be considered.
It is possible a POA will not exhibit any striping on its hooves. For this reason, the other characteristics of mottled skin and white sclera are the primary ones to look for in identifying the POA.
Information taken from Pony of the Americas Club Official Breed website www.poac.org/
