The Belgian Riding Pony is a Belgian breed or stud-book of small horses and ponies of sport horse type. It resembles the Belgian Warmblood but is smaller and more compact; it is bred for competitive performance in dressage, show-jumping and other sports.
The stud-book is held by the same organisation that holds the stud-book for the Belgian Warmblood. It is open: eligibility for registration is based on performance, on type and on parentage. Two size types are recognised, a small and a large.
History
Breeding of the Belgian Riding Pony began in 1973. The breed association celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2017.
Population data has not been reported to DAD-IS since 2013, when the total number of the horses was estimated at , with 120 brood-mares and 33 stallions standing at stud. In 2026 the conservation status of the breed was unknown.
Characteristics
The Belgian Riding Pony is morphologically similar to the Belgian Warmblood, but is smaller and more compact. The horses may be of any colour. Two size types are recognised: the small type may stand between at the withers, the large type from ..
There is no breed standard; the stud-book is open: eligibility for registration is based on performance, on type and on parentage.
Use
It is bred for competitive performance in dressage, show-jumping and other horse sports.
References