A Brief History of the POA Breed
and POAC
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 Arab/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.
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Pony Of The Americas Club, Inc.