Over the last 10 years, I have never had a lame mount due to leg or hoof problems. Riding to hounds is a fast and pounding sport, galloping cross country and through difficult terrain. Although ponies traditionally go barefoot, circumstances might dictate shoeing. I have to pay close attention to the dryness of their feet. Pony Personality Fanciers also praise pony character.
Ponies can be easy to train, willing to work, and level-headed.
Dunning, who has had Dartmoor ponies since the 1930s, mentions that the Dartmoors understand the routines of riding games. Ponies catch on quite quickly. Harris believes ponies are more self-protective and prudent than horses. If a pony starts to jump a fence, he will make it all the way across without changing his mind. Abronson tells of a weanling half-Welsh filly that had trapped her front feet in the spokes of a bicycle lying on the ground.