Another problem is that ponies are more prone to laminitis caused by overeating. For instance, ponies get laminitis more easily, but they recover much better. I think they have the advantage of not being so specialized, so that they have not lost their defenses the way horses have. I occasionally see an OCD lesion, but that is unusual in the pony. Wilburn discussed the problems ponies have with Cushing's disease.
Ponies live a lot longer, and it is more common in the older equine.
The disorder causes the pony to grow a long, woolly coat that doesn't shed, among other things. Wilburn says that ponies can develop laminitis in conjunction with Cushing's. She mentioned the controversy of using Thyro-L without testing the pony, but observed that a pony could have a problem with its thyroid gland even if tests show the pony as normal. There's still a lot we don't know about the testing. A fat pony also can develop hyperlipemia, where the bloodstream contains increased levels of fat.