| 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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