Ponies are defined as horses that are smaller than which height?

• A. 15 hands
• B. 14.2 hands
• C. less than 14.2 hands tall
• D. more than 14.2 hands tall

Answer: (C)

Ponies are defined by height at the withers, using hands as the unit (1 hand = 4 inches). The cut-off between pony and horse is 14.2 hands, so ponies are strictly shorter than this threshold. Since 14.2 hands equals 58 inches, ponies are under 58 inches tall at the withers. The other options either set the boundary too high, include the boundary itself, or describe being taller than the threshold, none of which define a pony.