Pound for Pound - which is stronger ...

[MaLoTu]

A deer or a horse ... if size were equal? I cannot find any comparable info online and it has become a debate between my husband and I.

I know ... super random!

 

[CLSranch]

My vote is horse. Deer is much more capable of being nimble and athletic. Horses are breed to work and haul. But cats are pound for pound stronger the littler they are. But I wouldn't want my barn cat to meet one of the Mt. Lions that we have here.

 

[MaLoTu]

My vote is horse. Deer is much more capable of being nimble and athletic. Horses are breed to work and haul. But cats are pound for pound stronger the littler they are. But I wouldn't want my barn cat to meet one of the Mt. Lions that we have here.

I said horse, also. Not to discount the fact that a deer can be exceptionally strong, but a horse is built different. I think a horse that is the size of a large deer (about 13 hands?) can carry an adult where I doubt a deer could.

 

[CLSranch]

A mini (true mini is under 3ft) and can pull a cart with an adult all day.

 

[Bunnylady]

A mini (true mini is under 3ft) and can pull a cart with an adult all day.

Don't tell my minis that - I'd have a riot on my hands!

I'd go with a horse, too. I have a 35" mini that is built like a deer, and I wouldn't put even a small child on her - I'm to afraid of injuring those dainty bones. Deer can do amazing leaps (so can some horses, when trained) but most horses have bigger bones.

 

[CLSranch]

Sounds like that mini needs a full size meal. My raises them. I used to like running them around with a little cart. My little cousin does wagon racing now with 40in ponys in the 46in division. They have been worked into shape and feed well. They pull a 4 wheeled wagon and 2 adults rather well. Her new partner is a small 15 yr old boy though. Faster time. These are not hers but an example of the wagon.

 

[Bunnylady]

Not underfed, just one of the "refined" type.

(not my picture; these are babies)

 

[CLSranch]

Nice. much more like a thoroughbred than my quarter horses. But my grandpa always said 2 things. 1 The best color of a horse is fat. 2 It's easier to keep a horse fat than to get one fat. Those little guys look thin but in shape. I bet they could pull a cart. Minis are like mules, very strong for their size.

 

[CLSranch]

Fat is a pretty color. My brother says it to but doesn't like horses.

lol

 

[Bunnylady]

Nice. much more like a thoroughbred than my quarter horses. But my grandpa always said 2 things. 1 The best color of a horse is fat. 2 It's easier to keep a horse fat than to get one fat. Those little guys look thin but in shape. I bet they could pull a cart. Minis are like mules, very strong for their size.

No disrespect meant for your grandfather, but I have to disagree. A lot of minis and other ponies are in a chronic state of founder from being fat; it's a common problem in breeds that tend to be "easy keepers" like ponies and Quarter Horses. I actually own a Quarter Horse that had this problem. She was given to me free as a pasture buddy for a mare I purchased because she was constantly unsound simply because she was fat. It's been a slow process, but I got the extra weight off, and she is now rideably sound again. She was lucky - if I hadn't taken her, she'd have gone to auction (and we know where lame horses go from an auction). I was lucky, too; I didn't know how much damage had been done to her feet, or if she'd ever be pain-free and useful again.

IMO, a horse should be neither too fat nor too thin. I like to be able to feel the ribs, but not see them. Appropriate weight for the bone structure can be a tough call in an animal with such variable body types as a horse; that's why they came up with the body condition scoring system. The minis in that picture are lean, not thin; they are carrying appropriate weight for their frames. But, as I said, they are babies; they will fill out a bit more as they mature.