Wow. I don't know much about horses, but I had no idea Shetland ponies looked like anything but the original. I had no idea that someone had bred an "American" shetland pony. Not only is that kind of sad, but kind of silly. A Shetland pony comes from the Shetland Islands, just like a Shetland Sheepdog. The Shetland Islands are a long way from America, last time I checked. That's kind of like breeding an American German Shepherd or an American Australian Shepherd. :rolleyes:
The American pony looks just like a regular horse to me, although I assume it's indeed smaller. The original Shetland pony looks like what I've always seen and thought of as Shetland ponies.
Don't mess with Mother Nature!