The registry is open, allowing blood from many other breeds, but has strict criteria for entry, including Appaloosa coloration, specified height and other physical characteristics.

[1] The POA was developed in the United States in the 1950s by Les Boomhower, a Shetland pony breeder in Iowa.

The foundation stallion of the breed was an Arabian/Appaloosa/Shetland pony cross with Appaloosa markings named Black Hand.

In 1954, Boomhower and a group of associations founded the Pony of the Americas Club, with Black Hand receiving the first registration number.

[1] The club's goal was to develop a medium-sized pony for older children and small adults, with the coloration of the Appaloosa, the refinement of the Arabian and the muscle and bone of an American Quarter Horse.

[7] The Club has become one of the equine industry's largest youth-oriented breed registries, with over 2,000 members, and one of the most active, with over 40 affiliated chapters.