Article from 2016: "20 Magical Facts About My Little Pony"

http://mentalfloss.com/article/81149/20-magical-facts-about-my-little-pony

Heh, patented ponies ..... But this bit about real-world horse/pony as inspiration for G1 ponies seems to be supported by this article too:

My Little Pony—one of Hasbro's most recognizable and beloved toy lines—has been flying off shelves since it debuted in 1983. Here are a few things you might not have known about the toys, the TV shows they starred in, the Bronies they inspired, and their upcoming movie.

1. A REAL-LIFE PONY INSPIRED CREATOR BONNIE ZACHERLE.

As a child, Bonnie Zacherle and her family lived in Japan, where her father—an Army Colonel and a veterinarian—cared for all the quarantined animals entering and leaving the country. Zacherle particularly loved a chubby little Korean pack pony named Knicker. Sadly, when they left Japan, they couldn’t take Knicker with them. As Zachlere recounted about herself at My Little Pony Fair 2008, “Bonnie's father promised her some day, she would have a horse, or a pony, of her very own. By the time he retired from the Army, however, Bonnie was in high school. Her father said, ‘you can have a horse, but you'll have to get up early every morning and come home right after school to take care of the horse. Also, you won't be able to take vacations or go away to college.’ Or, have friends, in other words.”

Well, I think this is false dichtomy, exactly because caring about somepony bound to be collective task, not some "individual ownership". Myself also dislikes term 'ownership" when it comes to real live beings, and this is not just matter of taste.