Mustang baseball begins the belief that rather than change the rules of baseball to make it possible for young people to play the game, it is more logical to change the size of the diamonds, to adjust them to the physical potential of the players.

Use of diamonds matched to their capabilities permits younger players to play in the same proportionate position as the Major Leaguers and to make the same plays as a Major Leaguer. The double play, the squeeze play, the force play, etc. all become probabilities instead of remote possibilities.

Beginning with Mustang baseball, the players are playing real baseball in accordance with The Rules of Major League Baseball as well as specific PONY rules that are in place to supersede the MLB rules where appropriate such as pitching, substitution, re-entry, etc.

With scaled down bases and pitching distances, players react quite favorably to the greater challenge of the game and have little difficulty mastering the transition.

Pinto is an instructional league to teach 1st and 2nd Grade players the fundamentals of baseball. 

Pinto is a coach pitch league. Players in the field will be taught to establish infield control. Batters will be allowed to advance bases until infield control is established.

Pinto teams may be attired in cap and t-shirt rather than full baseball uniforms. The cap and t-shirt will thrill a beginning player almost as much as a full uniform, will leave the player the added thrill of receiving a full uniform for a later day, and will prevent excessive demands on the league budget. 

Managers and coaches at this level must be concerned with the development of all of the players on their team. These are training leagues and the development of a player's skill and personality must remain the prime goal of the manager and coach, rather than the winning of a league title. 

Every player on the team will bat and play in the field every game.

Shetland is an instructional league to teach players in kindergarten the fundamentals of baseball and softball by the simplest method possible - letting them play the game. If this purpose is kept paramount, Shetland can be a valuable addition to the more formally organized leagues for older players. Emphasis must be on instruction, not on the league championship. 

Shetland coaches are allowed on the field to offer instruction during the game. The rules require that players be given the opportunity to try different positions, and that all of them get to play in every game. 

Players in this age range have a short attention span in any single activity and games must move rapidly. Only the basic fundamentals of the game should be brought out. It is not uncommon for players of this age, initially, to be unfamiliar with which is first base, which is third base, and which field is left and which is right. Lack of knowledge indicates merely that the player has not yet been introduced to the game and has no relationship to the player's potential athletic ability. 

Shetland players are coached on a path to learn the necessary tools to move forward with Pinto or 8U Softball in their upcoming season.

Shetland provides an excellent opportunity to teach basic catching, throwing, batting and fielding, and a love of the game of baseball without making the experience a course of intensified instruction. The best approach is to let the teams play with little thought to victory or defeat, but merely for the joy of participation while, at the same time, learning the fundamentals of teamwork, group discipline and sportsmanship.

Foal is an instructional league to teach three, four, and five-year-old players the fundamentals of baseball and softball by the simplest method possible - letting them play the game. If this purpose is kept paramount, Foal can be a valuable addition to the more formally organized leagues for older players. Emphasis must be on instruction, not on the league championship. 

Foal coaches are allowed on the field to offer instruction during the game. The rules require that players be given the opportunity to try different positions, and that all of them get to play in every game. 

Players in this age range have a short attention span in any single activity and games must move rapidly. Only the basic fundamentals of the game should be brought out. It is not uncommon for players of this age, initially, to be unfamiliar with which is first base, which is third base, and which field is left and which is right. Lack of knowledge indicates merely that the player has not yet been introduced to the game and has no relationship to the player's potential athletic ability. 

Foal was introduced this year and provides an excellent opportunity to teach basic catching, throwing, batting and fielding, and a love of the game of baseball without making the experience a course of intensified instruction. The best approach is to let the teams play with little thought to victory or defeat, but merely for the joy of participation while, at the same time, learning the fundamentals of teamwork, group discipline and sportsmanship.