I rank the poses of ponies!

[FernMariposa919]

Here is my ranking of all the poses for earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasus.

Earth ponies poses ranked from favorite to least favorite  (I am only doing adult females so no baby ponies, Sweetheart Sisters or Big Brothers.  Also not counting any ballerina ponies since you can move their limbs anyway):

1. Posey pose - This is the pose where the pony looks like it’s trotting. Other ponies in the pose include Lickety Split, Confetti, Trickle, Sherbet, Night Glider, and a bunch others. I love this pose because it’s an active pose and horses just seem like they were born to be trotting/running around often.

2. Rearing pose - there were only three  So Softs made into this pose (Skippity Doo, Magic Star, and Truly) and it never made any more appearances. Now I don’t know if this has to do with those particular poniest not being very popular or what. I think the pose is super cool; very equine-esque. I never owned any of those ponies and I didn’t know anybody who had any of them so I don’t know how much of a hassle they were. I know they came with a stand so the ponies could stand on their own, but for all I knew they easily broke or could get lost and you’d be stuck with a rearing pony always laying on its side because you wouldn’t be able to stand it up on its own. I bet these ponies look amazing on display, though.

3. Tootsie pose - I feel like this tends to be an unpopular pose, but I quite like it. It’s the one where the ponies head is sort of cocked and her left leg is lifted and curled behind her. Yes, it’s true that if that leg was straightened, it would be longer than her right leg, but I guess that doesn’t really bother me that much. And yes, the way her head is tilted is a bit awkward and would probably look much better if it was just looking straight forward. Other ponies in this pose include Cherries Jubilee, Romper,  Molasses, Sunspot, and Shoreline among others. There’s a bit of playfulness to this pose.

4. Crumpet pose - so not to spoil my rankings, but the Bow Tie pose is right after this one because they’re pretty similar as both poses make the ponies looks shy with the way their heads are tilted down. This one has a little more oomph because it looks like the pony is about to take a step. Other ponies in this pose include Bright Eyes, TAF Sundance, Munchy, Dainty Dahlia, Mirror Mirror, and Strawberry Surprise among others.

5. Bow Tie pose - this is referred to as the shy pose and it is very endearing. Two of the first four ponies I ever got (Applejack and the aforementioned Bow Tie) were in this pose. (The other two were in the collectors’ pose). Other ponies in this pose include Parasol, Sunlight, Sundance, Princess Taffeta, and Bonnie Bonnets.

6. Gingerbread pose - This is a very masculine, athletic pose and the body is a bit broader with the right leg slightly bent. This is a pony who shows confidence and has a take charge attitude. So…it really doesn’t make sense that the insecure Shady is in this pose! Other ponies in this pose include Cupcake, Scrumptious, Sweet Stuff, Ringlets, Raspberry Jam, Party Time, and the 10th Anniversary Birthday Pony.

7. Sugarberry pose - This is a very serviceable pose; it’s not the most exciting pose, but it’s not awkward or weird or anything. This is a good pose to dress ponies in pony wear. I say this because I often dressed my Tic Tac Toe, who is in this pose, in that green and yellow dress with the yellow (or were they green?) shoes. Other ponies in this pose include Scoops, Taffy, Princess Serena, Lemon Treats, Tootie Tails, and those weird Soda Sippin’ ponies.

8. Quackers Pose - I honestly don’t know what to think about this pose. Sometimes I look at it and like that they did something different. There’s a bit of swagger to this pose, as if the pony is casually strolling on by and turning its head to say, “Sup?” to passer-bys. On the other hand (hoof?), other times I look at this pose and think it looks awkward and goofy. I don’t own any of the ponies in this pose (which include Rapunzel, Angel, Woosie, Cranberry Muffin, Princess Royal Blue, Love Melody, and Sweet Tooth) so I’m sure that would sway my decision on whether it should be higher or lower. I heard that these ponies don’t stand up very well. I decided a good place to rank it would be in the middle.

9. Collector pose - Ah, yes, we all know this pose. This is the pose that all the classic ponies are in (Blossom, Blue Belle, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy, Minty, Snuzzle, oh, and randomly Swirly Whirly! (yes, I realize her pose is slightly altered, but still, pretty random for them to bring it back after only using it in the first two years). This pose isn’t very exciting (can you imagine if every single G1 pony was made into this pose?), but it’s great when you want your pony to look outside (or inside) a window of the Show Stable or whatever playset with windows. (I did this a lot with Cotton Candy and Lemon Drop. I would just pose them in my Show Stable and have them looking out the window.) I’m sure this pose looks very linear on a display shelf!

10. Bride pose - Super weird name for a pose, but gets it name from the Bride Pony. Fun fact: the Bride Pony was the last pony I ever got (well, for my childhood collection as I’ve recently taken up collecting G1 MLPs). She was also one of three ponies I gave away while keeping all my others (my mom was like that’s ALL you’re going to give away?) While I feel bad about the other two, I didn’t feel bad about Pony Bride. I guess I never really got attached to her; I don’t even know why I got her. I think it was because she was a big gimmick pony and I HAD to have her. Anyway, this pose has the  pony look like its going for a leisurely stroll, while turning its head as if it were looking around. I can’t help but wonder if this pose would look better if the head was looking straight on? There’s just something off about it. Could be because the head (and the body) on these ponies is a bit slimmer; plus this pose is used for ponies I never had (except for Bride Pony) such as the color swirl ponies and the ones with the scary eye lashes. Perhaps that’s an unfair reason to rank this pose so low because of that, but this is my ranking. And I still think there’s something off about head in this pose.

11. Sitting pose - Look, I love Bubbles and Seashell, the only two ponies in this pose. I love their color combinations and the white blaze on their foreheads. I am not, however, a fan of their sitting pose. I’m no equine expert, but I’m pretty sure horses can’t sit on their haunches like they’re a dog. I guess you could say that this pose is them getting up from laying down and they’re about ready to lift up their hind legs so they’ll be standing. I didn’t own Bubbles or Seashell, but what can they do besides just sit there and watch what’s going on? I suppose they’re much better for collecting than playing with! I can’t imagine it was particularly fun playing with a pony who just sits there. I do have to give points for something different.

12. Bubblefish pose - There’s a lot going on in this pose, and to me, it just looks awkward. The neck is bent at an awkward position, the front left leg is bent at an awkward position, and the right rear leg is kicked back. This is the pose used on the vapid talking ponies and they look even worse because their mouths are open (I understand since they’re supposed to be talking) than when the mouths are closed on the two Precious Pocket ponies who are also in this pose.

13. Bunnyhop pose - If the sitting pose makes the pony look like a dog, then this pose makes the pony look like a cat! This pose (only used on the other two Precious Pocket ponies who aren’t in the Bubblefish pose) makes the pony look like she’s stretching her front legs in front of her. Even the back legs are extended forward. It almost looks like the pony had been running and came to a skidding stop. There’s something off about this pose and I don’t like it, hence the reason why it’s ranked last!

Wow, there are a lot of earth pony poses and I didn’t even rank the Big Brother or Sweetheart Sister poses.

Unicorn poses ranked from favorite to least favorite:

1. Mimic pose - this pose feels like a cross between the Glory pose and the Powder pose. You have the pony lifting up the right leg (although a little bit higher than the Glory pose) and her her head titled back as though she’s just thrown back her head after whinnying. She is a proud pony and she knows it! This would have been a good pose for Majesty if they had introduced it a little earlier. There are only four ponies in this pose: Mimic, Bangles, Milky Way, and Princes Sparkle.

2. Buttons pose - I guess this could either refer to So Soft Buttons or TAF Buttons since they’re both in this pose! This pose (also featured on Fizzy, Galaxy, Speedy, Ribbon, Hula Hula, Twist, Beach Ball, and others) has a determined, trying look. It almost looks like the unicorn has her head bent a little lower and taking a step as though she’s trudging through a blizzard or a windstorm. It’s almost like she’s saying, I can do this…just keep my head low…just one more step…I must have subconsciously liked this pose as a child because I had five unicorns in this pose.

3. Glory pose - This is a simple, yet elegant and regal pose. It’s just the pony with her right leg lifted and bent. It’s used on some pretty classic ponies like Twilight Moondancer, Majesty, Windy, Moonstone, and, of course, Glory. If Majesty couldn’t be in the Mimic pose, this is the next best thing.

4. Gusty pose - I believe this is also known as the shy unicorn pose (which really doesn’t fit Gusty!) The head is slightly looking down and the front left leg is slightly bent. It’s cute. Other ponies in this pose include Sparkler, Pinwheel, Starflower, Tabby, and Red Roses among a few others.

5. Moondancer pose - Besides Moondancer, the only other unicorns in this pose are Sunbeam, Sugar Sweet, and Princess Misty. I know most people aren’t a big fan of this pose and while I ranked it low, I don’t hate it. It’s just that something had to be last (or in this case, second to last). Yes, it is a little awkward how the left front leg is bent, and yes, it is a bit awkward how the head is head is tilted, but it honestly doesn’t bother me.

6. Powder pose - I call this the “Gazing at the stars pose” or “straining your neck” pose. This is similar to the Collector pose where the pony is standing straightt on all fours, but the big different is that she is looking up…way up! Even though this is last, I don’t dislike this pose, but again, something had to be last. Other unicorns in this pose are Skyflier, Star Hopper, Coco Berry, and all the Dance and Prance ponies are in this pose, unicorn or not, which makes sense because it works with the mechanics of the pony.

Pegasus poses ranked from favorite to least favorite:

1. Surprise pose - This pose has sort of a coy, “aw, shucks” vibe to it as it looks like the pony is toeing the ground with her right front hoof and her head is tilted and looking slightly down. It’s not the most exciting, but there’s a sweetness to it. Other ponies in this pose include Heart Throb, Tickle, Flutterbye, Princess Prisitina, Curly Locks, and Sugar Apple among others.


2. Firefly pose - I know a lot of people aren’t a fan of this pose with the right leg being molded to the body, but I like it. It’s the classic pegasus pose (also featured on Medley, Sprinkles, Starshine, Sky Dancer, and randomly, Peppermint Crunch…they sure liked to put those Sundae Best ponies in early poses, didn’t they?) The pose makes it look like they’re running and about to leap up to start to fly. Even though I ranked the Surprise pose ahead of this one and Firefly did come in that pose years later, I do prefer her in her namesake pose. I think I’m just used to seeing her in this pose.

3. Lofty pose - A pretty basic pose with all four hoofs on the ground, although the front left leg is slightly lifted. I really don’t have that much to say about it! Other ponies in this pose include North Star, Hippity Hop, Sweet Pop, Masquerade (does anyone else ever get that Phantom of the Opera song in their head when they say “Masquerade? Just me, then?), Floater, and Braided Beauty.

4. Paradise pose - Hmmm, I had a couple ponies in this pose form my childhood and I remember they would always fall over. At least, I think this is the pose I’m thinking of. This pose is interesting as the ponies are on their tiptoes and it looks like they’re in midrun (or mid-flight since they are pegasus after all). I don’t know if that was the intention or not. Other ponies in this pose include Wind Whistler, Bouncy, Whizzer, and Best Wishes.

5. Locket pose - There are actually a lot of ponies I adore who are in this pose including Locket herself, Princess Tiffany, Dancing Butterflies, Twilight, Blueberry Baskets, and Sea Breeze, but I just can NOT with this pose. Now I don’t dislike it as much as the last two earth ponies poses I had ranked last, but this one is near the bottom. There’s something off with the neck, it almost looks like it’s broken or something and it looks like the pony is scrunching up her body really tight, like trying to be as small as possible. I think this pose is referred to as the shy pegasus pose, correct? If your’e looking at the pony from the back of the head, it looks even worse. I didn’t own any pegasus in this pose as a child and I had at least two in the other poses, so I guess even as a kid this pose didn’t excite me.

That was fun! Maybe I’ll rank the baby pony poses in the future.

[LadyAmalthea]

Thanks for posting this, it was fun to read! I thought about doing a post on favorite poses a while back, but never did. I hope you do decide to do one for baby ponies! Here's my rankings:

Earth ponies:
1. Rearing pose
2. Bowtie pose
3. Posey pose
4. Tootsie pose
5. Crumpet pose
6. Sugarberry pose
7. Sitting pose
8. Gingerbread pose
9. Quackers pose
10. Collector pose (with exception of Swirly Whirly/Butter Kiss, the slight variation in her actually pushes her pose up about halfway up the list)
11. Bunnyhop pose
12. Bubblefish pose
13. Bride pose.
Really, I could summarize these poses into 2 categories...ones I like (1-6), and ones I don't care for (7-13), although I'm a bit on the fence about the sitting pose...I like that it's different, but I'm also glad they didn't use it any more often than they did. I should also mention that with the aboveabove-mentioned exception of the collector pose variation, I don't like any of the modified poses used in the princess/Sundae Best/etc. sets.

Unicorns:
1. Mimic pose
2. Gusty pose
3. Buttons pose
4. Glory pose
5. Moondancer pose
6. Powder pose
Actually, 1-3 are tied for 1st, 5 and 6 tied for last.

Pegasi:
1. Firefly pose
2. Lofty pose
3. Paradise pose
4. Locket pose/Surprise pose (tied for last)
I always thought Surprise should have been in the Firefly pose, it was so much more dynamic than the demure look they gave her in the pose she got...Surprise had so much personality in the show, I thought, and she just looks shy. My Surprise was always a 'mom'-type pony in my herd becauseofher pose; I always put her in frumpy dresses and put lipstick on her. But as you mentioned, they didn't do a very good job with matching other ponies' pose to their personalities from the show/movie either, like Shady and Gusty.

[Taffeta]

The rearing pose was also used for Pony Friends Truly and for a couple of Brazilian ponies. Just throwing that out there.

There really are a lot of earth pony poses compared to the rest, and I am definitely not enthusiastic enough to do a whole list of them xD. I know as a kid I was a lot more pose picky than I am now.

But poses I really dislike - collector pose and sitting pose. The rearing pose is also 'wrong' for me with Magic Star, because I grew up here with the Tootsie pose one. I don't dislike it though, it's pretty cool on Truly and Skippy. Oh yeah, I really don't like the Bride pose either. Thanks for mentioning that. I wish the Colorswirls were in different poses! I'm also not a huge fan of the poses for the pocket ponies or the secret surprise.

I don't dislike any of the unicorn or pegasus poses.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I'm surprised the Locket and Powder poses are low on so many lists! They are my favorite poses of their respective species. I agree with Posey having my favorite pose!

[brightberry]

Oh,  I loved reading your post! It's fun to hear other's perspectives. 

Here are some of mine.  I can't promise it will stay the same over time.

Earth Ponies

1. Collector - I think it's cute, ponies look great lined up this way. Also my ponies spent a lot of time talking to each other.  This was the best pose for that.

2. Posey - It's elegant and I love it.

3. Bubbles - Horses do sometimes sit like this. It looks silly but they can.  It's also adorable.  I also like that it looks like ponies are spending time together.

4. Magic Star - This is a fun pose.

5. Crumpet - ponies look sweet in this pose.

6. Bow Tie - I love it but it's so hard to brush their hair.

7. Tootsie - I always thought it looked odd.  But it is cute because they are looking up at us... or the clouds.

8. Sugarberry - I think ponies in this pose have an odd shape to their head.  They are still pretty.

9. Quackers - How? Somehow they seem distorted to me, like someone snapped a picture at the weirdest moment.

10. Bride - She's so thin compared to the other ponies. I always thought of her as a Sweetheart Sister relation.

11. Gingerbread - I don't like the shape of the feet, angle of the head or shape of the head.  I don't think there was a lot of effort made to make her look more like the other ponies.

Unicorn Poses

I really can't choose! Glory Pose is my favorite for no other then it's Glory's pose and the others are loved equally.

Pegasis Poses

1. Firefly - best action pose!  She just looks so lively and free.

2. Whizzer - I love it.
 
3. Dancing Butterflies, Surprise - I like the poses but it's annoying to try to work with their manes.

4. Lofty - Something is very off with their necks
 

[Leave a Whisper]

Interesting ranking, I disagree with you on some of them, but personal tastes. Here's mine.

Earth Pony Mare:

1)Truly-I love a well done rearing pose. And in the world of toy horses, mares don't get rearing poses. I don't have any yet, but hopefully soon.

2)Gingerbread-It's simple and cute and she has a sweet face. Favorite owned: Ringlets.

3)Posey-Its a nice trotting pose and there are so many cute ponies on it. Favorite owned: Sunnybunch

4) Bunny Hop-It looks to me like a horse tugging back hard on the lead rope. Favorite owned: Bunny Hop

5) Sugarberry-I love a good cantering pose. Its dynamic and graceful. I don't have any yet, but hopefully soon.

6) Bubbles-Its just a very cute pose. I dunno why people bash it for being non-actiony, but praise 90% of the standing poses. Those aren't actiony either. There are 5 sitters. Seashell, Bubbles, Lambaditsa, Brazil Bowtie and Ladybird. Favorite owned: Seashell

7) Bowtie- What a sweet, pretty pose. Favorite owned: Sunlight

8) Bride-Someone once said this looks like an early inspiration to G3. I can see it! Its dainty and slender. Just wish there were more interesting and easy to get ponies on it.

9) Tootsie-I don't have any yet, but I think its kinda cute.

10) Crumpet-I neither like, nor dislike it. Its ok. Favorite owned: Mirror Mirror

11) Quackers-Umm...I kinda like it, but its also kinda weird. Got some pretty ponies on it though.

12) Bubblefish-Its kinda awkward

13) Collector-Its just dumpy and malformed. My least favorite.

Unicorn Mare:

1) Gusty-Its so elegant and gentle. I love it! Favorite owned: Dazzle Glow

1) Buttons-(Tied)Its a good walking pose. Horses walk stretched out and there's too many gorgeous ponies on it. Favorite owned: Fizzy

2) Glory-Its just plain cute. Favorite owned:Twilight

3) Powder-I do like this pose. Its just a little awkward. Favorite owned: MO Starhopper

4) Moondancer-Its awkward and ugly. I intend to get the tweaked version on Princess Misty someday and compare them. Favorite owned: Moondancer

Mimic: Ugh! Now that's an unnaturally high neck and head! Its my least favorite unicorn pose in the G1 line period. There's not a single pony I'd want on it.


Pegasus Mares:

Paradise-Its cute and a bit dynamic. Though I'm not sure how they fly with their wings closed? I still love it! Favorite owned so far: Whizzer

Locket-A very graceful and dainty pose. The only gripe is that sometimes, its hard to stand them on uneven surfaces like the carpet. Favorite owned: Dancing Butterflies

Lofty-Its simple but very cute. I like it a lot. Lotsa pretty ones on this pose. Favorite owned: Masquerade

Surprise-I don't like it much. Makes me wish Tickle had been on a different pose. Ended up selling her. Curlylocks long hair, at least hides the awkward neck.  Only pony owned thus far: Curlylocks

Firefly-I don't like this pose. But Skydancer is pretty enough to warrant having. I'm not into open mouths on any pony pose. I can tolerate it, but I don't love it. Favorite and only: Skydancer

Sea Pony Mare:

1) Sand Dollar-Alert but sweet expression. Only pony owned Ocean Mist.

2) Wave Dancer-A cute but simple pose. Favorite pony owned so far: A custom named Chantey

Flutter Pony:

1) Honeysuckle-Works as both walking and flying. I want all of them! Hollywood shoulda totally been on this pose. Only one owned so far: A custom named Snowbird

2) Wingsong-It is SO sassy! She's the diva posed pony of G1. Her expression is somewhat disdainful. Wish they'd made more on it. Only and favorite so far Tropical Breeze

2) (Tied) Cloud Puff-I love this pose. They're just heading up into the sky. I wish there were more on it, and more that I liked. Favorite and only: Wind Drifter

3) Rosedust-I neither like or dislike it. Its ok. Favorite owned: Yum Yum

Winger Pose:

1)Glow-Okay, so its basically a miniaturized Bowtie. Doesn't make it any less cute. Sadly, the two I desperately want are outta my price range. Don't have.

2) High Flier-Its a cute lil pose. Only one owned: High Flier

3) Buzzer-I don't like or dislike it.

[Mrs. Prospector]

Earth ponies:
Sitting Pose: So cute, and very unique! Favorite pony: Seashell
Crumpet-Simple, yet sweet and gentle. Favorite pony: Strawberry Surprise
Posey-Elegant and active, used often, but for good reason! Favorite pony: Posey
Sugarberry-I love their sweet smile and gently bent legs. Favorite pony: Sugarberry
Rearing-Very dynamic, but loses points for inability to stand up without a stand. Favorite pony: Truly
Quackers-A bit awkward, but a lot of my favorite ponies are in this pose. Favorite pony: Quackers
Bowtie-Cute and classic, but a bit overused. Favorite pony: Applejack
Tootsie-Not a favorite, but nowhere near as bad as everyone says. Favorite pony: Raincurl
Collector-Plain and a bit sad looking, but they look very cute from the front. Favorite pony: Minty
Gingerbread-Too bulky and squarish, and doesn't fit ponies like Sweet Stuff and Shady. Favorite pony: Mint Dreams
It's hard to rank the Bride among the rest of them, because it's so different, and I don't like either Precious Pocket pose.

Pegasi
Surprise-Very gentle and elegant. Ponies with curly hair look great in this pose. Favorite Pony: Tie between Ringlets and Sugar Apple
Locket-Like Surprise, but this time, in flight! Very cute! Favorite pony:Princess Tiffany
Whizzer-A cute and dynamic flying pose. Favorite pony: Wind Whistler
Lofty: Kinda cute, but not very interesting. Favorite pony: Sweetpop
Firefly: Classic, but it's very clunky and I don't like the open mouth or weird hoof line. Favorite Pony: Starshine

Unicorns
Gusty-Adorable and very graceful! Favorite pony: Sparkler
Powder-Sweet, dreamy, and elegant! Favorite pony: MO Star Hopper
Glory-Very pretty and classic. Favorite pony: Glory
Buttons-Cute and fun. Looks like the pony's charging towards something. Favorite pony: Fizzy
Moondancer-A bit awkward, I can confess, but this pose is overhated. Ponies in this pose look very wise and strideful. Favorite pony: Moondancer
Mimic-Again, not a fan of open mouths. Still kinda cute though. Favorite pony: Mimic

[rybett]

Liking the list as now I do not have to search multiple wiki pages for who is what pose. 

[SunPony]

Its fun reading through all your lists!  I definitely have a few that I especially love (SUGARBERRY, Crumpet, Firefly) and a few that I dislike (Bowtie, Quackers, Dancing Butterflies), but otherwise I've never really thought about ranking them.  Reading OP's list and reasoning made me realize that its odd that I like the Crumpet pose but dislike the Bowtie "shy" pose - which doesn't make much sense since they are really similar.  Weird.  Am I a pony pose hypocrite??   

[FernMariposa919]

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed reading my pose rankings and I've loved reading all of yours! It took me a couple days to write this in my Word document before posting it here so it makes me feel good I didn't totally waste my time doing this

It's very interesting to see what poses people like or don't like and their reasons. I love that there's such a variety of poses in the G1 line; I admit I'm not THAT familiar with the other generations - do they have as much variety?

I plan to do a baby pony pose ranking and Flutter pose ranking in the future...

[Leave a Whisper]

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed reading my pose rankings and I've loved reading all of yours! It took me a couple days to write this in my Word document before posting it here so it makes me feel good I didn't totally waste my time doing this

It's very interesting to see what poses people like or don't like and their reasons. I love that there's such a variety of poses in the G1 line; I admit I'm not THAT familiar with the other generations - do they have as much variety?

I plan to do a baby pony pose ranking and Flutter pose ranking in the future...

G3 Earthies have a nice variety of poses. Unicorns, Pegasus and Breezies are limited but the interesting thing about the Pegasus, is that they mostly have running/flying poses, and very few stationary ones.

[NanoRuby]

Love reading everyone else's thoughts on these. I feel very strongly about some poses, they tend to make or break a lot of ponies for me, so I'll give my takes as well.

Earth:
1. Gingerbread - A nice strong pose. There's just something so nice about looking at this one, I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm just biased because a lot of my favourite ponies use this pose (Gingerbread, Sky Rocket, Sweet Stuff, Ringlets and Mint Dreams).
2. Posey - Just a really beautiful, elegant pose.
3. Rearing/Truly - A cool dynamic pose that was very underutilised. The bases are kind of annoying, but it's a small sacrifice for such a cool pose.
4. Sitting/Bubbles - This is a fun one, it's very different from all the other poses. This one is underutilised as well.
5. Bow Tie - This is just a cute pose, it works so well for so many ponies.
6. Crumpet - It's like the Bow Tie pose, but slightly less cute.
7. Bride - It's pretty enough, but the legs always looked like they were shaped wrong to me.
8. Tootsie - Oh yeah, this is a pose that exists. I always forget about this one.
9. Sugarberry - Is it just me, or do the eyes sit too high on the head with this pose? It looks fine from some angles, but for the most part I don't really like it.
10. Collectors - It's just kind of boring. I get that it was the first one, but all of the proportions look weird, especially compared to basically all later poses.
11. Quackers - This just looks unnatural. The way the legs are bending, with the head looking off to one side, I don't know. It always just makes me uncomfortable to look at. It's a shame, too, because there are a lot of ponies I would love if they weren't in this pose. This and one other pose are the only ones I actively go out of my way to avoid.

Unicorns:
1. Buttons - Reminds me of a show pony or something, it's very pretty.
2. Glory - A very regal pose, befitting of many unicorns.
3. Mimic - The head is held a little too high, but it's still a pretty cool pose.
4. Gusty - It's cute. That's about all I have to say for this one.
5. Powder - The neck is still being strained but now it doesn't have the raised leg. I like it, but it always feels like a lesser version of the Mimic pose.
6. Moondancer - The only other pose I actively try to avoid, and the only unicorn pose I dislike. It just looks so wrong, something about the legs maybe? I don't know. It's a good thing that there aren't too many ponies in this pose that I care about.

Pegasus:
1. Locket/Dancing Butterflies - Wow, I am really in the minority here, huh. I always thought this pose looked so cute, but I can see how people think it looks awkward.
2. Surprise - It's cute. That's about it. I tend not to feel very strongly about the pegasus poses.
3. Whizzer - I get that it's supposed to look like the pony is flying or something but to me it always just looked uncomfortable. Still, I don't dislike it.
4. Firefly - Would look so much better with the mouth closed and the raised leg moved away from the body sightly instead of being molded into it. I like the Peppermint Crunch version better since the mouth is closed.
5. Lofty - Just looks odd. Kind of reminds me of the flaws of the Sugarberry pose, in a way.

[LadyMoondancer]

What a fun topic!  Awesome!  Reminds me of the "rating Pokemon sprites" posts I sometimes see on Tumblr (which I also love).