The episode's reference to "The Godfather " was named the seventh greatest film reference in the history of the show by "Total Film"'s Nathan Ditum. "The Star-Ledger" named this episode's reference to "2001: A Space Odyssey" one of their favorite references to Stanley Kubrick on "The Simpsons". "The Guardian"'s David Eklid said episodes such as "Lisa's Pony" and "Stark Raving Dad" make season three "pretty much best season of any television show, ever". Molly Griffin of "The Observer" commented that "Lisa's Pony" is one of the third season's episodes that "make the show into the cultural force it is today". Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict said "Lisa's Pony" is a "priceless part" of the show because of its "meshing of old storylines with new experiences, combined with some of the best jokes in the series". Gibron gave the episode a perfect score of 100.