Dave Kehr of "The New York Times" felt that "The Pony Remark" was a turning point for the show, stating that, after the first few episodes, the show "turn into something sharp and distinctive Here, suddenly, is the tight knot of guilt and denial, of hypersensitivity and sarcastic contempt that "Seinfeld" would explore for the next eight years." Holly Ordway of DVD Talk considered the episode the best episode of "Seinfeld"s second season. "The Pony Remark" is considered one of "Seinfeld"s "classic episodes". Writing for "Entertainment Weekly", critics Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling called the episode ""Seinfeld" at its mordant best" and graded it with an A-.