Over the first 15 years of its existence, the breed club registered 12,500 ponies. Between the founding of the breed club and the present, the early Shetland blood has been almost completely bred out, in order to maintain and improve the small stock horse look sought by the breed founders. The Pony of the Americas Club hosted its first national convention in 1988, and in 1990, the Club developed a Hall of Fame for its members and ponies. As of 2012, the Pony of the Americas Club has registered over 50,000 ponies. The Club has become one of the equine industry's largest youth-oriented breed registries, with over 2,000 members, and one of the most active, with over 40 affiliated chapters.