Pony International, commonly referred to as simply Pony, is an American brand of footwear and other apparel. Founded in 1972 on Madison Avenue in New York, Pony was created by industry veteran Roberto Mueller, along with financing provided by adidas Chairman Horst Dassler (see details in the book Sneaker Wars). Pony became one of the top athletic brands worldwide. By the mid-1980s, Pony's sales volume reached US$800 million. The Pony brand has been worn by championship athletes in every major sport, including the World Cup, NFL Super Bowl, MLB World Series and the NBA championship.
Pony was owned by Pentland, based in England, in the 1990s before a sale to The Firm entertainment group, based in Los Angeles, CA. The Firm relaunched the brand in 2001 with celebrity entertainers including Justin Timberlake, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton. In 2003, Global Brand Marketing, based in Santa Barbara, CA, acquired a majority share of Pony, along with Symphony Holdings and Itochu Corporation. In 2006 Pony was purchased by Symphony Holdings, a public company based in Hong Kong, under the company Sharp Gain Profits Ltd. Symphony brought in former partner Infinity Associates (Mardy Cason and Bill Simon), who were the principals who purchased Converse from bankruptcy in 2001, turned the brand around and sold to Nike in 2003 for $305 million. Jim Stroesser, who was the key partner in rebuilding Converse, was asked to be the CEO/President of Pony in 2006. Stroesser's team relocated Pony from Santa Barbara, CA, to downtown San Diego, CA. Pony was in need of a complete turnaround, and Stroesser's team rebuilt the company's infrastructure and positioned the brand as one of America's most authentic sports brands. In 2010 the company's U.S. headquarters were moved to Los Angeles, CA.