How do ponies hold things?!?!

[cider float 2,537]

Adhesive body fluids. On a hot summer day things stick to your skin just like that they do the same. Dogs can also grab onto something using both paws just like that ponies do the same.

[prfan93 123]

They probably walk around with tape just in case they need to "hold" something.

...Like, that's honestly what I believe.

 

...Oh my Zordon, this just makes me laugh so hard.

 

Thank you for making my day so much better!

[sweetolebob18 728]

This has been a question since season 1.  Most frequent answer (in fan fics) seems to be some variant of "tactile telekinesis".  That is, they can make their hooves selectively sticky whenever they want to.

 

As Octavia's mastery of the cello shows, this can be fairly versatile.  Although, I remember seeing Apple Bloom writing by holding a pencil in her mouth.  So, obviously it takes practice & some are better at it than others. 

[hawkflame 3,310]

Didnt Canterlot Boutique show the letter being stuck to Pinkies hooves by tape in the beginning.

 

And how do non unicorns use scissors? We've seen scissors on the show, with finger holes and all. Hell, why do pony scissors have finger holes?

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

Well how do you explain the multicolored manes and coats? that's not close to reality...neither is hoof doing a hands job

 

It's just cartoon logic.....

[cider float 2,537]

Well how do you explain the multicolored manes and coats? that's not close to reality...neither is hoof doing a hands job

 

It's just cartoon logic.....

Yeah but it's funnier when people scramble around with ideas. 

[Kenshiro 13,493]

This should not hard be hold things by them because of using their joints more effectively than people

[best poni 1,518]

With their hoofsies! And also their magic.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Best Poni

[strange quark 42 3]

how do they hold things? two words......THE FORCE

YES ponies are secretly jedi

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by strange quark 42

[Le Trotteur Sauvage 13,051]

They occur to have a magic physic reaction on their hoof, maye some quantum invisible force... We need Eisenstein on this one !

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

Other than balancing, which is clearly disproven as there are scenes where they hold things that would make ot impossible. It seems apparent that they just have the objects stick to their hooves, and can probably make it drop at will too. Magic would explain it, but it is probably pretty weak and/or difficult to use as they often avoid it too.

[strange quark 42 3]

Im tellin you the ponies are secretly force users they just never use their lightsabers after all what are the crystals made of in the canterlot mines if not kyber crystals or just silicates and rare gems im just waiting for a villain to show up and somepony say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!" And just decapitate the bad guy with a lightsaber 

[Hierok 11,831]

I think it is magic. Just like flied is a kind of magic. 

[Adderbane 121]

I always thought that mlp pony hooves are more flexible than real horses, and they can grip some objects in the little groove at the back of the hoof.

[DubWolf 17,254]

With their hooves, silly  . How else do you think they’d manage to move things around  ?

 

[Aosera 28]

They hold it around or lift it with their magic. Despite having hooves its shaped in a way that can let you grab it like rubber hands.

[Thrond 3,263]

There are some things humanity was not meant to know. 

[Ichibi 1]

This post has been deleted

Edited June 1, 2021 by Ichibi
No delete button

[Ichibi 1]

On 2017-11-06 at 12:15 PM, strange quark 42 said:

how do they hold things? two words......THE FORCE

YES ponies are secretly jedi

 

 

On 2017-11-06 at 9:44 PM, strange quark 42 said:

Im tellin you the ponies are secretly force users they just never use their lightsabers after all what are the crystals made of in the canterlot mines if not kyber crystals or just silicates and rare gems im just waiting for a villain to show up and somepony say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!" And just decapitate the bad guy with a lightsaber 

I mean the force is basically just space magic so technically ponies do use The Force

[JMTV99 1,352]

Beacause....cartoon logic?

[Happy Heart 324]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/TdF8lbJjeMLFcmXAkYV3fUt-xQteTtgkRhyrhgtSHB0efzSkwlZwqOWHz2UCbc_ad2ppc9PNRMlQQmB0fGjdiHwti3uZEyfvJRaVcZ3a6HfoZ_t-Bz9ca_H0mTYyRYm7qhGxrlGl4F6zgC5CICEtgJgvyNnasDG5Fd4

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Happy Heart

[BlackFaithStar 56]

Ah, this reminds me, I encountered one interesting theory on this while browsing TV Tropes the other day, I came across the trope page for "Fingerless Hands"
MLP:FIM can be found under the Western Animation folder, and here's what the first bullet point says:

Quote

• Horses can grab things with their hooves in a human-like manner, but this is usually averted due to the show's penchant for Furry Reminder. Most of the time, ponies use their mouths, wings, or magic to manipulate objects. Word of Saint Paul says any time this trope does happen is a writing issue that the storyboarders couldn't figure out a good solution to, such as one script requiring a character to use a pointer and speak at the same time. Fans that don't subscribe to the MST3K Mantra theorize that the in-universe reason is ponies being able to use a biological version of Granular Jamming.

The hyperlink in "Granular Jamming" leads to this image (which I can't shrink for some reason so it's under a spoiler):

Spoiler

There's also an Equestria Daily post which contains a vid explaining how the "jamming phase transition" of granular material is utilised in robotics.

This is the first take I ever saw on this theory and I found it intriguing, which is why I'm inclined to it for the most part.
But another theory such as ponies of all kinds being in touch with some sort of magic so it wouldn't be a stretch that they can generate a short-range telekinetic field with their hooves (rephrased from a comment on that Derpibooru post) sounds viable to me as well, which, then again, could be the Force all over again. Just adds to the fun of speculation, so considering other theories is also cool.

 

While brainstorming is fun and all, ultimately the answer to a lot of these in fiction is probably just cartoon logic.  No need to allow speculations on some inconsistencies to suck the fun out of a show , but maybe theorising regardless adds to the enjoyment of the show for some if it floats their boat. Sometimes it does, and then sometimes you need a break .

[Justin_Case001 4,881]

They hold things by the magic of 2D perspective.  Anything that we can't see from our vantage point doesn't matter, and stuff just sticks to their hooves like magic.