I have two young grandaughters, and have watched way more ponies than I ever could h ave imagined doing whild babysitting.
BORING. They love it, but WHY? Sappy, sentimental, with no real conflict. Where the hell is Mighty Mouse when you need him?
I never saw the show. But a lot of younger children nowadays like stuff that is very simple and earnest and frankly, boring. That's so their hipster Generation X or Generation Y parents can't make jokes and be ironic about it. I guess the kids want something that's their own and something that their parents can't take over and be clever about.