"Look at the show ponies", you say.

Here's the thing: I did. I had four or five different screencaps on my references layer. That's how I was able to get the right general body shape and head shape and back leg shape and so on. But beyond that... I can see that they're non-identical. I can't see what to do to get a better match.

You know OOTS, right? Very simple style. Circles, rectangles, curved lines. It took me a bit over two years (not all of it actively drawing, I admit) to get to a point where I could consistently make OOTS-like pictures that I now consider on-model.

Pony is a much less simple style. I doubt I could quickly get where I want by simple observation.