Newport Harbor Baseball Association (NHBA) follows the PONY Baseball Guidelines using a system that allows players of similar ages, maturity and physical development to play together.
The primary features that distinguish PONY Baseball are the use of a two-year age bracket system and scaled diamonds. Players will play on fields where the size of the diamonds are scaled to match the physical capabilities of the players in each division.
These base dimensions are the result of extensive experimentation to determine the size on which players of each age group can properly play the game of baseball. Pitching distance is also scaled to the ability of the player in proportion to the size of the diamond.
NHBA provides flexible rules and incremental levels of competitive play, which are specifically designed for the physical development and safety requirements of each age group.
Below you will find the general division rules along with the official PONY age key. For more specific rules by division, please click on the links under the Divisions header.
| | Foal | Shetland American | Shetland National | Pinto American | Pinto National | Mustang | Bronco | Pony |
| Age on April 31 | 3-4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9-10 | 11-12 | 13-14 |
| Base Path | 40 ft | 50 ft | 50 ft | 60 ft | 60 ft | 60 ft | 70 ft | 80 ft |
| Pitching Mound | 38 ft | 38 ft | 38 ft | 38 ft | 40 ft | 46 ft | 50 ft | 54 ft |
| Start of Season | Tee | Tee | Coach Pitch | Machine Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch |
| End of Season | Tee | Coach Pitch | Machine Pitch | Machine Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch | Player Pitch |
| Teams Formed By | Director | Director | Director | Director | Draft | Draft | Draft | Draft |
| Base Stealing | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leadoffs | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Balks | No | No | No | No | No | Warnings | Yes | Yes |
| Dropped 3rd Strikes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |