Charem
Well-Known Member
A friend of someone I do some work for bought her daughter's a couple ponies last year. The children hardly ever rode the ponies so she has asked me to school them on a bit and then sell them on her behalf.
One of the ponies is a darling old conny mare, who once I sought out the poor girl's foot abcess (funny how they get those when you leave a set of shoes on for 3 months and one falls off and the toe clip penetrates the sole and yet you do sod all about it and watch the poor thing hop round on three legs
) I think will be very easy to sell. She's everybody's dream pony, just an utter star in everyway. The other is a little 11.2hh welsh mare who has a couple issues, one of which being her attitude. She likes to run off when small people are leading her, kicking out as she goes past and when she doesn't want to do something when ridden she rears up - the lady has told me on more than one occasion her youngest came off the back off the pony whilst she did this.
I have been riding this one for about 3 weeks now, she tried it on with me once on the road when a lorry came past and once when she didn't want to walk through a stream. I gave her a bop between the ears, a good growl and a firm kick and on she went. Since those two occasions (probabaly about 2 weeks ago now) she has been as good as gold so clearly she had learned it as an evasion tactic.
She has obviously been well schooled at some point as a lead rein pony, works well in walk and trot, canter isn't brilliant but she canters when asked and she loves to jump; fillers, logs, off banks in to water ect.
Moving on, the owner arranged an advert for her and the following day I started getting lots of phonecalls from people wanting a pony for their novice children. Confused, I found the advert and couldn't believe my eyes. The pony was advertised as a 'mother's dream, lead rein, first ridden'!
The advert went on to say how fantastic the pony was, great with novices ect!
I spoke to the owner last night, persuaded her to drop the price right down and have rewritten the advert myself explaining the sort of pony she is. I just cant believe that someone could lie that badly in an advert. Its bad enough when people lie about horses for adults, but for a kid's pony!!

When I said to the lady that I didn't think she was a first ridden and that she needs an experienced rider her first suggestion was 'oh lets take her down the sales'. Poor pony deserves better than that, she would be passed round from pillar to post and no doubt some other less than honest person would get hold of her and sell her on as a first ridden as when in regular work shes actually pretty well behaved.
So to the final part of my post...I suspect, seeing as the owner is willing to take her down to the sales (where she will get peanuts for her) that I could persuade her to give her away to someone who can give the little poppet a good home. Does anyone here need a companion? I know there are so many out there looking for homes and she is less than ideal but you guys on HHO are usually so good at this sort of thing. I won't see her passed on to some poor unsuspecting novice family, and if worst came to worst I would drive her to the kennels myself. Just wish I had my own land, i've got a real soft spot for the little menace!
One of the ponies is a darling old conny mare, who once I sought out the poor girl's foot abcess (funny how they get those when you leave a set of shoes on for 3 months and one falls off and the toe clip penetrates the sole and yet you do sod all about it and watch the poor thing hop round on three legs
I have been riding this one for about 3 weeks now, she tried it on with me once on the road when a lorry came past and once when she didn't want to walk through a stream. I gave her a bop between the ears, a good growl and a firm kick and on she went. Since those two occasions (probabaly about 2 weeks ago now) she has been as good as gold so clearly she had learned it as an evasion tactic.
She has obviously been well schooled at some point as a lead rein pony, works well in walk and trot, canter isn't brilliant but she canters when asked and she loves to jump; fillers, logs, off banks in to water ect.
Moving on, the owner arranged an advert for her and the following day I started getting lots of phonecalls from people wanting a pony for their novice children. Confused, I found the advert and couldn't believe my eyes. The pony was advertised as a 'mother's dream, lead rein, first ridden'!
I spoke to the owner last night, persuaded her to drop the price right down and have rewritten the advert myself explaining the sort of pony she is. I just cant believe that someone could lie that badly in an advert. Its bad enough when people lie about horses for adults, but for a kid's pony!!
When I said to the lady that I didn't think she was a first ridden and that she needs an experienced rider her first suggestion was 'oh lets take her down the sales'. Poor pony deserves better than that, she would be passed round from pillar to post and no doubt some other less than honest person would get hold of her and sell her on as a first ridden as when in regular work shes actually pretty well behaved.
So to the final part of my post...I suspect, seeing as the owner is willing to take her down to the sales (where she will get peanuts for her) that I could persuade her to give her away to someone who can give the little poppet a good home. Does anyone here need a companion? I know there are so many out there looking for homes and she is less than ideal but you guys on HHO are usually so good at this sort of thing. I won't see her passed on to some poor unsuspecting novice family, and if worst came to worst I would drive her to the kennels myself. Just wish I had my own land, i've got a real soft spot for the little menace!