Adults owning ponies - its inappropriate!

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Berkeley

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I am getting a bit vexed with comments regardng adults and ponies. I have two equines - 1 horse (16h) and 1 pony (14h).
I am 5"5 and weigh just under 10 stone. I look fine on my pony and I am REALLY looking forward to going to shows and and having some fun with him (he's the mahogany bay in my siggy).

Ponies are wicked! They are cheeky and ready for action - who cares if I am an adult with a pony! There's nothing wrong with it!
 
Ponies are a hoot and I very much regret my daughter's old Welshie having now been retired. He was always a blast to ride, and, if you got him on one of his less paranoid days, he was a fantastic performer as well.

Just ignore the comments from those people who are far too po-faced for their own good.
 
I have 2 ponies...........i'm 5'9 and weigh 10 stone, so i don't ride them. One is 25 and retired but i use her to walk my 2 year old son and nephew around on with a cub saddle on......cute!!
The other is a section B 7 year old mare. I put her in foal which heartbreakingly resulted in a stillborn this year. She is back in work now to keep the tummy off and i regularly lunge and long rein her.
Don't take any notice of whoever. As long as ponies are looked after lets enjoy them!!
 
This is an interesting one - I wonder how much of this "adults-on-ponies" is in the owners head, and how much is actually said to their faces/within hearing distance. I have never heard anyone criticise an adult on a pony (well once, but the woman weighed about 20 stone and the pony was a 14hh very slim built Welsh type pony - the judge asked her if she thought she was suitaly mounted). In British Dressage an adult can ride a pony, as long as the pony is not struggling. In BSJA, ponies can be jumped by adults in senior classes. I don't really know how much predjudice there really is out there, and how much is in the owners paranoid heads, lol.
 
Im 5ft 5 and 10 st and i ride a 13.3hh fjord sometimes, he is built like a brick s*#t house and he seems to carry me fine.
I think he enjoys me riding him as he can be a git sometimes for the girl that owns him and she gets a bit nervous. I take him over the common and let him have a bit of a blast just to keep him sane and he loves it lol x.
 
I have owned lots of ponies and have a 14hh nf which when broken to ride will be ridden by me.
I have never heard anyone say the adult and pony jibe, and if you hear it just ask them "whats it got to do with them".
As with all equines as long as they are well cared for and not carrying to much weight on their backs whats the problem???
 
I love my pony, she's an absolute blast to ride.

Zoe - Having had a pony, then a horse and now back to a pony, I do think people look differently at adults on ponies
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I went to a dressage clinic and I got the impression people felt sorry for me, like it's all I could afford or cope with.

I say each to their own but it's ponies all the way for me
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I'm certainly not paranoid and its not something that keeps me awake at night. I spoke to someone this morning about my pony, they said "he's miniture (14h NF X) - its not right adults and ponies" It vexed me. Its a good discussion point - that's clear by the comments on this post already.
 
I have had comments from an instructor suggesting that I could learn on my pony and transfer my skills when I got a proper horse! Funnily enough I didn't use him again lol
 
I'm 21 and weight 9stone and have a 14.3 pony, I never had any1 say I look stupid on him but I always get asked when I'm guna get my self a horse. The problem with my pony is he only started schooling when I got him @ 10yrs so it takes him longer to understand.
I also ride my sisters 13.3hh Welsh and I jumped her recently as she was for forward for me.
 
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This is an interesting one - I wonder how much of this "adults-on-ponies" is in the owners head, and how much is actually said to their faces/within hearing distance. I have never heard anyone criticise an adult on a pony

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I don't really know how much predjudice there really is out there, and how much is in the owners paranoid heads, lol.

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LOL! You beat me to it
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It's like the paranoid cob owners!
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These people always make me laugh when they look down on those with ponies, I mean what do they think you've got, some kind of hobby horse!
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They all have 4 legs, a pulse and a mane and tail, and they are all capable of doing the exactly the same thing, having the same ailments, getting the the same injuries, costing just as much to keep.... its just that ponies are smaller.
 
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This is an interesting one - I wonder how much of this "adults-on-ponies" is in the owners head, and how much is actually said to their faces/within hearing distance. I have never heard anyone criticise an adult on a pony

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I don't really know how much predjudice there really is out there, and how much is in the owners paranoid heads, lol.

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LOL! You beat me to it
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It's like the paranoid cob owners!
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Sorry Puppy I totally disagree with you on this one see my comments above. Besides if you are not a pony rider I'm not really sure you can talk from experience re peoples attitudes. You may not think that way but I can assure you the attitude the op is talking about does exist.
 
I am over 40 and have a 14.2 and a 15h, I am 5'1" and have very short legs, I almost feel overhorsed on my 15h but he is a solid Connemara and takes up a lot of leg and I look quite small on him.
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Personally I think way too many people are vastly overhorsed. I'm sick of seeing so many tiny women on massive powerful warmbloods that they struggle to control. I think way more recreational riders could ride ponies and cobs and get plenty out of them. They'd save money and have more fun!

If I wasn't 5'8" and looking for something to share with my 6'2" husband I'd seriously consider a pony.

I believe that in most unaffiliated shows adults on ponies can compete in all types of class. In british dressage there is no height limit as I know a lady who competes her native pony to medium level.
 
More to the point how many times have you seen people totally over horsed trying to keep up with the "Jones". Bigger is not always better for some riders who would be better off with a smaller mount, not that i don,t love big horses (before the big horse owners get me), there are the gentle giant types that are a joy to ride.
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Ahh yes, in defence against one lot of discrimination, let's make assumptions about, and bash the warmblood owners
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I rode my 14.2 from our teenage years through to our twenties when he passed away.
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I will give you that it is not a common attitude, I compete my Connemara at BD and have never had any comments there at all but the attitude of this particular instructor was very anti pony.
 
I certainly found that when my daughter got to 15 she was getting all sorts of comments about "When are you getting rid of the pony then?" and "Isn't it about time you had a horse?" This was not from the 13.3 Welsh but our bigger one who measured 15.1 and looked like a 14.2. It's not as though my daughter was especially tall at 5'5 but people seemed to think that now she was older she should stop "playing" with ponies and get a "proper" horse.
 
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LOL! You beat me to it
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It's like the paranoid cob owners!
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I've ridden loads of ponies, cobs, coloured cobs, chunky natives, etc and never come across this superior attitude that riders on big feisty warmbloods supposedly have.

If you do come across such snobbery, that sucks... but to be honest it would be so stupid that I'd probably just laugh
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Ahh yes, in defence against one lot of discrimination, let's make assumptions about, and bash the warmblood owners
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Hm. I'm five-eight, 14 stone, and I ride Daughter's 13.2hh Traditional cob and my 16.2hh Dutch Warmblood, but not both at the same time.

I'm doomed, doomed I tell you!

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Ahh yes, in defence against one lot of discrimination, let's make assumptions about, and bash the warmblood owners
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You noticed that aswell.
My OH has competed her 14.1 welshD at BD for 7 years now. She has never had any comments re adults on ponies. I have also compete the pony SJ and again, never had any comments. I also have a HUGE warmblood and a HUGE TBxWB. Never had any comments about either of those.

So I must conclude....either there is a lot less discrimiation than the perceived level OR both OH and myself look far to scary for anyone to dare make comments to.
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The only real discrimination I've found is trailblazers SJ. Adults must ride horses, kids must ride ponies
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HAs anybody thought of the fact that somtimes a horse is not suitable for a small adult??? I would love to still ride ponies but at 5'10 ish and a sturdy double figure weight i would not dream of it!!! I do have a very tiny friend who would look ridiculous on anything bigger than 15hh as her feet wouldnt come past the saddle flaps
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Adults on ponies are fine IMO and long may people enjoy them!!!
 
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