Advice on Buying a Pony Please

[jimod]

I'm new to the pony world, a retired grandfather whose granddaughter is taking pony riding lessons and loves it. She is 8 years old and still at the early stages of lessons, she has only had maybe seven lessons so far. I also have another granddaughter who although only three is keen to learn but she can't get lessons until she's four.
We live in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire and I am keen to know as much as I can about buying and weekly costs of livery in the South Lanarkshire area. I have no intention of rushing into anything but I would like to know as much as I can before I make any commitment.
A few questions, what size and age of pony should I be looking at to suit a nine and four year old girls ?
As regards to livery I have time to be involved myself and would have no problem with the yard having use of the pony for lessons at agreed times. How much are other costs eg insurance, dentistry, hoof care, worming etc
Any advice welcome and appreciated.

 

[Joanne_Stockport]

Hi jimod,

You are correct not to rush into things as owning a pony is a big responsibility and a lot of commitments!
I would suggest that the 8 years old has at least 1-2 years of weekly lessons before thinking of buying a pony (as a minimum to know walk-trot-canter).
You will also see if she is still enjoying riding after that time and if it is worth buying a pony.
If you are going to be the person responsible for the pony (and you have no experience with horses) you should definitely take a few months of stable management courses (to learn how to tack up, muck out, grooming, lunging, to recognise lameness and other illness, health and safety, etc..)

I don`t have that much experience in the horse world so would not know what size pony would be better for them.
You should have her instructor to help finding the right pony.

In terms of livery prices, I am in Cheshire but I would imagine prices are similar where you live.
Full livery range from £70-£130 a week ..average probably £85-90/week > this would be the best options at first if you do not have much experience with horses (you should get more support)
Part livery is around £70 a week > services are different some part livery would offer full livery during the week and diy at weekend, some will only do mornings so you will need to find out what services are included
DIY around £30 a week but that is basically only renting a stable, you will need to go at least twice a day (mornings and evenings) and you will need to pay for hay and feed and shavings (or straw).
Your pony will not be used for lessons, a lot of liveries are private and if you want a lesson you need to find a private instructor to come to the yard.
I do not really know anywhere around here that would do that.
For each type of livery, you will need to check what is included as some places with charge extra for specific services.
As an example :I am on full livery and the price include 1 big shaving a week. However i have realised that my gelding is very messy in his stable I will need to add two extra shaving a month (so that is an extra £17/month)

Insurance: I pay £34 a month
Dentistry: normally once a year (sometimes twice) ..around £50 (?)
Hoof care : depends if the pony has shoes or barefoot..cheaper with no shoes and needs to be done every 6-8 weeks (between £20-£60 each time)
You should also add vaccinations for tetanus and influenza.

On top of the price of the horse, it would be a good idea to have a 5 star vetting done before your purchase it. (Around £350)
Then the saddle , bridle, head collar, saddle cloth, turnout rugs, stable rugs, grooming kit, first aid kit (for the horse), boots, etc... I would budget around £1000 for that...

I can't really help more than that !

 

[sandi_84]

Added to the above (stable management lessons are a great idea by the way as there is a lot more to horse ownership than just the riding aspect, if you can, get your girls involved in pony club or similar that will teach them stable management skills too) I would want to ensure that not only is the older girl especially having a bash at walk, trot and canter in the school and hacking out but that they are able to control speed, direction and are balanced in all three of these paces.

It may be a good idea to go down the route of sharing or loaning a pony for a while before buying as that way you will get a better idea of what ownership is really like before making the life changing decision to buy.

Bear in mind for the future that riding school ponies and horses are very different from owning your own, as a general rule riding school horses are pretty solid characters, forgiving of mistakes and know their jobs inside out and although they may occasionally show some naughty behaviours taking a share or loan of a pony may help increase your granddaughter's skills as they will in all likely hood have a lot more to deal with (as they would owning their own pony) than they would under tuition at a riding school. There has been an incresing culture of novice owners buying horses after not a lot of riding school tuition who then believe they have bought the naughtiest pony ever because they are unable to deal with the behaviours exhibited such as napping or bucking. Sadly a lot of these ponies end up getting sold on and the owners enter an unfortunate loop of buy, come up against problems they are not able to deal with, sell, buy Having a share or loan will allow your girls to further their horsey education and expose them to different situations that may not always come up in a riding school - in a good way!

Don't be fooled into thinking a cob or native pony automatically equals an extremely safe plod for the kids, natives are full of character and can be quite strong willed and although as a general rule are fantastic horses to own can be quite challenging in their own very special way (especially when there is food involved as they are ruled by their stomachs ). However saying that a native (as in native breed in the UK like cobs/highlands etc) pony again as a general rule can be less expensive in terms of feed in that most do very well without hard feed (i.e will live happily with grass in the good weather and with a suppliment of hay in the colder months) and will live out happily in all weathers with little to no rugs.

Age is a bit of a difficult one as there are younger horses (aged about 6-8) out there who really are solid and trustworthy little characters but as a novice owner I would advise you to steer clear of anything younger than that especially if it is newly broken in purely because most horses go through a "teenage" phase where they try to push the boundaries in a variety of ways between the ages of 5-7 (roughly! some are late to mature, some never grow up and others seem born with a sensible head ) and a newly broken horse and a novice owner are quite often a recipie for minor - major disaster in my experience. Beware the person who says their newly broken 4yo is a bombproof confidence giver - yes it sometimes works out like this but sometimes not.
Possibly look for something that has been a steady family pony for a while (maybe one who's owner has outgrown it or needs something more challenging now) ranging in age from roughly 10-15 - although again slightly older doesn't necessarily mean sensible Horses can stay in at least light work depending on their health into their 20's so for me 15 would be the absolute oldest I would go for buying a horse especially since girls of your granddaughter's ages will likely outgrow a smaller pony as they get older and their needs in a horse will very likely change from needing something sensible and confidence giving to something more forward going and challenging.
Another thing to bear in mind that as the horse gets older it's needs will also change, they may end up with age related illness or stiffness and you will be less likely to sell on so if you take on an older horse ask yourself if you are able and willing to care for an older horse till the end of it's days.

Size wise it really depends on how big your girls are, the little one is likely going to be on a lead rein for a while so she could theoretically go on any size of pony or horse as long as she feels comfortable, the horse in question is of the type to look after her and the person leading is competent and able to control the horse. As for the older one, her instructor will be able to tell you better what size range to aim for.

Do take someone impartial and very experienced i.e your instructor (if you aren't buying from them! - if you are buying from your instructor have someone knowlegable not connected to them come with you) come with you to viewings as apart from it being benificial to have an experienced person view with you it also helps because sometimes it is difficult to be impartial yourself and rule with head not heart when you see the cutest little pony in the world that may not be right for you.

Try to arrange a viewing where you can see or participate in the horse being caught in and turned out from the field, groomed and touched all over including picking out feet and tacked and untacked as this will show you what kind of horse it is on the ground - ground manners are especially incredibly important where little ones are concerned.

Always have the current owners ride first! If they won't that is a massive red flag and don't let your girls on! The knowlegable person you take with you will be able to offer you an impartial view on how the horse behaved and if they think it would be a good fit for your girls.

I agree on having the horse vetted before purchase using your own impartial vet - not the current owners vet! And do get bloods taken at the time of vetting as some unscrupulous people will "dope" horses to make them seem placid to cover a multitude of problems and at least this way you will be able to have some comeback if missold a "problem" horse.

Google and ask for word of mouth recommendations about any person or dealership you plan to buy from as again unfortunately there are a lot of dodgy dealings in the horse world and even though some folk can seem utterly convincingly above board, they aren't always what they look like. Unfortunately there is a bit of buyer beware involved in horse buying

It's really not all doom and gloom though, if you have someone who knows what they are doing with you (even if you are experienced yourself!) and you have done your homework you could end up with a superstar pony/horse that will end up part of the family and give years and years of pleasure!

Price wise I agree with most of the above again but it really is dependent on where you are.
For example not all horses will cope with the barefoot option and up here a full set of shoes can run to £70. Vaccinations should be done annually but if they have lapsed you will have to start them again (which involves 3 injections in the first year) - I pay £35 per injection for mine but that is from my friendly neighbourhood vet who doesn't charge me a call out fee. Your local equine vet will be able to give you their prices.

You will also want your saddle checked by a qualified saddler (preferably a registered master saddler if you can get one in your area!) every 6 months or so which can be up to £50 pounds in my area (for a regular saddle fitter) with the possible extra cost of reflocking if needed as your horse will change shape depending on what it's weight/muscle is like.

You will likely need doubles (or even triples!) of a lot of things in case of breakages so things like headcollars and leadropes (which have a horrible habit of loosing themselves!) you could probably do with a couple of each - I have three of each, I used to have four :rolleyes3: - rugs wise I have 2 lightweight rugs, 2 medium weights and 1 heavy weight (as my horse would melt in a heavy unless it was artic temps) so if they get ripped (happens more frequently than you'd expect or like) or soaked through as the waterproofing does deteriorate over time you can have one sent for repair/ washing and re-proofing.

And also remember that there will be (probably frequently) unplanned costs that pop up! Horses do tend to like hurting themselves so you may have to tend to a few minor boo-boo's and replace your horsey first aid kit paraphanalia everynow and then all the way up to the major injuries that may need vet treatment - which you should be covered for minus your excess by your insurance (I would recommend either NFU or KBIS, stay very very clear of E&L as they have an extremely bad reputation!), your insurance costs will vary dependent on what you want covered in your policy but generaly it's a good idea to ensure you are covered for external injury, 3rd party liability, illness and colic surgery (which can be extremely expensive!) in my case with KBIS covering for all that with an excess of £150 my policy runs to £45 per month. If the horse has a pre existing injury or illness be aware that your insurers will likely exclude that and possibly other things from your cover!

In the event that the girls want to take their new pony to shows you will need to factor in for competition costs, travel expenses and also the cost of the correct show outfits for the girls which in total can run pretty high.

 

[sandi_84]

If you go down the share/loan route do ensure that you have a sharer/loan agreement in place between yourselves and the owners of the horse which should cover everything from how often and how your girls are able to ride, costs per week and what you will be liable to pay for, period of notice etc etc etc. The Brittish Horse Society do template agreements so it would be a good idea if you are considering going down this route to have a look and see what they have in theirs as a general guide.

Try to find a livery somewhere with a good reputation - ask around in local tack shops, vets and horse community etc etc as some seem like they were sent from heaven only for you to find out you are mired in hell - and definitely get a livery contract! I would advise against putting a horse on livery anywhere you don't have a contract as again in my experience it just ends in tears down the line. This is especially true of working livery, it is a great tool but your contract should state when the school may use your horse and the maximum amount of hours they are to use said horse for per week.

I've written a small essay and I'm sure I've missed a lot of things out ha ha! It's a massive amount to take in but people on here are always willing to answer questions, books are a great source of info and the Brittish Horse Society do some brilliant courses ranging from a basic horse owners certificate to progressive stages (which I believe you have to be over 16 to take part in - not a problem for you I'm sure but if your girls want to do them they will have to wait a few years) which are very useful and informative, have a wee look on their website for further information on the courses as they show exactly what each stage covers. The horse owners certificate is a very good course with a wide coverage of a lot of stable management and horse care and illness info that could prove invaluable

Anyway whatever way you decide to go I really hope you and your girls continue to enjoy the horsey life and eventually become the very proud owners of your own special pony

 

[Dry Rot]

Excellent posts!

Any chance these posts could be "stickied"? These queries come up from time to time and novice owners do need to be fully aware of the facts.

Not sure if it was mentioned but perhaps include membership of The Pony Club and similar organisations? Essential sources of one-to-one face-to-face advice.

 

[NeverSayNever]

Just wanted to say, what lucky girls and what a lovely Grandad you sound. Reading your post made me think back 30 years (eek) to days when I was a pony mad 8 year old whose parents said no , but whose Grandad took me to lessons and eventually paid a contribution on a loan/share pony for me.

If the riding centre does ‘own a pony’ days or ‘pony club type camps in the holidays that would be a good way to start getting more experience. Also, speaking to the instructor and getting advice from them would be a good idea, Im sure they will point you in the right direction.

 

[Clare85]

What lucky little girls your granddaughters are! You have been given some great advice so far so I don't really have much to add. I would echo that it would be sensible to maybe wait a couple of years until both the girls are more established in their riding and to make sure they are still enjoying it. Hopefully they will be and the advice given above is excellent for when the time comes to look for a pony. It can be a bit of a minefield buying a pony and first time ownership can seem daunting but there are plenty of sources out there, such as the BHS and Pony Club and some good full livery yards with knowledgeable staff to help. I think the key is to arm yourself with as much practical knowledge as possible before buying and never be afraid to ask for help - there is no shame in it, and horse ownership is a constant learning curve - even when you've owned for years, there's always something new to learn!

If you do get to the stage of buying a pony then I would say your local Pony Club may be a good place to start. Good, safe children's ponies often aren't even advertised - they are sold by word of mouth. If you view a pony who is known at the local Pony Club you can get some good references to help ensure you are buying something suitable for your granddaughters.

 

[jimod]

Thanks everybody for the excellent advice, it is appreciated. My granddaughter has signed up at the stable where she is taking the lessons for an own a pony for a week at Easter, this should give her an insight into how much commitment you need to put in to look after a pony.
The posts seem to have covered everything but any further tips / advice would be appreciated especially from people in the Glasgow / South Lanarkshire area.

 

[alainax]

.
The posts seem to have covered everything but any further tips / advice would be appreciated especially from people in the Glasgow / South Lanarkshire area.

There is quite a large selection of Livery yards around, with many offering full livery as an option too. Full livery here is around £80-£100 per week.
I would recommend full livery to begin with, then with the option to go part in the future when the girls are able to commit to it more. ( full livery is different here, in England it means the horse is ridden by the staff too, In Scotland full livery just means all the horses basic needs are met - ie fed watered rugs changed etc).

A share would be the next step up from having lessons, then a loan, then ownership. So may be an idea to find a share or loan first to see if they really get into it