Advice on unhandled colts

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SouthWestWhippet

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Following from my post a couple of days ago about my pony being on his own, I am seriously considering getting him a little companion. I've now spoken to the farmer with the meat ponies, turns out they are not meat ponies per say but that he keeps them and breeds them - although any that aren't good enough to breed and he doesn't sell locally are sold for meat. He looks after them in a hands off but consiencious way, they have hay/nuts each day in this weather, are wormed and have passports. Other than that they are largely untouched by human hand.

He has said I could buy one if I wanted and there are two I like the look of. Both are rising 2, entire colts.

One is a small, very dark iron grey. Probably about 11.2hh ATM, a fine(ish) build with a pretty face. He is happy to approach and stand near you if you have nuts and isn't bothered by dogs/people he doesn't know/the bag with the nuts in. Obviously doesn't want to be petted yet but isn't terrified, just cautious. The farmer would like £100 for him.

The other is a slightly bigger, chunkier dun pony, probably standing currently at about 12.2hh, maybe a touch bigger. Again he has a pretty face and is quite a dark dun. He approached us curiously when we stood at the gate, we had no food but he came to check us out. However, he was mostly engaged in a very serious game of 'being a grown up stallion' with one of his mates - rearing up, kicking, boxing, kneeling down etc... He is clearly a fairly ballsy (!) chap. The farmer would like £200 for him as he is apparently quite well bred.

Now instinctively, I like the Dun better because i love duns. But I think the little iron grey may be a better bet as I am worried the dun might turn out to be a bit of a handful and long term I'd like this pony to be quiet enough for a child to be led about on.

Any one with experience, could I have some advice please on what to look for in a pony like this (ie unhandled) in terms of looking for a quiet temprament? (Obviously pony will be gelded ASAP)

thanks
 
Unless he is bred from VERY VERY good bloodlines, I would NOT be paying £200 for an entire unhandled 2 yr old colt!
I am assuming its a welshie? If so, bear in mind (and possibly tell your farmer) that ponies at one of the last big sales, didnt even raise a £1 bid!
I might however buy him at that price, were he gelded!
Either way, whoever takes them on will have their work cut out, and the longer they are left, the harder its going to be!
 
Would go for the grey if just as a companion/occasional childs pony. Smaller so would be more economical to keep, and if you are already questioning the dun's temperament, decision made...
Good luck!
 
I thought £200 was a lot TBH which is another reason I am swinging towards the iron grey. That said farmer lives 200yards from my pony, would therefore it would cost absolutely nothing to find companion pony/transport said pony home etc which has to be factored into overall cost.

The mares are all dartmoors, he had an arabian stallion running with them though so colts could be arab/dartmoor crosses. TBH I'm not worried about breeding lines, I just want a nice pony companion that will also be an interesting project for me. This summer I think my *riding* time will be limited due to having a young baby but my OH is away a lot so having a pony project to handle/play with would be nice. I'm fairly experienced, have my AI and work with horses but I've not done much with youngsters before so would be very interesting.
 
my colt was totally unhandled he is now like a dog still a colt but my 4yr old daughter picks his feet up i basically let him come to me i turned him strait out with others and sat for hours in field let him watch me with others etc i never tried to do too much or force him too soon after about 3 weeks he came near enough for me to touch his nose then had a handfull of mix i just tried not to invade his space in the field he now invades mine and is so loving i would reccomend getting one to anyone wanting a project but they do take time and patience to come round to humans good luck
 
The grey sounds ideal for what you want, temperment is everything
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My friend brought a colt at 18 months old who was lovely, but soon started to get very strong, bargy & generally colt-ish. Having him gelded made a huuuuge difference to his temperament, so gelding the dun may make him act less stallion-like but if he's naturally got quite a dominant personality it isn't likely to change that. Personally, if it was a project just for me i'd have the dun without a second thought as he sounds like a cracker
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As a potential childs pony though, maybe the little grey might be a better idea if he seems less dominant/bolshy. Cautiousness can be overcome, and he sounds like there isn't much that's going to bother him once he gets to trust you. Plus the extra £100 can go towards keeping him, it's not a fortune but it all helps!
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Good luck with whichever you choose, they both sound like lovely little ponies.
 
I agree with everyone else about the grey. The £100 you save will nearly pay for his being gelded (depending on your vet) and as Tesco says: Every little helps! If you have a young baby, then you may not have enough time to put into the dun and you can't risk having a dominant pony forever. The grey sounds lovely and I expect has a lovely character as well so for me, it's a no-brainer although I understand your indecision. Good luck with whichever one you choose!
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It makes me so angry when people breed for the sake of it and dont handle the foals. At that size they are usually childrens ponies, so why keep them entire and dont handle them? The reason there are so many £10 ponies at auctions is because people like him breed and give the poor sods a crap start. there is more to good welfare than water and poy nuts.

Anyway, rant over. i would advise to spend some time with the ponies and see what character/temperament theyve got. Is each pony dominant or submissive with others for example. You can then have a good look at their conformation and see which pony suits your requirements better. Both will need a lot of work before you could let a child anywhere near them so spend a while seeing which you feel is the best for you and your current pony
 
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The reason there are so many £10 ponies at auctions is because people like him breed and give the poor sods a crap start. there is more to good welfare than water and poy nuts.


[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely 110% agree with you, but this might make you chuckle.
I brought 4 colts back from the NF sales back in October.
You want to know the one who is the most gentle, came halter broken (though we didnt know that at the time) and I even have pictures emailed to me by his breeder......Yep that would be the 10 guinea minimum bid pony!
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thanks everyone, i do keep thinking about the grey... I think I might be buying a pony tomorrow [half panics, half leaps up and down with excitement]

I will post pics if I manage to catch him LOL
 
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