Another disappointed daughter

[LindaW]

After finding out that the first pony we'd been interested in was possibly doped and NOT suitable for a 5yo kid coming off the lead rein (long story), I've been hunting again.

Found the perfect pony advertised on a big site, little chestnut gelding, done pc and showing well, didn't mind a wobbly rider suitable for lead rein, first pony and first competition pony. Pidc showed him showing, jumping and going through a stream, asking a fair bit of money but little safe ones that can do things aren't cheap.

Several chats with owner and he sounded marvellous, explained pc home with hunting once rider was competant enough.

Drove several hours to see pony yesterday, cute as a button, but mum picked out feet and he was pulling away with hinds (was told wee one could pick out feet fine) Feet had been well dressed but didn't look right to me - turned out he'd had problems with feet in the past but they were okay now (though was wearing shoes)

Pony napped on the road with my daughter, I was starting to go off him, but thought, strange pony/rider combo and she wouldn't be required to go up the road herself anyway. Got back to their field and pony went across the field fine, then after a moment or 2 started nappping with the 10yo kid riding. 10yo was having to use a lot of leg to keep pony going, and carried a stick. Pony made a noise in his wind at canter and after that coughed for the rest of the time we were there. She popped him over a couple of jumps which his attitude was good for, but he landed everytime with his head and neck low and rider ended up unbalanced.

My daughter got back on, and the pony wouldn't leave the gate for her. Owner walked round with her a few times, but as soon as she came away, pony napped again.

I said I wasn't interested, my daughter cried, so I told her to get the pony to the other end of the field to the jump and she could have him - couldn't get him to move a step, just thrown up head and rolling eyes (she did catch him on the head with the stick at one point - mostly because she's not used to having to carry a stick at five, and not used to napping ponies, got severely told off for it nevertheless by me), and then waited while rider got back on so pony didn't get to finish by napping. Ran backwards with her, got booted, got huge smack, and mum STILL had to lead it forward for the 10yo.

It took all day to go see that pony £70 in fuel, kid is disappointed, I'm disappointed and angry, I don't care how many times she says he's never done that before, the paragon of virtue she advertised shouldn't need a stick with it's regular rider - they knew. Her ad says - and no more timewasters please....

 

[brighteyes]

And the owner said???????

I'd be very cross as a buyer if I'd gone all that way and the 'angel' was as bad as it appears to have been for you. Weren't they even a tad embarrassed? It is a nerve-wracking time when someone comes to try your pony and there are enough numpties around to make it a very miserable business indeed, but if your child can make a decent job of getting a reasonably cooperative pony to go and stop and hop over a jump then they are the time-wasters! You sound like a good home and I'll keep my eyes peeled. How about loan? And have you got your own place? Pity you aren't nearer to me as I have a schoolmistress but she can't leave here.

 

[LindaW]

Brighteyes, little one is coming off the lead rein, loves riding, dead keen, but less style Yes she can sit well, and on a willing pony can canter round happily and pop over a very small pole (I don't let her jump properly yet as she's not secure enough - hence the pony search). Searching is having a negative effect, once yesterdays pony started messing about, she started holding onto the front of the saddle, not something she's done for over a year - normally confident.

Hacks out off the lead all over the place with us, does pleasure rides with us, and is doing her rally in a couple of hours off lead. Keen as mustard and dying to come out hunting.

Haven't my own place, but they live at my friends own private place at the bottom of the road, stabled with grazing and owners on site, just us and owner there.

I've had my own small stud in the past, bred and backed horses, ridden for 35 years, competed in most disciplines and do know what I'm doing.

The owner said she understood, based on how he was yesterday, she wouldn't have bought him either. Didn't apologise and just kept saying he wasn't normally like that. I should have wondered, she had a 4yo kid (who the pony allegedly went beautifully for) but he was being sold and another kept...

Just an edit to add, not looking for a rosette machine (though wouldn't turn one down!!! ), just a nice pony that will turn a hoof to most things, give fun and get a rossie on a good day. I don't actually have a problem with a pony that's less than perfect, it'll teach her to ride better anyway, but yesterdays was a little s*d and the noise in the wind/cough was not impressive.

 

[mintaka04]

Och, what a shame! It's a nightmare enough buying horses without the added pressure of your child desperately wanting every one you see.
It must make it doubly hard. I hope you find the right pony soon.

 

[ginger111]

Oh dear I really feel for you as I have recently been through this nightmare of finding a pony. I couldn't believe how time consuming it all was and by the end I was getting a bit of an expert on the phone by trying to catch the people out by making them tell the truth but I never was very sucessful even then! It's dissappointing enough for us as adults to put all the time and effort in but when children are involved it's even worst. It's quite scary putting your little girl on a pony that you don't know and all you can do is trust what their owner says! And isn't it unbelievable how much they want for these ponies that won't go and have suddenly done naughty things that they have never done before!!. Good luck with your search I am sure there is a gorgeous little friend out there just waiting for your daugther. People just don't make that hunt very easy!

 

[cobden99]

Trouble is its like that article in H&H said - I think a lot of the good ponies never even get advertised as they have a waiting list for them ..

 

[JenHunt]

how big a pony are you looking for? the parent of one of the kids i teach are trying to sell a 13hh. he's gorgeous little grey (well tri-coloured but grey) 10yo welsh x (papered i believe) brilliant as lead rein or first ridden, has hunted, done all pc stuff, would have made games team except his rider was poorly and missed the last 2 practices before team selection.
he's a really kind little pony and Emily (9 but quite little) has just got to a stage where she wants to do more than he does. He'll jump up to about 2 foot, and Emily wants to be doing more than that.
Ridden in a snaffle, but does need a bit of a boot to canter sometimes. Em usually carries a stick just as a 'threat' to stop him being cheeky (which he has only started doing as she's got more demanding of him)
for sale with full wardrobe!
PM me if you want more details / contact details for the family.

 

[Puppy]

As exciting as it may initially seem to be going horse hunting, IME it does indeed tend to cause much disappointment

before you finally find "the one" - I had an awful time with horses not being described,

it must be even worse when it's for a child.

Good luck in your search

As my mother kept saying to me "there's one out there with your name on it somewhere"

And I have indeed now got my dream horse

 

[dotty1]

I was selling my sons 11.2 pony a few years ago. She was the sweetest, easiest pony ever and he used to ride her off the lead rein aged 5 with no problems. A family came to see her from quite a way , they sounded perfect..but for some reason the pony was a complete cow with my son (honestly first time ever) and was also naughty with their daughter. Obviously they didn't buy her but must have been very cross as she wasn't what she was described as. I felt soo guilty too.

For the next family who came to see her she was her usual angelic self and looked after their daughter and toddler twins as they dragged her round the field. They bought her and she has been fantastic for them.

Whether she was just having her 1st off day ever or she just didn't like the family I don't know, but it was very embarrassing.

Maybe ponies just know if they like the child???

 

[RachelFerd]

have you tried contacting the local pony club?

there is usually a 20something old pony doing the rounds of loan homes introducing kids to pony club and hunting.

I don't know what age ponies you have been looking at, but I would be inclined to look at 15+, so as to get something that really has been there done that, a hundred times over. They really are like hens teeth - and it's so important not to knock the confidence of a little one...

 

[DuckToller]

I've got an 11.2 that's done everything you could ever wish for with my daughter, including hunting, ppc, xc, dressage to music, and even winning a couple of ODEs against much bigger ponies, but now if you put someone small on him, he runs to the gate and refuses to budge for them.

I haven't dared advertise him because I have a dreadful feeling he would behave just as the above pony did, and yet he really has been fab for us and I feel he is wasted now. Maybe some get less tolerant as they get older?

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Try having a look at the clasifieds on the Pony Club Site, you'll find ponys there that should fit the bill for what you want.

http://www.pcuk.org/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi

 

[Boxers]

[ QUOTE ]
my daughter cried, so I told her to get the pony to the other end of the field to the jump and she could have him

[/ QUOTE ]

What? After all that you had see the pony do (or not do)!

What if, the pony had walked to the other side of the field, you would have been in a bit of a fix!

I'm sorry you are having a bad experience trying to find a pony for your daughter. I must have rung up about dozens and seen dozens more before we found our first pony and having travelled far and wide, he turned out to only live 5 miles away from us! LOL!

Good luck with your continued search - definately try your local PC, you never know who might be selling now with winter coming on. I know several families whose smaller children don't ride in the winter and their ponies are either turned away or put out on loan for 6 months or so.

 

[LindaW]

Boxers, I knew there was no way that pony was going to walk over to the jump, it really was having none of it.

Dotty1, see your point, but saying the pony might just not like my kid is a wee bit rough. The pony was a little so and so with its owner, and had health issues apart from the napping.

Llewelyn, I've come across it before, original first pony moves on with its rider and becomes an excellent little pony but they don't always drop back down again to the wobblier little riders stage. Just one of those things.

I have been trawling the PC site, H&H, Horsemart, Horsedeals and Horsequest. A lot of the ponies are huge amounts of money 3.5k plus, now I'm sure they are worth it, but beyond my limit. The one I just looked at was £2750, and I was having to make an offer, but was a serious no nonsense buyer.

Been to the last PC rally today and let it be known I was looking for a pony. Was told about a 6yo pony thats done nothing, and a 3.5k sec b that did well with it's small rider, but very forward and I saw it do some small humpies into canter at the start of the day - too much pony.

I've been looking at ponies from roughly 8/9yo up to approx 20yo's. I've previously had 2 stepdaughter go through PC and gone through all of this before - I bought the youngest a 23yo pony at one stage. So no worries about older ponies. Live in Rotherham, so central to get to everywhere except the south and southwest, I'm just fed up going all over the place to find dishonest sellers.

 

[dotty1]

Oh nooooo, I didn't mean that pony didn't like your daughter at all, it sounds like the pony is always like it!, all I was meaning is that when a pony turns out not to be as described sometimes, maybe? it is just having an 'off day' as mine was. (But probably not that pony)

 

[LindaW]

don't worry, I'm tired from travelling all day yesterday then up and out for all day PC rally today, probably a bit crotchety. Esp as I'm so cross with the owner, I'd have wanted clean wind and limbs for hunting anyway, she knew that and let me travel all that way for one with bad feet and noisy wind.

Have decided to abandon the search for now and let her have more time on her shetland pony who was a little star off the lead rein all day at the rally, jumping grids, clear round and doing games - even galloped the lap of honour when she came second. I was really proud of her, she's having fun with current pony - if it ain't broke why fix it eh?

Maybe I'll stash the pennies, and when the perfect pony just turns up, we'll be able to have it - next year or something.

ETA the grids and CR were weeny cross poles that the shettie could have stepped over.

 

[rara007]

That is so frustrating. I know my parents were always on the look out for a pony for me when I was small. I had Ajay, who we still have who is a super shetland really, we managed to find a 2nd pony for me when I was 7, and she was super too. I can remember we saw hundreds of loan ponies, or ones that bucked me off

. Now we have Ajay, and my sisters even more perfect 10.3 section A, they are almost semi'retired at only 15 but they are so good we wouldn't want to sell them, or put them on loan. I guess alot of good little ponies end up like ours, just staying in the family and close friends. We have had them both about 12 years.

 

[ginger111]

I think you are definately doing the right thing by cooling your search a bit. I bet if you don't look, a pony will find you especially as winter sets in and people might just want to free some cash up!. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.