Back garden shetlands

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Patchworkpony

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Just curious. Does anyone keep a shetland or shetlands in their back garden? If so how do they manage them? Are they happy? How big is the garden?
 
I did a few years back, big garden grazing with a stable and woodchip area, pony came in the kitchen for cornflakes and I drove him for exercise. Everyone knew him and stopped to talk to him but he was on his own and hated it, he was really miserable and lonely so packed his bags and moved to a livery stable, totally changed pony! I should have had two, not nice on their own even with loads of human, dog and cat company.
 
I don't but I almost had to this summer when I couldn't afford their livery! was going to fence off the orchard and put them in there, as they are good with electric but luckily I managed to find a full time job! if I ever moved yards, I would prob bring them home as I only pay £20 a month each were I am now, couldn't afford to pay full livery price for them!
 
An old lady who lived near my grandparents had two when I was younger. I thought it was wonderful, having ponies in your garden! I seem to remember it was definitely a garden set up, not like a mini field or orchard.
 
Not quite a shetland but my horse lives in my garden and likes to eat pears & apples off the trees in the summer :D (Yes it is looked by /TRYING/ to fence them off) ;)
 
I don't think any pony should even be kept by themselves, except for the odd minority that don't enjoy other horse company!

I technically keep my two in someones back garden, their paddock is about 1/4 of an acre (with 4 stables, built before current owners had it - hope some of the land was sold becuase 1/4 acre is no way enough for 4! :eek: )and its actually far too much for them! They can have a really good hoon about and although I've only had them there 2 months, the grass is fine (if anything I have too much). I've tried having them in a smaller fenced off area to 1) stop them from escaping and 2) limit their grass but at the moment its too wet and because its a small area its just getting so muddy, so they have the lot at the moment.

As long as they can get up a good gallop, I'm happy that they're happy. :)
 
So agree it is not kind to keep a pony by itself - even a goat is better company than nothing. I sometimes think that ponies that are kept 'in the garden', so long as you pick up the dropping and they don't live in a sea of mud, can enjoy the interaction with humans even more as they are so much in your face. I certainly believe it is kinder to keep a couple of small ponies like that than semi-abandon them in a grotty field with no shelter or protection from the summer heat and flies.
 
I have two minis in 1/2 acre, they are mother and daughter, brought them 7 years ago to keep my other mini company as the big horses bullied him and he was lonely (sadly lost him to cushings) but the girls have a fab tome, regularly raid the big horses stables for any food, they have the concrete pad for hardstanding with shelter provided by the stable canopy (they don't like their own stable) they have hay when needed summer and winter as grazing is sparse on purpose ! They have thrived :) not bad for a mare and then foal destined for a can of dog food !!!
 
My two mini girls have a shared stable with mini door and mini hayrack in the corner. Whilst in the summer evenings they do have the run of the garden they also have their own paddock within the garden with 1 metre high fencing and a mini five bar gate!
 
I often joke that I'd love to have a wee pony instead of a lawn mower :-). Wouldn't as not big enough to keep two.

The guy who owns our yard uses one of his wee ponies to keep his lawn trimmed.

Also knew a lass years ago who kept a pony stabled on their back garden - on a ex-council estate :-D
 
Many years ago when I was still at school I used to keep my two on a pub yard stabled 24/7 and hand grazed, ridden every morning at 5.30, ride one, lead one, do 3.5 miles in half a hour then muck out and then off to paper round before riding the other one after school. They loved the yard, got plenty of visitors who brought them carrots and apples on a Sunday!
 
I am SO loving these stories. Just proves that those without lots of fancy facilities often love and care for their ponies more as they have to make more of a conscious effort to keep them happy and well looked after.
 
Do my ponies count? They're not shetties, but a 14.1 and a 13.?. At the moment, they get coralled on the lawn during daylight hours to give my paddocks a rest and save some hay.
 
I know of one 14.2 arab that in winter is kept in a stable at the back of a small garden of a bungalow that is allowed in the front garden (also small) to graze which tbh is terrifying because the fencing is well.. and its right next to the road and it tries to arab trot round a 10m square space if anyone drives past. Thankfully it gets to live out in the summer elsewhere.

I have also recently been introduced to a 12.2 ish on a 30m x20m ish patch of lawn with eleccy fencing held up by bean poles (why did we never think of that!??!) needless to say its escaped a few times.
 
My friend had a lami prone shettie, that usually spent summer in a small starvation paddock with another girls laminitic shettie. When the yard closed, she couldn't find anywhere that suited the other 2 she had, & had a tiny paddock & company for the shettie, except one miles away from other yard, & both her & other owners house. So they moved both ponies to her parents back garden every summer for a few years. They cleared the garage & left it set up as a shelter, but both ponies got so used to wondering in the kitchen they ended up with a baby gate across the back door. Over winter though both went to the yard as they were ok in a normal field then. And garden big enough for both to have a gallop if they wanted.
We've always put daughters in our garden, or other peoples for a few hours. Even left her mowing my friends lawn during a bbq with kids, dogs etc all running loose & playing on trampoline, bikes etc. Only thing you have to watch is for her going in through doors. When boyfriends parents moved house daughter rode her round, we left pony in the back garden with door closed. She managed to open it & marched through to the lounge & stole a coffee.
 
CobbyHoofs said:
when you say 'kept' did it by any chance get evicted by the Council?
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Sadly not no. I rode it a few times a week but only what my nerves allowed ie- road work The poor thing was on the verge of a breakdown. Luckily after years the owners daughter started to work with horses and he was allowed to go with her so for the first time in years experienced fields and other horses (when I say garden it was actually a yard and he lived in the garage)
Poor little thing- they saw no wrong in it.
 
RainbowDash said:
I often joke that I'd love to have a wee pony instead of a lawn mower.
Click to expand...

Oh, I'd love some about the same size as my cat! ( I can almost feel some idiot planning how to breed some now!) It'd be great to have them trotting in and out of the office here - through the mini-pony flap!

Them and a real live full size grey mare with pink mane and tail just like a larger version of "My Little Pony" - at the moment I only have the regular kind of green one with purple which I rescued from under my digger - been a bit chewed by a dog too!
 
Someone round where I live had a little black shetland in their 30ft garden, with the garage as his stable.

When I asked her about him, apparently her brother had become very ill, so she moved near to him to care for him. Unfortunately she couldnt get somewhere with land for her shetland in a hurry, so moved to this house bought the Shetland with her and let him have run of the garden. He was nearing 29 when I spoke to the lady, she'd had him since a foal and he seemed perfectly happy and healthy living there (over 20 years).

Since then, Ive often considered getting a shetland (or 2) to live in my 130ft garden lol :rolleyes::D:D
 
My best friend at pony club used to have 3 pony stables in their back garden of an ex council house taking the whole thing up! In the summer they rented a field :)
Our neighbour keeps a 14.2 cob in their garden- mainly on a hardcore courtyard that must be 8X24 foot connected to a small stable, and occasionally goes in the main garden that is only a few times bigger than the yard- it lives on its own and it's pretty sad to see tbh, as well loved as he is :( He doesn't get worked.
 
I have a mini that lives in my garden, he has a stable attached to our garage, and gets turned out in our orchard which is next to my neighbours field where she keeps her three. archy ( my mini,and entire ) is completely in love with her friesian gelding.

During the drier weather, he's allowed to be in our garden to cut the grass for us, but, he more often than not ends up in our kitchen. :eek: :)
 
Id love to bring my Shetland home but he'd have to walk through the house to get to the garden ;)
He'd love to live here- we often joke he'd rather lie in the sittingroom in the evenings like the dogs (and he really would)
In reality the amount of energy he uses up tearing round his real field with his TB friend (who he can often keep up with!) he'd boil over with no space to play properly I don't think company would bother him, he loves people.
 
I have 3 shetland x falabella's and they have 3 half acre paddocks but when the grass gets to long on any of our three lawns they get turned out on them to keep the grass down. If they are on the back lawn can't leave the door open as one of them will come into the kitchen and open the cupboards looking for something tasty to eat. We have a stable back door so can leave the top open but she puts her head over door and calls for you. Very funny. I don't leave them on the front lawn unless I am there as I am nervous someone will take them. They make great lawn mowers and don't need fuel to run so cheaper than a lawn mower!:)
 
My mini was rescued as a two year old out of the patch of mud called a garden belonging to a block of flats in a really rough council estate in Birmingham. She was starved and full of worms and the local children had been riding her round the area. 20 years on she has dodgy hocks and a serious attitude but both her and her 41 yr old companion never cease to make me smile every day :)
 
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