Best age for a child to get first pony?

[Sandstone1]

What age is it best for a child to get a first pony? Toddler? or better to wait until old enough for lessons? Old enough to look after it themselves?

 

[Archangel]

6 months.
Get a gassy 13.2 that you can ride until they are old enough.

 

[Cherryblossom]

I got my kids a Pony when they were 3 and 18m. It was probably slightly early- the eldest is starting to get interested, the youngest very keen for about 2mins! I don’t want to pay for pony club, and nowhere nearby does kids lessons until they’re 4. I don’t regret it, because he’s a saint, but he’s mostly living his best life in the field! ?

 

[maya2008]

My son shared a little Shetland 3x a week from 3.5 to 4yo and then we got him his own. He has been obsessed ever since, and he is 9 now. I will admit we still have that first pony - she’s a 10.3hh Shetland cross and will eventually retire with us.

I had a 13.2hh already when we bought the Shetland, but although she was sweet and lovely, it was just too far to fall. He did ride her aged 5 though, when his sister stole the Shetland!

 

[oldie48]

Depends who it is that wants the child to ride! If it's the parent they are probably looking for suitable ponies before they buy a pram, If it's the child, it will be when they have worn their parents into submission. My daughter was 6 when she had her first loan pony and 7 when we actually bought one for her. We missed out the lead rein bit and I never had to nag her to ride, as far as I'm concerned it was perfect.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I got my son his 1st pony when he was 4. I had to resist buying him a foal when he was born. He was pestering me to ride my pony, which I let him do of course whilst finding him one of his own. A little grey NF mare measuring in at 11.1hh came to us on loan.

 

[rextherobber]

I'd wait until they showed an interest. I grew up in a family where you were expected to ride, I loved it but had siblings who really didn't, and they were pretty miserable (and still bear a grudge)

 

[Sandstone1]

I'd wait until they showed an interest. I grew up in a family where you were expected to ride, I loved it but had siblings who really didn't, and they were pretty miserable (and still bear a grudge)

That is what I think. I have seen too many kids forced in to it because its what parents want. Far better to wait until the child is old enough to have lessons and see if it is really something they have a interest in.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

18 months and 4! 26 year old 11hh Dartmoor on permanent loan. She stayed with us until she died in her sleep at 33. To be fair I adored her - she might really have been for me.

 

[milliepops]

Depends if the parents are horsey I think, and how involved they will be. I nagged mine into submission for "proper" lessons from about 7, but as they knew nothing I had to be responsible for the day to day care so I got my own at 10. Had a free share arrangement with a friends pony before that

 

[minesadouble]

All of mine had a pony before they were born.
The oldest was always super keen and competed throughout her childhood.

My younger two rode whilst on the lead rein then middle one got heavily into gymnastics aged 4 and quit ponies until she was about 9 when she randomly ditched gymnastics and came back to ponies. She's now 14 and loves riding and competing.

My youngest was never that 'into' the ponies but came back to riding at 10 years old and two years later is probably the keenest of all three girls.

Luckily I had kept the old LR/FR pony when my younger two stopped riding and I'm sure you can imagine his horror when they re-kindled their interest and he was dragged out of retirement after 5 peaceful years ?

 

[babymare]

Ummm my stepdad bought my 1 week daughter a year old Shetland and no I had no idea of his plans. Broke said pony for her to ride and me to drive ? And she is very mush into horses with her own in Australia

 

[Leandy]

It depends on what sort of family you are, all horsey with your own land and existing horses or not. If not, then I would wait until the child had been regularly riding for at least 6 months elsewhere and was showing a keen interest. If the former type of family then you might just get them one at an earlier stage but accept that it may just end up being a field ornament most or all of the time. It also depends whether you are willing to do all the work to look after it (or pay someone to do it for you) or whether you expect the child to pitch in and help. I got mine a pony to share when they were 7 and 4, after the elder one had been riding for about three years. Only the elder one still rides, the younger one was not keen and gave up after a year or two. You cannot assume they will love horses and riding as much as you do! I'd say as a toddler is way too young. There isn't actually much a toddler can safely do with a pony and I do think there is a risk of them getting bored just been led around for years on end before they are big and capable enough to ride independently and get onto the fun stuff. I would say it is better to start them later rather than earlier.

 

[EventingMum]

My son was 3 when we bought him a section A foal, in reality, it was a companion for my own foal but actually turned out to be a fantastic pony when older and broken for him. In the interim, he rode my small riding school ponies and occasionally took them to local shows but was never pressured to ride. When he was 5 my dad bought him a pony to ride that we still have now in his 30s. I was fine with that as he was a bit more independent and the pony was small enough and good enough for him to handle, obviously with supervision. I also bought a set of synthetic tack that I didn't have to be precious about so if it was dropped or damaged while my son was tacking up etc it didn't really matter.

 

[nagblagger]

I would buy them a pony as soon as they showed any vague interest, get the worse one i could find, that would put them off for life and save me a lot of time and money!

Seriously, my parents were not at all horsey so in those days we could work for free a riding stables from about 6 yrs in return for rides and experience and I was lucky to get my own when i was 10 yrs as i knew the basics, but could call on other people for help. I think it depends on how much you want to do yourself as to what age to get your child a pony.

 

[equestrian7474]

I’d see if maybe you can have them lease for a couple days at a riding school or something similar and see how that goes?

 

[Tarragon]

I have 3 daughters - and amazingly none of them showed any interest in riding!!
Unless you are a seriously horsey family, I am not sure I would bother until they have shown a genuine interest. I loaned out my older pony (in that he stayed with me and I did all the care but they could ride when they liked) as a trial to a non-horsey family with a young girl that said she wanted to ride. She did ride him most weekends for several years, but to be honest I am not sure that she really did have that pony-mad gene and her parents were wise not to invest fully and get their own pony.