Children's ponies (again... I'm sorry!)

Thanks for all your replies. I really appreciate thoughts and experiences on this.

Will let everyone know the outcome (our decision )when I have spoken to the owner.
 
We have seen a 12.2hh we adore, and I mean *head over heels would pay 5k for her* adore. She is special with a capital S. But the owners have a line of people wanting to buy her and would never have chosen us, as we don't know them personally like the others in the queue.

I can get on Ginger and correct him when he's having an off day (TBH this has only ever been during harvest when he couldnt fathom why someone had placed bales in the fields lol... he's the sort of pony to stop and stare (as opposed to run away or shy), and I got on him and rode him up to and around the bales to get him used to them. But ecause he is so small, I cannot ride him in a saddle, and I need a saddle to bring my legs to a level where I can kick him on (otherwise they're round his knees).(plus another problem is, Josh is growing and the cub saddle is too small for him, and i cannot get a "normal" saddle to fit the shetland).

Josh wants to learn to jump. He's not ready today, this week or next month. He needs lessons from a third party first (mums teaching their own kids rarely works), but has his heart set on joining the pony club and doing a show next year. So we need something rock steady that will pop a jump from a steady trot and look after him.
 
Ahh well if he wants to do Pony Club then I wouldn't buy a 13hh. 11.2hh would be the best size or pushing it 12.2hh.

I knew my daughter would not be going to PC, so the correct size was never really an issue for me.
 
If it's the right pony and would suit you aswell than I think you should consider it. My sister went from a 11h to a 13 h when she was 8 and managed fine. She just did very lowkey things for the first year but soon grew into the pony and is now 12 and can still ride her. Ideally a 12.2 would probably suit your son better but if everything else about the pony fits the bill then whats 2 inches? I think it's a shame that by the time most kids have got to grips with their new pony, have developed a relationship with it and start to do well, they are nearly grown out of it! I was 11 when I got my first pony who was a 14hh connemarax and I rode and competed on him until I was 17.
 
that would be lovely, he does long rein and I wanted to break him to harness, but our lanes are very narrow and have no passing places and the roads too dangerous.

The shetalnd is, as I said before, predominantley a LR pony, and for kiddies first coming off that LR and doing walk and trot.
My son is ready to do more.
 
What about getting a felt saddle for the Shettie as then your son will be able to move around in it a bit more and you will be able to ride the pony with Stirrups too?

I've got a Cub saddle for my shettie and it's really only suitable for tiny children because of the plastic pommel and cantel.

Can the Shettie really not jump? Might just need to learn which you can teach it on the lunge, and long reining.

Seems a shame to get rid of a safe pony when you're little boy still looks small on it, and safe ponies of any size are so hard to find (as you know!)
 
We tried a felt saddle and it was too long and wouldnt do up round his middle.

OMG you lot are conspiring to make me not sell the shettie!
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I've spent weeks plucking up the courage to advertise him *sob*.
 
Sorry Katy. I just think if you have a safe shettie you should keep him. Mine was awful to the kids. Constantly buggering off and dropping his shoulder mid-buck and chucking them in hedges and water troughs.

I think he could proudly say he's put at least 10 kids off ever riding again!

The only small children who survived were the ones that stayed on the lead rein and never got out of walk, or my friends 12yr old daughter who was a midget and who took him Show jumping a couple of times. He was fine with her because she gave him a whack every time he tried to dump her!

I've got a felt saddle for him too, and I have to confess it won't stay upright on him. Even with a crupper. He could do with a cinch and Devoucoux breastplate and some glue and still end up underneath him I reckon!!
 
LOL. Truly, as much as we adore him, his job here is done. He's taught my son all he knows and now I feel will be happier going on to teach another child. He's already come on leaps and bounds with us (to think he was terrified of whips and being lunged, was bolshy and rude, and I half wondered what had possessed me to buy him) and I just feel it's his time to move on now. I've spent so much time bringing him on and making him what he is today I think it's only fair all round that he now makes anothetr child happy. I don't have a field to lunge in in the winter, I don't have the time to teach him to jump, I don't have the real facilities for such a good doer. And if I have to spend another winter walking him out three times daily to exercise him I will go stir crazy lol. If I could have ridden him round the block it would have been different.
 
No, I think it's too big a jump. I moved my younger daughter from an elderly 12.2 narrow Section A who actually was a lot smaller where his back had dropped, onto a fairly green 13.3 5 yo who has grown to 14.1 in the 15 month's we've had him. Basically I overhorsed her, she was nervous with a lot further to fall and the end result is she refuses to get on him now since he broncked her off in August and her wrist broke as a result. He just got frustrated at her nervousness and ended up not knowing what the hell he was meant to be doing. Now after nearly 30 years, I've had to get back in the saddle, I'm most definitely not a very good rider, but he's a poppet for me, I just talk to him as we're going along and it's all great for me and him. I should add the Section A is a crafty old beggar and knows every trick in the book for teaching a child to ride properly, bucks, dropping shoulders, running out etc etc, so she was more than capable of dealing with the new one, but when it came to it she just couldn't cope. A situation I wouldn't wish on anyone else. We now have a lovely talented pony that needs to be sold, but no-one seems interested in buying him

Maybe if the new pony is what is called a Pony Club Saint, but not otherwise and the way you described it, it doesn't sound like it is.
 
Would Josh want to do lead rein classes at local shows as well as PC?

If so, then you really don't want over 12.2hh (local level showing) or 12hh (county level) for a lead rein pony. I think first ridden has the same height restrictions. This is our problem with the size Oliver is, he's too big for the classes Hannah has the ability and confidence to ride in at present.

She's joined The Pony Club now too. They are all for kids being safe and confident and none of the children are dots on big ponies. Much more likely to be the other way around. There was a Shetland on the Lead Rein the last time we went too and that "didn't jump" until it was following other ponies and then it had the most fun known to ponies....jumping everything from a canter and whizzing everywhere, bless it.
 
Hi kate,

I think it would be too much of a jump for him unless
this pony is a complete saint. Nicole had little s****
when she was small, and when she 10 I was lucky enough
to find a saintly,elderly 13.1hh who had done the lot. She had
this pony for 2 years and had so much fun on him and I trusted him implicitly. Five weeks after having him he took
her safely around a XC course. She hunted him, show jumped
and learnt so much the transition to a 14.2 was easy. Join the pony club and see how they go, you might be surprised. Also when you get to now people there are always good ponies coming up for sale etc and good ponies just move from home to home within the pony club. Have a go, it's great fun.
 
He wants to do showing classes off the LR, ans minimus jumpng, cradlestakes etc.

I've had a phonecall from a lady who has overhorsed her 4yo son with a 12hh pony, and wants to downsize. (basically she wants to know if I'm interested in doing a swap). I'm happy to look into all options! Pony sounds a complete saint, just her son doesnt want to do anything more than LR, and this pony enjoys working off the LR more.
 
This is my very tall daughter aged 6/7yrs on her 13.1hh pony. She was totally over ponied..

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BUT, we weren't particularly interested in Pony Club or even really going to many shows so it didn't matter. I could ride her in between and it suited us. However, she is as hard to keep the weight off as my shettie.
I guess it depends on what you want out of it and if its as much about you having something ride then I would consider it but I think your son will likely need to stay on the leadrein a while longer although if the pony lunges you can teach littluns alot like that..
 
He'd be in FR classes then Katy and I'm sure he can't have over a 12.2 for those classes. If you put him anything bigger, he'd have to go in the 13.2 classes and be up against much, much older children. He'd never be able to compete against them at his age.

Alot of little shows now do a no cantering FR class too.

The swap sounds a good idea, certainly worth investigating. Just need to make 100% of the full reasons why their child feels so over horsed. Makes sure pony is the Saint they claim he is.
 
[ QUOTE ]
He wants to do showing classes off the LR, ans minimus jumpng, cradlestakes etc.

I've had a phonecall from a lady who has overhorsed her 4yo son with a 12hh pony, and wants to downsize. (basically she wants to know if I'm interested in doing a swap). I'm happy to look into all options! Pony sounds a complete saint, just her son doesnt want to do anything more than LR, and this pony enjoys working off the LR more.

[/ QUOTE ]

sounds worth a look
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
He wants to do showing classes off the LR, ans minimus jumpng, cradlestakes etc.

I've had a phonecall from a lady who has overhorsed her 4yo son with a 12hh pony, and wants to downsize. (basically she wants to know if I'm interested in doing a swap). I'm happy to look into all options! Pony sounds a complete saint, just her son doesnt want to do anything more than LR, and this pony enjoys working off the LR more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Definately worth a look
smile.gif
 
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