DIdnt realise finding a shetland gelding would be so hard!

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Tangaroo

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I am looking for a shetland gelding to keep my boys company and i cant believe how hard i am finding it. They are all colts or fillies or hundreds of miles away.
I could have a colt but vet is quoting nearly £300 to cut a 3 yr old so that makes it expensive.
I dont mind a little old pony who wants a retirement home or something younger.
I only want it as a companion so doesnt have to be a super star.
Would be so much easier if i could have a filly but one of my boys has been used a s a stallion when younger so i know it would be asking for trouble.
None of the rescue places anywhere near me have any.
SOmetimes i wish i didnt live on the south coast.
 
Lot 116 shetland gelding
Lots 166 +167 dartmoor geldings to reach approx 10hh
Lots 168-171 all the same, all geldings, all approx 2 yrs bar one 7 yr old.
 
Don't forget the mare and foal sanctuary based in Devon, but cover the whole of the SW. I had a pony from them, and can't praise them enough.
 
There is a Southern Shetland sciety that run shows and tings but don't know if they have a website.
My YO shows youngstock shetlands, although she has changed from colts owing to health reasons. Last year, one of the 3 year olds was gelded, then backed, turned away over winter, then brought back into lead rein work prior to sale. On the first day he was advertised, phone rang off the hook and the first people to come over snapped him up at the asking price! Turns out, they wanted a gelding but the only ones about (South Coast) were old!
 
Yes have looked on shetlandpony.com and the only one is in Manchester.
I will go and have a look at the mare and foal sanctuary website.
 
go to your local sales and buy a gelding of some sort. shetlands dont make ideal companions as usually have to be either on severely restricted grazing or stabled for at least half of a 24 hour day. they are also extreme escape artists!! (very amusing) you need to be geared up for small pony requirements which are usually not ideal for companion needs. sorry for pointing out the obvious as you probably are aware of all the negatives of dinky ponies! Good luck in your search. IMO the sales are the way to go, you might buy a nice young gelding who companions well for a few years, then becomes a useful, well adjusted horse/pony.
 
I know of three shetlands looking for good homes, one gelding and two mares, and also a welsh A gelding! They are all in Surrey though so don't know if that's too far?
 
Mucky Shavings said:
who have you got i used to work there!
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I had Pippa - cracking little pony, whom we all loved. Had to return her after 2 years as we have a large plant machinary base on the farm, and she hated it, and got so nervous riding out with a child on top it wasn't the way forward. Still, would have her back in a heart beat - just for cuddles!
 
RuthnMeg said:
I had Pippa - cracking little pony, whom we all loved. Had to return her after 2 years as we have a large plant machinary base on the farm, and she hated it, and got so nervous riding out with a child on top it wasn't the way forward. Still, would have her back in a heart beat - just for cuddles!
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Ahh I didnt meet her, she must of been out on loan while I was there, they do have some cracking little ponies though, I think its because they dont rush them, the horses have all the time in the world to get over there illness/issues/problems etc.
 
If you go back to Shetland Pony.Com and look at the list of breeders, you can look at the breeders in your area, and check with them individually to see if they have any geldings available. Unfortunately, most breeders don't geld, and most male ponies are sold as colts. But some breeders do geld, and always have done, and more are beginning to do so.

To some extent, it will also depend on your budget tho. I breed shetlands, and I do have a couple of geldings for sale. But they're not free! I often get requests from people wanting one cheap or free. Given what they cost me to breed, train & keep, I cannot afford to give them away for nothing or next to nothing! We do try to keep them reasonably priced though. We make sure we sell all ours gelded, vaccinated, chipped, wormed, trimmed, handled, etc. I don't want to say anything else on the subject, for fear of being deleted or banned for advertising my own stock!

We are on the above mentioned website - Varkies Stud. Our website is kept up to date. Or if you'd like to message me, I can give you details.
 
Thanks Varkie. Yours are within my budget :p I may have found one locally as of yesterday, just waiting for a phone call but there are a few on the individual websites so i may follow them up if this one falls through.
I may be in touch ;)
 
Fingers crossed the local one works out! There are actually quite a few studs within a reasonable distance of you, so hopefully even if that one doesn't work, you'll be able to find something suitable.

Good luck with pony!
 
stilton said:
Thanks Varkie. Yours are within my budget :p I may have found one locally as of yesterday, just waiting for a phone call but there are a few on the individual websites so i may follow them up if this one falls through.
I may be in touch ;)
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Hi Stilton,
Have you found a suitable shetland yet because there is a breeder from Sussex apparently retiring.
 
Right now, there seems to be a breeder retiring in almost every county! Not a week goes by where I don't hear of a stud closing - heard of the latest one last night. Not sure yet whether this is a good or bad thing - there are too many ponies out there, but concerned that too many of the quality studs may disappear, leaving more indiscriminate breeding going strong.
 
stilton said:
I am looking for a shetland gelding to keep my boys company and i cant believe how hard i am finding it. They are all colts or fillies or hundreds of miles away.
I could have a colt but vet is quoting nearly £300 to cut a 3 yr old so that makes it expensive.
I dont mind a little old pony who wants a retirement home or something younger.
I only want it as a companion so doesnt have to be a super star.
Would be so much easier if i could have a filly but one of my boys has been used a s a stallion when younger so i know it would be asking for trouble.
None of the rescue places anywhere near me have any.
SOmetimes i wish i didnt live on the south coast.
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I know of one that nearly fits the bill!!

He's 12.2hh roan gelding, he's prob a shetland x nf?? He doesn't have papers. He's 22. No history of laminitus, good doer, although slightly itchy so has to wear a bog standard fly rug which sorts it totally.

Easy going with other horses, can be left alone and couldn't care.

He loves hacking out and jumping but hates children (ridden, fine on the ground)!! So only can be ridden by teenagers and small adults. Totally bombproof, traffic, alone, company etc etc. They won't let him go to a home where he will be ridden by kids, on or off the lead rein. Can be cheeky to handle occasionally but if you come down on him like a tonne of bricks he doesn't step out of line! ;)

If your interested pm me and I'll give you their number. He's near Wickham.
 
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