Do minis make good childs ponies?

cob&onion

cob&onion

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My daughter is approaching 6 and as much as she loves the horses she is terrified when she gets on board :( she is happy to groom them - even my giant -to-her 16.1 TB! and to pat them and lead friends ponies, she just falls apart when she gets on.
I really want her to enjoy them and she does love them. She has been on friends little ponies but shes just too nervous, she shakes and if the pony walks too fast or we have a small trot she screams :(
She always asks if we can go riding and i arrange this with friends but when it comes to it she ends up getting off and wanting to walk then it all ends in tears.
The only pony who she was confident on is my friends little welsh x but this was just a one off..............
I was considering a mini or a small pony - the older the better - a real plod for her to gain confidence on..as i feel if she got to know the pony then she would feel better and gain confidence, (friends ponies are good but not quite the plod am after) but at the same time i don't want to buy one then it end up not being ridden (a big pet) as i have 3 horses already. I can afford to have another living out 24/7 as we have 3.5 acres which house my 14.3hh cob and my baby welsh D, and access to an 8 acre field for a small rent each month. (the TB is at livery)
Little ploddy safe ponies seem hard to come by!! i was considering one on loan........
Does anyone else have any suggestions or know of any really safe ploddy ponies for loan or sale?
(or help me look) :) thanks

Was considering a mini as they are small, hardy and can winter out and the 2 i have known of are quiet and ploddy but then again i know one whos a monkey!! The section a's seem a little sharp. Sorry it sounds like a generalisation!
 
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I would defo go for a mini shetland or a small standard shetland. They really don't live up to their stereotypes. One of my friends daughters was the same at 4yo, loved horses, would groom the big ones but was scared of actually getting on anything. She now has one of my shetlands on loan who is a total gem with her, she drags him around, tacks him up, rides him off the lead rein for the most part and can do absolutely anything with him and is very confident around and on him.

There are more of these ponies around than you think and they are worht their wegith in gold.
 
Agree that some section As are a bit sharp - there is the exception, but as you say hard to find. Not got much experience of minis, a neighbour had one and her daughter learned to ride on it, but outgrew it so quickly, which is a problem - child gets fond, gets confident, then pony has to go! Also think they are tricky to manage re laminitis - this one could not go out on grass. I heard it was up for sale but not sure if it has gone yet or not. Whereabouts are you?

Could you try a charity to see if they have any elderly ponies for loan? Or the Pony Club website - they sometimes have some older ponies looking for a loan home.

Also was there anything different about the pony she felt safe on - deep saddle, well-set on neck or something? Sometimes little ponies are quite narrow and the child feels a bit wobbly, or the saddle is flat as a pancake. I found my daughter was a little nervous when we started off, but I bought a pony with a very well set-on neck (ie giraffe shape!) and she liked that feeling - something in front of her. I made sure the saddle was a good fit for her as well as the pony - the original one had a large seat and she preferred a small seat with a good pommel and cantle - armchair type. Wait until she is begging to trot before you let her - I just walked for weeks round the block until she felt safe.
 
Bubs loved looking after a mini!
She would groom and plait him and babble on without having the pressure to ride. She has in the last 6 months actually got on board again at a riding school.
Mini's are fun!
They do well in the fun classes at shows as well!
Bubs and Mini:
IMG_3321.jpg
 
Just had a quick look at the minis, there are a few on preloved - mainly outgrown by children who have learnt to ride on them. Going to keep looking.
 
I have a mini; they're amazing:D! I think your best way to go would be to get a sweet mini and no pressure to hop on and in time she will trust the ponio enough to do so. I think maybe a standard shetland if your buying so she can get a year or so more out of it? Good luck!
 
Llewelyn said:
Also think they are tricky to manage re laminitis - this one could not go out on grass.
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They are only tricky to manage by people that don't get the idea that they are small ponies and don't need a field full of grass that would keep an 18hh shire horse happy for a summer!

I have one shetland with EMS and a further 8 that have never had a problem with lammi, along with a further 4 I have owned from youngsters or bred and sold/loaned that have never had a problem with it.

So long as you are realistic about what fields you turn your pony out on you will never have a problem.
 
EKW said:
So long as you are realistic about what fields you turn your pony out on you will never have a problem.
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We have a *baldy* section of scrubby field which never gets lush like the other part of the field. Would be ideal for a mini even if it was prone to lami :)
 
I have a mini and a shettie and my 2 year old son adores them both, but given the choice he would choose to ride the mini every time! I think it's partly because when he trots only his legs move and his body stays still so my son can go around happily and stay balanced! wouldn't be without mine!!
 
I have 2 minis but would not let kids older than 4 sit on them. You would get more years with a good natured Shetland. I know of a few ponies in the past that have been given out on loan after they have helped all the kids in a family to start riding and have been outgrown but the families can't bear to part with them because they have been such a loyal servant and probably too old to sell for a decent price. Maybe put the word out because ponies like this won't be advertised it will be word of mouth because the type of home is important and would be ideal for your daughter. Unfortunately they will be scarce but they do exist.
 
We have a mini - I got him when my son was 5 and he the mini (Charlie Brown) was 3 yrs old, probably not backed. He is 8hh and is not a slight build.

We still have him now 12 years later. he was a lead rein pony for all three kids and my 2 youngest still rode him occasionally up until they were 10 years old. My kids are small though, were about 20-25 kgs at this age, so not too heavy for him.

When I was about 50 odd kilos I used to hop on and ride him very short periods of time. Because he had not been broken in he was not crash hot on steering when they came off lead rein, so I used to hop on every now and then.

He is absolutely solid gold - everyone loves him, he has the sweetest nature in the world. He does not kick or bite, although he could be provoked into doing so as he is still a horse.

He went on a kids TV show when he was 3 or 4 yrs old - we floated him into middle of Sydney walked him into the TV studio, slippery floor, heaps of camera crew and cameras, lighting, he did not turn a hair, did try to eat the script though.

I loaned him out to two different people and he spent a total of three years on loan, but the kids wanted him back, so when we had the room i arranged for him to come back. My oldest son may be putting him into harness with the help of a friend with a lot of knowledge in this area. They and their kids also loved him.

If my son does get Charlie into harness, then I would consider getting another mini, because if they can still do some work and be exercised, then I will not feel like they are just a pasture ornament, they are cheap to run and heaps of fun.

He did have one case of founder though, so you do need to watch their weight, sometimes he needs to be in a dirt paddock.

You will have no trouble finding a new home for a good lead rein pony (at least not in Australia) if you decided to sell or loan when your child outgrows him.

When the local adult riding club started he was the official club mascot for the first 18 months.

So the answer is yes, I have seen some good shetlands as well.
 
I have 22 shetlands currently (small stud) and a rising five year old daughter. We've had the shetlands since before we had my daughter, and she has grown up with them. My daughter can be safely free range in the fields with them, even with my stallion, and I never have to worry at all - they are fantastic with her. She can lead any of them - including my stallion. She did her early riding on them. They could carry her still, they are great weight carriers, but my daughter takes after her very tall father, so her legs are beginning to get a bit long now. I plan to keep using her to back ponies for a few more years tho!

Mini shetlands make fantastic kids ponies, fantastic show ponies for adults to have fun with, fantastic driven ponies, fantastic family friends - they excel in all areas. The only thing you must remember with them is that they don't realise they are so small, and in their heads they are about 16hh tall! If you always treat them like they are 16hh, and have firm boundaries, you will never go wrong. Treat them like a pet or a dog, and they'll take terrible advantage - they're very bright!

The only 'bad' minis I've come across have been ones that people have mishandled or mistreated, or allowed to get away with murder!
 
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