Help me get a pony!!

[chessi]

Well... im 12 and my parents wont let me get my own pony.
We have looked into livery yards but there all "over priced"
being only about £45 per week half livery. They think that its soo expensive [which i know it is] but compared to others it really isnt.
There isnt a way in which i can think of to get one and its annoying me.
I have been riding for 9 years and tried lots of things.
I ride 1,2 or 3 times a week depending on dates but id love my own to show.

Any body got any ideas to help me to persuade them?
thanks, chessi x

 

[TigerLilly]

well how about part loan then every thing should be half the cost if not if you buy something hardy you could do grass livery which is cheeper and touch wood and the genneral cost in the long run would be cheaper !!!!!

 

[chessi]

I dont know how to look into part loan!
How much roughly do you think it would be per week?

 

[TigerLilly]

well down here livery can range from 10 pound per week up if you say it is 45 a week up there it would be 20 - 25 a week then half of everything else just thort of something else you could also try a working livery with a local riding school where they get to use your horse

 

[chessi]

thanks, keep posting about this guys please!

 

[sojeph]

Can you join the Pony Club through your local riding school? That way you get to do all the Pony Club stuff including shows etc but on the riding school ponies. Its only about £20 per year to join. By getting involved with your local riding school you may come across someone who wants to share/loan their pony.

 

[chessi]

there isnt any pony club centers/branches round here =[

 

[TigerLilly]

you could put a wanted ad in you local tack shop !!!!

 

[TigerLilly]

you could phone a few of your local riding centres to see if they is a saturday job going

 

[Maesfen]

Don't be defeatist - or so selfish!

Only £45 is not easily come by for everyone and it's not just the livery is it? What about vaccinations, shoeing (probably another £60 at least every 6 weeks), vets bills, tack repairs; you name it. Your livery bill will only be half what it will cost your parents. Until you are old enough (don't you have to be 13?) to get a job, maybe a paper round, in a shop, dog walking even; then you must get down to your riding school and try to help out there. You'll learn loads and the more experience you can get the better until you are allowed a pony.
But from a parent, please don't just take it for granted, there are sometimes reasons you don't know about why you can't have a pony and you should respect them not rant; they probably feel as bad about it as you do but if it can't be changed, then be grown up and accept it and wait until you can support a pony yourself; you will appreciate it far more than if it was just given to you.

 

[henryhorn]

Chessi there are plenty of fields round where you live, if you find one with a field shelter it may cost as little as £15 a week.
Then if you add on shoes (£50 plus every six weeks or so), feed in winter etc plus rare vet's fees it isn't that bad.
You need to show total commitment to persuade your parents, get a part time job, open a savings account and save every penny in it. Ask for money not presents for birthdays and Christmas' and sell anything you don't really want and put that money in too.
Often it takes seeing your determination to nudge parents' attitudes.
Tell them they don't necessarily even need to buy you a pony, there are lots on loan provided you can show you will care for it properly. (A stable instead of the field shelter would go down better here)
I don't know where you ride now but if you go to the addresses I gave you (the lady towards edenfield Mrs Purnell used to be very good at giving rides for work)
you need to get as much experience as possible to prove you are capable.
Why not pm Tinker, she lives not far from you and might know of some yards where you can help..
Good luck, believe it or not I was a kid who's parents' refused to buy her a horse, at 16 I bought a wild section A colt (bad bad idea!) by selling my music stuff and working hard. You can do it but it takes a great deal of determination to prove how serious you are..

 

[Weezy]

Another one that didnt have a pony bought for her! AFter riding other peoples as much as I could I got a job at the local yard at 12 and the rest is history - had a yard full of horses to ride, had horses sent to me to compete and bring on - it was fab and I think I am a better rider for it as I had so many different monkeys to ride!

I finally parted with money for my "own" horse at 21!

The above advice is good but still may not work - get yourself a job working with horses ASAP is the best thing you can do!

 

[marmite]

I know you want a pony so badly but dont try to grow up to soon 12 is a young age to have so much responsibility.
I went to be a weekend helper at riding school i had rode at for years and it was the best thing i ever did,i got a range of lovely ponies to ride take to pony club and local shows.
I eventually was allowed to ride the more shall we say difficult ones and it made me better as a rider i even got to help back future riding school horses.
I ended up staying on at that riding school until i was 17 by which point i was teaching the young kids lessons and also getting to compete the lovely yard stallion who was an absoloute gem.
I got to ride alot of the livery horses too and in all the time i was there i rode everything from welsh ponies to warmbloods arabs, and a tb stallion.
You would be better off going to a riding school where you can learn all aspects of horse riding ,stable managment ect and also wont cost your parents the earth.
There will be a reason your parents cant afford to get you a pony im sure they are not been selfish,if you can do all this to to prove to them you are commited they may look into the possibility further.
I am very lucky with my loan person i pay half for everything for my boy and she also gives me a free rein with her mare which has just been sold i ride her new boy who is 6 and great fun and i also get to work with her childs pony so i sort of get 3 for half the price of one.
I am very lucky as not many people get this sort of arrangment but i put alot of it down to working as hard as i did in my younger days and it was hard work but well worth it.

 

[becca_chick]

Hi
When I first got a horse it was the biggest shock ever! Its not just livery bills, its farrier bills, vets bills, and then on top of all that its fly spray, brushes, headcollars, numnahs, tack, etc,etc....the list is endless and Inough things like fly spray and brushes dont seem like much but it all adds up and you have to take into consideration that you will loose many other things! You have to be 100% sure that you really want to give up the other things you want but because your parents are paying they are going to be giving up to! so just think about that!

 

[Josh_craney]

its simple try and ride everyday to get better and better and at least once a week jump and every few weeks put the jumps up a bit. until you are jumping a ecent height summit like 75/85cm and im sure if your parents realise you are really good at riding they will invest ina pony to take you further

 

[marmite]

i dont think thats the best advice in the world makes no difference how high you can jump im sure i wouldnt want to see my step kid jumping massive heights,and i know i wouldnt turn around and say oh well you can jump so ill go buy you a pony.

Her parents need to know she is dedicated and can look after a pony not the height she is daring to jump too.

 

[SirenaXVI]

[ QUOTE ]
Her parents need to know she is dedicated and can look after a pony not the height she is daring to jump too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Echo that

 

[chessi]

thanks guys your completely right!
im gonna keep money and im going to PM tinker AND im going to look out for people needing mini grooms [chuckle]

Thanks a bunch!
Im already working to it by helping at the stables 3 times a week and im getting experience out of it.
Im doing my first SJ competition next week because of my helping [yayyy!]

you guys mean a lot to me!!
thanks x

 

[chessi]

Oh and before you have a go at me lol, its not the money, its sorta the time too.
Were not poor lets just say that BUT we dont have heaps of time, so im making use now of what i have.

Thanks x