Highland Ponies

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Funkyfilly84

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Hello all,
I am looking to purchase a highland pony very soon and was just looking for their pro's and cons please, pics would be lovely too! Other than lami is there any other known illnesses they are prone to as a breed?
Many thanks
 
Cons: tend to be owned by idiots who think they should resemble miniature hippopotamuses. Hippopotami? Meh.

Pros: They're freakin' awesome.

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#Freakin'Awesome
 
Totally agree with the awesome comment. Versatile, capable little horses. Can be wilful and opinionated, but great natures. Live on fresh air which is either an advantage (cheap to feed) or a disadvantage (tend to get fat easily) so need to manage their diet carefully.

I don't subscribe to JFTD's comments re hippos. They're a chunky breed of mini heavies, bred to work so not meant to be skinny. I'd say most of us HiPo owners are fully aware of their single mindedness when it comes to food intake and manage them accordingly ... well I am/do anyway!

There's an owners group on Faceache if you want to look it up. Might find one on there as well as plenty of people who love them, but expect to pay a decent price for a good one.
 
I love my highland but he suffers sweetitch dreadful but that's just him. I'm a tb girl and always have been but wanted something to ride while I'm getting older, he's not a plod he's lovely and forward going, very loving, feet rock hard so no shoeing cost but my god I stuggle keeping weight off and never sees a field without a muzzle. Totally love them
 
Someone needs to say it. Highland ponies vary. I am convinced they (as all Native ponies) were once primarily pack ponies before wheeled transport and roads. So there are the slow plodder types. The owners of strings of pack ponies and people simply wanting to travel from A to B would have chosen a lighter more athletic type for their own personal transport. In modern times, a third type has developed which is the show pony. Of course, all these types have been "improved" by crossing and selective breeding but it is my impression that the ponies mostly fall into one of these three groups.

I am not speaking for or against any type. I can't prove my hypothesis. Highland pony people seem to have particularly strong views and I'll probably be dragged out and burnt at the stake for saying this, but then I'm used to that! Just be aware that there is no single stereotypical Highland pony and make your choices carefully. The best type of pony for you will be the one that suits you and you like best.
 
I have a Highland pony and she is AWESOME! :) I'll give you a more comprehensive overview of pros and cons from my perspective though -

PROS: They are wonderfully versatile ponies and will turn a hoof to most activities. My girl is only 5 and has a brilliant, level head on her shoulders and is also incredibly brave and will hack and lead other horses past scary objects. Since having her we have tried dressage, mini XC (Which she LOVED), showing, Le Trec and clear round showjumping and she has taken it all in her stride. They are relatively cheap to keep although you have to watch their weight in the summer as they have a tendency to pile on the pounds very quickly (Mine won't keep a muzzle on so has to go into the fatty paddock in the summer months). They grow big, hairy, wooly coats and don't require rugging up to the eyeballs and most are happy to live out in all weathers. My girl is like a tank - she is 13'3 and can carry my 6'4 boyfriend (He walks on her with me leading lol :)) and while he obviously looks tall, he doesn't look drastically awful like you might expect as her girth is THAT deep. That also leads me nicely on to her absolutely fabulous temprament and how easy she is to handle - I've had my 3 year old nephew grooming her, cuddling her legs, pulling her tail etc and she tolerates it all with a smile on her face. She has given my very nervous novice OH so much confidence and he now picks out her feet, takes out/brings in from the field, rugs her, grooms her and tacks her up with literally no problem whatsoever.

CONS: NONE :) Joking aside, they can be very obstinent and stubbon when they want to be - you need to reason with them and have endless amounts of patience to resolve this as fighting with them will not work. They are not the sort of breed to consider if you have a short fuse as they will test it! They can be incredibly strong - my girls knows this too and can test it if she feels like it. I know some Highlands which are quite quiet to be ridden but my girl is not - she is very sensitive, sharp and is not very tolerant of peoples mistakes when under saddle but she is as docile and quiet as can be when being lead with a rider on board. She can also be a bit of a speed merchant when the mood takes her but to me, this is a PRO :D As mentioned before, they put on weight easily and will balloon if this isn't monitored. My girl has no respect for fencing too and needs post and rail to keep her contained within any area for a great deal of time. I know several other HiPos with a similar manner towards fencing as this and it is apparently quite common!

Overall, I would recommend Highlands to anyone - they are fabulous ponies with a cracking sense of humour and make great rides and family ponies. If you want one to show or with good breeding however, they don't always come cheap but for the price that you pay for them, they'll return you with love, friendship, honesty and a true best friend every day.
 
As both JFTD and DryRot have alluded to there are a variety of shapes and sizes.
Mine is north of 14.2, forwardgoing, sharp to ride and very very sensitive - he's loving refered to on my yard as the sports highland or the short scottish warmblood! He is also very quick to learn.

His breeder bred 3 foals the year he was born - all very different types 1 smaller chunky with a small pony head, my boy and my friends lovely cream dun who are both taller types but hers is a different shape and temprement.

Mine isnt muzzled or on restricted grazing, rarely finishes a haynet but does require a decent level of exercise to keep his weight in trim and him sane. He has no hard feed and has feet like rock.

As Dryrot says it is important to make your choices carefully, and be clear about what you want rather than letting people sway you with pretty coloured ponies :)

A warning though - they are highly addictive and 1 is never enough!!
 
I used to ride one a bit. He was grand when he was on the beach, but slow anywhere else. But then he loved the beach and found everywhere else a bit boring.
 
I drive my home bred Highland and he is the most willing forward pony you could wish for. I also have his mum and baby brother. Most people who get into Highlands don't stop at one which says it all.
 
Ah yes, the wonderful highland facebook group on which all the owners are well aware of what a healthy horse looks like, and yet 60-70% of the photos shared are of frighteningly obese animals... "Mini-heavies"... NO horse should carry more condition than is healthy, regardless of breed. Highlands will always look conformationally rounder and chunkier, but that is no excuse for it actually resembling an elephant. And anyone who believes most of the people on that group have an appropriate idea of what "healthy" looks like is sadly mistaken - I've been involved in the debates and they make me want to cry. And yes, I do think I'm right and they are wrong, and I have a string of qualifications to support that too.

As for DryRot's comments about type. I have one traditional, boxy highland pictured above - he's nice and short backed and upright which is great for dressage - his collection is super, but he finds jumping a bit challenging. I have one bred by DR who is a properly sporty version - his conformation makes jumping and buzzing around much easier and he has the mentality to match.

This is my other one. Regretably I can't find a decent stood up pic of both of them to give you an idea of their conformation, but it would be a cold day in hell before Fergs did this:

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I had a little highland for a short time before I sadly had to sell her on. (I was only part owner and couldn't afford to keep her when the other owner wanted to sell). She was a cracking little horse, quick to learn and sparky. She was feisty and needed a firm hand, but took to everything like a duck to water. She had a great home with the people we sold her to and went on to do great things - pony club, dressage, showing, hunting.

I'm in total agreement with what JFTD says though. We got marked down in an in-hand class because my mare was 'a bit light - she needs to be chunkier'. This was after my vet had warned me to keep an eye on her weight! We would be quick to jump up and down and criticise anyone bringing a vastly underweight horse to a competition - the same should apply to vastly overweight horses, in my opinion.
 




I love our highland, I would definitely have more if funds allowed.
He is anything but ploddy, but he is safe, fun, versatile and straightforward. We can take him anywhere and do anything with him.
He can forget himself at times, and they are big and strong, but any rudeness is usually food related....food is his life
 
I think we had better be careful what we say! Until I stated clearly on my web page that I don't have any old safe experienced plodders for sale but was a breeder so, by definition, would only have young stock, I used to get at least one enquiry a week for that sort. The question is, do you breed for the market or breed what you like? As my stud is a hobby, I breed what I like!

As an oldie, what I like most about Highlands is their temperament. They are easily managed. Again, there are excitable Highlands out there, but even if they are the active sort, they are still mostly sweet and lovely characters. At least, I haven't encountered a nasty one here. All the ones we've backed so far have been straight forward. No rearing at all and only a couple of mini bucks in protest or high spirits. I would imagine most reasonably competent and intelligent riders could break one though the fine tuning could be hard work. But if you want a dressage horse, buy one, not an easy going Jack of all trades!

I have not found Highlands stubborn, but they do like to take their time and make a risk assessment before trying something new. Of course, the hardiness and economy goes without saying and JFTD is absolutely correct that most owners have them too fat. The show ring is to blame for that. I got hate mail when I posted a picture of my stallion. He had been running with mares all winter and carried no excess weight but was certainly not ribby. I think four different vets and a judge (visiting here for different reasons, nothing to do with ponies) all commented without prompting how nice it was to see Highlands that were not obese! And the stallion still had a gutter between his haunches so was definitely not thin! I'm afraid they are all on the lardy side at the moment, but none (I hope) is in what could be described as "show condition".
 
I have one and I adore him! He is a family pony, so does a bit of everything, is very sweet and loving, kind and trustworthy with everyone in the family and just a lot of fun! He's as tough as old boots, never sick or sorry, cheap to keep and to me, they are the perfect pony for most people. He's very laid back, not at all sharp or sensitive and like Dry Rot pointed out, he will take his time doing anything new, but once he is OK with scary poles and the like, he'll crack on. I'm planning on buying another when we get our own yard for my younger daughter. They are not cheap and I would recommend you got to a good breeder and buy a youngster but they are worth every penny!
 
I don't have a highland but I do think they sound like fantastic ponies.

Regarding weight I don't think this is an issue specific to highland ponies but a problem with most native ponies. If you can't feel their ribs easily then they are too fat - no excuses that they are native ponies or cobs therefore should be fatter than other horses. No they should not be skinny but unfortunately the definition of skinny is often what is used to describe a pony of the correct weight as we are so used to seeing overweight ponies and cobs.
 
The best advice I ever got about highland ponies is "firm, but fair." Stood me in good stead so far. My little mare is of the sporter type. Fantastic all rounder and as brave as a lion. She is not a novice ride and can be sharp. If you want her to work properly you have to ask properly but when she works well "WOW". As everyone had said the battle of the bulge can be a constant problem.
 
My beloved has just bought a 2yo Highland x TB gelding - very exciting! Partner has been learning to ride on my old Welshie for the last couple of years, this will be his first "big" horse, but he fell in love with ponies, so awesome compromise.
Whisk will be allowed to grow for another year at least, then I'll break him in, and I expect he'll get to try his hoof at all sorts of manly things - tentpegging, games, crosscountry etc.
 
Best ponies in the world I have two mother and daughter they are easy to keep forward going safe as houses and in the main very calm. wonderful on the ground easy to handle and very biddable.
I have one that my 3 year old granddaughter rode off lead from day one and absolute gem can do anything from jump well over a meter to doing novice dressage so a great low level all rounder all her life and so kind she is loved by everyone.
Her 5 year old daughter on the other hand is a pocket rocket like a duracell bunny is go go go all the time leads out hacks as is afraid of nothing jumps, does x country and is a very forward but safe is ridden by a good novice and is a good girl when ridden by an experienced jockey she is wonderful. Her biggest problem is ridden she is excited and like to be in front so will race anything that gets past her. She is learning but is still pretty much a baby in some ways
Mine are managed without muzzles and are on short over grazed fields but I get to manage them myself so don't have livery yard constraints mine lose loads of weight in winter and put it on over summer so are pretty much top weight just now at about 425kgs you can just about feel the last few ribs easily
Pocket rocket
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with her mum
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Mum with her field companion
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Windand rain, our boy weighs about 200kg more than your ponies :O
He is only just short of 14.2 and has over 10" of bone though. Vet says he's looking good :)
 
Hipo said:
Windand rain, our boy weighs about 200kg more than your ponies :O
He is only just short of 14.2 and has over 10" of bone though. Vet says he's looking good :)
Click to expand...

Thought I'd add that my boy, at exactly 14.2, weighs in at a midge under 600kg ATM. My vet saw him recently and says his wright/condition is perfect for a chunky lad of his build.
 
Reading the above weights makes me feel slightly better - my girl is 13.3 and weighs 450KG and I spend my time constantly worrying about her weight. She is a chunk though and you can feel her ribs (Just) but she doesn't resemble a hippo just yet and the was happy last time he saw her.
 
i grew up riding Highlands and now in my late 30’s have finally come full circle and own 2 :D

I fully agree with Dry Rot, they come in several types, no matter what anyone says and yes, go for the type YOU like and get on with best. Some are definitely chunkier and I mean skeletally chunky, carrying no excess weight they have huge frames, shoulders like breeze blocks! I would say I’ve seen a fair few with sweet itch and other ‘undiagnosed’ generally itchiness and some with less than good conformation so you have to be careful what you buy in terms of long term soundness.
Highlands when I was growing up 30 years ago were all safe and ploddy, hence I was ‘given’ a mare to learn on, chucked the tack and left to get on with it! Summers of day-long picnic rides passed and I don’t think I ever got into strife or came off her. I would also gaily ’try’ her tack on other ponies in the field and ride them about too, including a newly backed youngster and never had a bother and I didn’t have a clue!

Nowadays breeding has created a much sharper pony, although the good old fashioned types do still exist. It would be a foolhardy person who went forth to buy a Highland presuming they are all safe and genuine. One of the worst falls I have had in 30 years of riding was from a little Highland I went to try at the start of this year, and buyer beware, he’s the first pony I’ve got on without seeing him being ridden first as I was fed a load of tripe by the owner - but he was a 14hh Highland right? What could he do? Lesson learned, confidence wrecked and a a very sore few weeks followed :( Idiot :(

My other word of wisdom for anyone new to the breed would be to really listen to those who tell you how well they take up leg. I was adamant I needed a 14.2hh, the first 14.2hh Highland I tried was a very traditional chunky, wide pony (not fat ;) ) I was like a pea on a mountain her, Im just under 5ft4. My own gelding is around 14hh/14.1hh and if Im honest I struggle to get my leg on him as he is not a naturally forward going type, although he has brought my confidence back, lovely boy :)

This is me on my 4 year old who is currently only 13hh, she might make 13.2hh i guess but I feel completely comfortable on her as she is and I would never have believed that in a month of Sundays.

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Mine are quite small at 13.1 and 13hh so their Spring weight is nearer 375kgs they still carry a good 13 stone 6ft rider from time to time without the rider looking silly I call them my 18hh horses on 13hh legs
 
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