HOw many times should you ride in a day

[selina25]

Hi everyone (i kinda know the answer to this but need reasurance)

I have a shetland pony aged 4, about 6 months ago he was quite wild rearing etc He was not really ridden my daughter had lost interest so he was only brought in for the ocassional brush, he needed his teeth doing so the vet came and he reared on him he was not impressed.

So I had two options sell on or invest in being schooled, so as I have had him since 1 I paid for someone to school him and now he is fab, so fab that once he leaves the field he is mobbed by little ones there are not enough legs to go round for grooming.

An confident eight year old at the yard asked if she could ride him and groom him etc I agreed she is v good and her mother is experienced also, but this has caused some tention with the other girls on the yard (manily a child/teenager yard)
they dont like the girl say she is bossy but to be honest I like her and would not be dissapointed if my daughter turned out like her.

TO the point: This little girl rides blue for about 10-15 min a day and plays with him etc, she is very good very light on his mouth and very easy going on him my daughter who is 4 also has a go on him but only for about 10 min and only really with me walking in front and she hlds on to a cub handle (not used to the reins yet) once or twice a week a lady comes back and long reins him up the road just to keep him schooled this also lasts 15 min.

I would like to know if this is to much, as it seems the 8 year old is getting some dirty looks and last night the girls were all standing together chatting and looking when the a little one came away from the group (only about 4) and said your mean to him.

I used to help at a riding school and the horses were rode literally all day, since blue has been worked he was turned into the most placid sweet little animal he can be quite spritly
we only really walk/trot him but show him a jump an whee you dont have to ask he zonks into canter an hes off

I have told this girl not to do him if its causing a problem but she does not seem bothered she said they were horrible b4 she did him and she is right even one of the older people there who I would have expected a lot more frm given her job warned me about her saying she is bossy...

OHHHHHHHH Yard politics......

Am I working my shettie to much
(by the way he loves it his head shoots up if we take him out the yard and he immediatley comes to the gate when we are there)

 

[rrose]

i think hes getting enough exercise, if hes happy and enjoy it then theres no problem. he must like being pampered!

get some pictures he sounds a sweety!

 

[baybeejay01]

He doesn't seem to be doing too much at all and if he's enjoying it each time then I would say that he doesn't think he's doing too much either! He could probably do more than the 1/2 hour a day he is doing at the moment if introduced gradually as with any fittening programme. He is 8 and therefore fully mature and, if he's like any normal shettie, he'll let you know if he's had enough! Lol!

 

[maddielove]

i would say he seems fairly up to that!
theres a shetland at our yard that needs lots of riding too keep him from geting laminitus. so i'd say good on to the girl if she's looking after him.
Maybe you should speak to the other girls if they cause a problem..unless you have already!

 

[dwi]

I'd say that provided you got him fit he could easily do 2hrs a day with small children riding him. I have worked at a riding school who would ocassionally work the ponies for longer than this and it didn't do them any harm. A riding school that didn't look after the welfare of its ponies would soon go out of business.

Some people appear to think that ponies should be field ornaments but shetties were bred for farm work and are tough little creatures.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Sounds fine to me, he sounds like a very well cared for and loved little pony

 

[Frazer]

No thats fine, Mine does about 5 hours a week of schooling + any shows! And shes not exactly what I would call fit. Thats fine, dont worry

 

[selina25]

Thanks guys I just needed your reassurance and as I thought It is good for him. My vet even says it is I know these girls were being silly (esp as one of the poss about 14 year olds asked if she could ride him (to the 8 year old who I allow to ride him) and she was supposed to be concerned about the times we get him out (two times a day lol)

Anyway I will mention something if its blantently obvious but YO is sick at the moment the girls really respect what she says. I will have a loud conversation where I know she will say more work the better

(blue is the kinda pony that you cant just leave in the field for a week/ornament or he forgets and you find it hard even to lead)

thanks for all your reassurance

 

[henryhorn]

Your pony can easily cope with an hour morning and afternoon especially as he's barely doing what you would call "work"!
Tell the ignoramus' that ponies thrive on work and that event horses usually do around one and a half to two hours a day of much faster work...You don't see anyone saying that's too much do you. Our horses do a hack and either schooling or lunging, and I wouldn't even call them particularly fit, just ignore the idiots, you get some on most yards I'm afraid.

 

[Honeyb060674]

I'd second what everyone else had said, when he's had enough he'll tell you. For now its all a bit of fun for him, which probably results in lots of cuddles and attention anyway. What pony could argue with that!? As for interferring busybodies at the yard, my response would be if they had enough time to stand around picking fault and passing judgement on other peoples horse management, they are obviously neglecting to spent time caring for their own animals. Failing that ignore em, its 2nd nature to some people!

 

[emma69]

He's fine - most ponies I know can cope with more than that, and if it keeps him out of trouble, that's a bonus.

I can't abide yard politics, school holidays drove me insane with all the bitching. I used to get all the offenders in a stable, and tell them to sort their little lives out (ok, so I was occasionally nicer than that, but that is what I was thinking) I believed in getting it all out in the open, and it usually worked (until the next crisis....)

 

[Erray]

I work with shetlands kept in their natural environment on a hill of probably about 100 acres, they stick together as a herd and the ground they cover is amazing they can move from one side of the hill to another a number of times in a day and sometimes at top speed just for fun. They do not stand about eating all day even though there is unlimited grazing as they are not bored and they don't get too fat. For these type of ponies the more excercise the better as long as its not excessive which it doesn't sound to be.