How much say should a child have in choosing their pony?

W

WoopsiiD

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 November 2007
Messages
7,268
summerfieldstables.weebly.com
Parents-How much say would you allow your 4 year old in choosing their pony snd why??
People who had a pony-How much say did your parents allow you????

So far if we go her route...we are looking for a pink pony with shiny hooves and possibly wings?????? If he/she could talk that would be a bonus!!!!
 
hehe we had that issue too
tongue.gif


we actually picked the pony for her but she already knew her.

my 1st pony was a jumping machine, i had no choice on it at all , she was bought because my mother wanted me to win, simple as that.
 
Being four years old does make a difference. If you find one with her specifications can you let me know? lol
laugh.gif
laugh.gif
laugh.gif

My daughter has had a say as they need to gell, although it is important parents have the final say.
The pony my daughter has just outgrown has been fatastic, a real friend to her. We went an auction - on work - and they just found each other. We could not have found a better pony in the world. As the child has to learn to care for/ride the pony they do need to get on in every way and so i think the childs view is vital - with a final say from parent of course.
 
i never had a choice. I had what i was given which most of the time, it was everything nobody else ever wanted.... usually the naughty ponies that bucked like f**k.... end of. Its only since i turned 18 i actually had a say in what i wanted, because i had to buy my own!!
 
My parents were not horsey and so it was a case of lets just buy the first thing we see. I had some right 'mares'. I do think that she should 'click' with the pony though.....but as a horsey mum remembering what I used to get up to I am edging towards another rocking horse!!!!!!
 
the first pony sort of found us a dealer in a nearby yard had him and he escaped and turned up with us !! He was a cute shetland rare in Spain and we didnt have the heart to send him back .My daughters have outgrown him but we still keep him he gave them wonderful confidence . Hope you find the right pony good luck .
 
my first pony was my favourite pony at the stables i learnt to ride on her and when the stables closed down and sold all the ponies my parents didnt have a choice i was having her. it did help the fact the lady at the stables gave her to me cos she knew i loved her to bits. she was a right little madam though bit kicked the works but when riding she was an absoloute dream! but my parents knew nothing about horses so everything was up to me and when buying my 2nd horse hercules when i was 14 it was completely left up to me however if my parents had had any clue about horse we wouldnt have got him and it would have been a mistake.
 
All my ponies were picked for me....but because Dad was a farrier, they nearly all came from places where he had 'known' them - as such, we never had a problem with any of them!

TBH, I think when kids are young, they are lucky to get any pony, and so it should almost always be up to the parent to decide what is best!
smile.gif
 
Friends of parents had an ancient little "speed demon" mare who they wanted rid of.
We went to see ancient speed demon.
We got tanked off with, we got dragged around a field on, and we got ignored by her.
We got her home a few days later, on 6 month loan.
She fell on top of me, trampled me, tanked off with sister and trampled a 91yr old woman... etc etc.
6 months later we paid £250 including tack for her. 9 years on little old Trixie is still my best friend.

Your daughter will love almost any first pony you give to her, IMO. However, my parents were/are non horsey. Seeing as you are not, and have alot of knowledge, use it. Trixie nearly killed myself and my sister. She is still the best pony in the world, IMO!

x
 
My opinion is that a 4 year old should have a BIG say in which pony they have. However, as a parent, you have a huge amount of manipulation at your disposal; for example, when I bought my daughters pony (daughter was 1 year old at the time), I had already gone to view the pony without her. I knew this pony was a good 'un, and my daughter didn't get to see the pony until after I had run all the checks etc. Of course she fell in love with her and, nearly 11 years on, the rest is history.
smile.gif


My advice is don't take the child with you when you make your initial viewing, don't even mention you are going to view a pony. Only take the child after you have seen the pony.

My daughter is now of an age (almost 12) where she chooses her own horses. She knows that I am ruthless in my vettings of them and if they are no good, then she just accepts this and we move on to look at another horse. I buy and sell horses all the time and she is becoming used to this - daughter still has her original pony but she also has a couple of horses every year to bring on, and ultimately sell.
 
ok,mine were 10 and 11 years when they finally wore their father down,but they did have that instinct about their first one and she was with us til she was 24yrs.
went through similar thing with grandson who was riding(hanging on and bouncing!!) from 2yrs ,wanted every shetland he saw?! Narrowed it down to 2 which seemed to surfice and also please the ponies had fab time with them ,and still shows them in -hand (Cos too tall and grown -up,apparently!!) but enjoys that just the same.He has a welsh sec b that has the same gung-ho attitude as himself that he rides now but he thinks the world of his ponies
smile.gif
 
well, im still fairly young but i choose my own younsgters to buy, however, if you have a good eye for horses i would asses it first and then when you think it is suitable i would ask the kids if they like it. Always make sure its genuine and safe before asking because as kids they will porbably be looking for good looks etc, which is erellivant to the fact your buyuing it, so asses it first, if they like it great everyone is happy if not then move on or persuade lol!!
hope i could help
 

First one was looked at by (non horsey) parents while I was at school, she was a proper 'nanny' pony & my mum saw this so took me to see her at the weekend. Fell in love with her & bought her for £500 including tack. I lost her in a road accident after an attempted theft of the mare she was grazing with. It broke my heart & I left it for a year/two years before getting S.

Went to Andoversford horse sale just to 'look' & get an idea. Came home with a newly broken, green, chestnut mare who was very nervy at first.

She went berserk in the ring & as a consequence, failed to sell. I tracked her down outside the ring & bought her there & then. She was nervy but very kind & had a really open & honest face. From day one she has never let me down, never kicked/bitten/reared etc etc. Only tanked off & bucked because she'd been broken too young. Was advised to turn her away & re-break her the following summer.

We had our hiccups & looking back, I may not have chosen that route to go down but we clicked on first sight & I just knew she was the one. I still have her to this day, have had her for about 10yrs now & she has a home for life.

My parents had a lot of say in the first one but barely any in the second one. I think as the child has to care for the pony themselves & feel confident around it on their own then it is vital that they get on & I do think the child should be listened to in that respect. Depending on age depends on how much you take in though. I think as she is so young that it may be best to go on your instincts & I absolutely agree about you seeing the pony first & taking her along afterwards if it passes basic checks.

I remember being so excited about pony hunting for my first, good luck!
laugh.gif





Shelties; Nice to hear that a boy is into ponies as well. Seems so female dominated at the grass roots of the sport.
 
I bought Liri last year for myself, and my two daughters aged 13 and 8. I went to see her with horsey friends whilst the daughters were at school and knew she was right. Saw her on the Wednesday, had her vetted and bought by the Friday. Both daughters never saw her til she was delivered to the yard, they both said that if I liked her and thought she was right, they would trust me and luckily they both love her to bits and she has been a great confidence giver to both of them. I think the decision lies with the parent tbh.
 
When I bought my daughters first pony I looked at several without her. When I found what I thought was the right one I had a friends experienced daughter try her and then took daughter to see the pony. Predictably she fell for her, as I knew she would with any pony which is why I wanted to do the ground work first. Daughter had wanted a black pony, to be called Black Beauty of course. Ended up with a chestnut mare who actually was called Beauty, still have her but tends to be known as Boo nowadays
smile.gif
 
Hi

I bought my daughter's first pony when they were 2 and 3 and all I wanted was something super safe that they could brush, lead around and generally get to grips with. She is snowy white and they still believe she is a unicorn and are waiting for her horn to grow!! They were really pleased with her and they still are. Now my eldest daughter is six and she had complete say in her second pony - tried and tested them all - rejected several and finally made her choice and they are devoted!!! I think at four you just have to try and match their ability and avoid getting something you think they can grow into - in my experience it is better to change out the pony as their ability grows than be stuck with a fresh cheeky pony you can't get the work into leading to frustration all around.

Good luck with finding your pink hooved talking pony!!!
laugh.gif
 
At 4, perhaps it is hard to get her to be specific about what she wants.

When they're older, definitely yes, they should have a lot of say. Otherwise, (from bitter experience), it will all go wrong and you end up with an unhappy child, an unhappy pony and feel like a failure yourself for getting it wrong. And all because you wouldn't listen to what the child was trying to tell you was the sort of pony it wanted to have.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top