how well behaved is your child's pony?

cob&onion

cob&onion

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 January 2011
Messages
2,744
Visit site
e have had little sec a on loan for around 6 weeks now. At first he did try it on but there has been a big improvement as of late. Daughter is growing confident every time she rides. Since using a grass rein he has stopped trying to pull down for the grass.
However i had to take daughter back a step as pony had a spook at some cows ( just shyed) when she was riding with me on the cob which unerved her. We went back to me walking out on foot off lead rein with her and 2 friends all on ponies. Normally pony is a plod and daughter is struggling to maintain a trot and unable to get him to canter.
Since she has been so confident and shes desperate to do a bit of canter work I took her in yhe field tonight with myself and cob, my cob is a saint and solid. All was well and she was following along trotting then as we turned a corner he threw a huge buck and sent her flying over his head (clearly an excitable one)! :/ daughter was fine just upset, pony stopped right away and stood by her. She got back on and trotted round and was fine.
Am just a bit concerned incase he does it again if we go hacking. He was loaned to us as a plod and no mention of bucking!
He is tiny and no one else little enough to test him first!
Daughter is a nervous rider and not very experienced......
A body protector is on order!
Am a little apprehensive about him now. I know no pony is 100% but I really wanted a safe plod I could trust not to buck across open fields.
 
oohhh i feel your pain... I have a 9 yr old daughter (8 when she started to ride properly) and she started out on a 13.2hh 24 yr old saint. He is just as solid as they come and really has done nothing stupid ever in the 18months we have had him so much so that she canters him bareback with a headcollar around the field so the well behaved ponies are out there but there are very difficult to find. His only downside is that he is never going to be a world beater, struggles to school well as has a hard mouth and takes a lot of energy to get going and she now has completely outgrown him in ability but he is tremendously safe and steady. We did try out a sec A on loan about 6 months ago but found it was too whizzy and it did put a couple of bucks in and daughter just wasnt comfortable and nor was I. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when we reverted back to old boy and he has continued to give her heaps of confidence. We since have a more stocky type Welsh B who is proving sensible (although went lame for 8 weeks shortly after we bought it!) I have had experience of several welsh As and they can prove a little too cheeky and clever for tiny riders. Their confidence is so easily dented when they are young its very difficult to know when to perservere through the tumbles and when to say enough is enough. Good luck - it is so hard to find that perfect first pony but I perhaps would be conscious that bucking and spookiness is not a good sign in a childs pony - napping, taking liberties with eating grass, small things like that I could cope with but not things which the pony uses to unseat child
 
How old is your daughter ? My daughter aged 4 has started riding our 13.2 accidental aquisition and to date he has been a saint on the lead rein with her walk and trot and doing poles and cones BUT a few weeks ago he threw a mini bronc when I was trotting him in hand ( she wasn't on ) , got told his fortune and he hasn't put a foot wrong since in hand or ridden but I am scared witless of him doing it with her on. She is now picking up on me being quite happy if she chooses not to ride and is drifting away from it so am reading with interest. Also was thinking of loaning a tiny for her but reading your post makes me think I may not be any better off !!
 
Sorry for got to mention daughter is 8.
Yes the grass thing doesnt bother me its just the spooking and the buck tonight!! Daughter feels safer on my cob and tbh I prefer her to ride steady cob than the whizzy welsh!
Yeah I dont know if it was a one off or part of him? He does get het up when hes loose in the field he likes to whizz round....
Secretly a bit concerned.....
 
Depends what mood he's in. He's not very excitable unless food is about.
He is perfectly capable of schooling well but he just can't be bothered unless she really gets after him but he enjoys jumping.
He's never bucked or reared, but has a tendency to wander where he fancies.
However daughter has grown a pair over the last few weeks and he's actually broken sweat, behaved himself and is going around looking a bit shocked that he's now got to do as he's told.....
 
We have a little section a who is a saint (hope I haven't jinxed it by saying that!!). Had him a year now and he is just gorgeous and my daughters confindence has grown so much. Happily put my friends 4 year old on and she went off the lead rein all round the fields. Good little ponies are out there but hard to find. Just want to stick up for section a's.
 
We had a pony on loan that didn't like schooling, great on the ground, but difficult to ride. A second pony really. She was 7, my daughter. And mostly kept her on the lead rein.

Her own pony, they are a great partnership. We got her in winter, so maybe that gave us time to take it easy. More schooling and ground work. Don't think they canter until like a year later. Both not keen on it. It was worth it, they grew together.

The downside, she is now big for the pony, but can still ride as she is very light. And the pony is no longer a first pony, I think, as has grown too and is more a second pony.

I might say that 6 weeks might not be enough, early days. Maybe your daughter can work on groundwork, activities with you by her side, rather than you on the cob and see how things go. Your daughter will have more confident with you walking next to her and on the lead rein, even if for a short while.


However, in the fields, she wants to be the first, and will canter, gallop, keeps with the big horses ... maybe there is something about little ponies in the field.

Sticking to sec A's too, even if our pony is almost a B :D
 
Last edited:
My daughter has a sec a who drives me to despair and its just as well she and I love him!

To handle and hack out he's a superstar and I would trust a complete novice on him/ with him. Hes taken children who cant ride for a hack thru the woods foot perfect, he's given scared children there first smile sat on his back! Hes worth his weight in gold and amazing as a steady confidence giver..However as my daughter has progressed cheeky pony hasn't been so willing to progress with her!!

We have some lessons where all is fab, cantering and jumping... Then other lessons when he's a brat!! After 10 mins you can see his attention wonder and he just becomes plain awkward!!

As a bombproof steady plod he's amazing but as my daughter steps up a gear I've watched him try various methods to avoid working harder- fortunately daughter now sufficiently confident enough to sit out a good buck ( I'm sure she thinks canter starts with a buck!) and push him on!

I can sympathise, it's hard as a parent to watch your child take a tumble and then even harder to encourage them to get back on.

I constantly remind myself lesson my daughter learns now will stand her in good stead for future horses! And I've often tried to encourage her towards other horses or maybe time to look for a pony who wants to do more than plod- but she won't listen!
 
she is great my girls went from lead rein to hacking out with others and alone to jumping 1m 20 on a 11.3hh welsh pony, she has been shown in the past and done well, will go for a gallop and stop when asked, the only time she reared in 6yrs was when an adder slithered between her front hooves, my youngest used to run up to her when she was grazing in the field loose and jump on her back (whilst in her pj's-no hat or shoes-little toad) my eldest used to jump on and kick so she cantered up the fields, if the girls were falling off she used to slow down and stop then look at them when they hit the deck, both the girls would jump her in the field in a head collar, my eldest tacked up and hacked round the farm alone from 9yrs old (could see round the farm from the yard). pony was/is amazing and we will not ever sell her she is on loan locally and has been with the same people for 3yrs. I paid 3700 for her as a 11yr old untried and unvetted worth every penny and more. her sort do exist but they are so rare they make hens teeth look common
 
Saffy our sec d is a wonderful bombproof hack who my 10yr old stepdaughter cleo happily hacks out (with me on foot as I am horseless at the moment) off a lead rein. They canter in the woods and in the field happily in control. On the ground she is cheeky but listens to cleo and I can happily leave cleo to leading grooming etc on her own but under supervision. Schooling however is fine in walk and trot. They do handy pony style exercises and pole work BUT canter in the school is an issue saffy has a tendency to tank if she is a bit excited! You can stop her straight away but if she thinks she can get away with it she will get a little quick this is only in the school though its not nasty just cheeky. When I school her she will try but lots of transitions and she will then listen and work nicely however stepdaughter isn't strong enough or confident enough. So we will leave cleo cantering in the school until she is more confident apart from that they are great together and they will grow together. We are currently on a yard with no other children but we are moving this weekend to yard that has a pony club centre and very child orientated so that will also help.
 
The thing is a pony will never be 100% predictable. Even the quietest horse has the odd moment, and tbh riding is a risk sport and you kind of have to accept occasional misbehaviour as part of the package. I don't personally believe there is such a thing as the perfect pony, and you have to pay a lot to get anywhere near it.

Is it the first time pony has been asked to canter in a long time? Could have been sheer excitement. I would do some work on his lunging and his groundwork, especially in open spaces, if that's possible. Was he on the leadline when he bucked or on his own?

Our first pony was about 20 and 12hh. We still had a couple of sticky moments. Usually getting dragged around trying to lead him, we hadn't a hope of holding on if he saw food. He did do a couple of (minor) spooks and we would usually fall off :o He would never go faster than an amble, and he had to be led by someone moderately horsy or he would do the whole charging off in search of grass thing. Off the leadline we had no steering. Don't think he was physically capable of bucking or rearing, he was built like a little tank. After him we had on loan a lovely (but very excitable, everything had to be done at a gallop) arab x welsh, who we fell off even more. What I'm trying to say is, our ponies weren't perfect, but we loved them to pieces and they taught us so much. Perhaps she is just not quite ready to go in open fields until she has built up her confidence a bit?
 
Pigeon said:
The thing is a pony will never be 100% predictable.
Click to expand...

that is so true, even with the perfect pony I spent one night with eldest daughter on a spinal board and another with youngest daughter overnight with a displaced growth plate and manipulation under GA to correct it the next morning. we had a few outings to a & e with worries that turned out to be nothing too.
 
I bought a pony for my son who is 6, my daughter (who is a small 10 year old) has always been nervous of horses, she wont get on my 15hh who is steady as a rock and she had her own pony a couple of years back but was too nervous to do anything with him. So knowing I was buying for a six year old I was happy to buy a little 10.3hh section A, I have to admit I was bullied by them into buying her, she was a face puller and seemed to be forward going and bouncy even on LR. So despite my own reservations I bought her. The min she got to know us she stopped the faces, shes funny and a cheeky but not in a bad way and my daughter handles her and does everything for her and she has been riding her now progressed to hacking off LR. My only regret is that the pony is only schooled up to trot and my daughter is learning as she goes, I dont know anyone small enought to school her on. I wish I could make her grow! I dont think Ive ever been this wrong about a pony. lol I eat humble pie often! We did loan a pony a few months back and it reared on her the first time she got on so that was the end of that! I think you just drop lucky with ponies but naughtyness and cheek is part of their charm!
 
I have a bit of an obsession with children's ponies not being fit for purpose. IMHO they r rarely schooled to a standard where kids can progress properly past trotting as they r not big enough to be ridden by experienced people (adults). I'm fact I am thinking about setting up a schooling business for the under 14hh as I am a short a£&@e! I've found it really helps if 1 half of the partnership knows what it's doing!
 
bimbomb said:
I have a bit of an obsession with children's ponies not being fit for purpose. IMHO they r rarely schooled to a standard where kids can progress properly past trotting as they r not big enough to be ridden by experienced people (adults). I'm fact I am thinking about setting up a schooling business for the under 14hh as I am a short a£&@e! I've found it really helps if 1 half of the partnership knows what it's doing!
Click to expand...

that would be a brilliant idea !! I would love to have someone school my totally green 10 yr old 13.2 so I know he is ok for my kids but cant find anyone to do it !
 
bimbomb said:
I have a bit of an obsession with children's ponies not being fit for purpose. IMHO they r rarely schooled to a standard where kids can progress properly past trotting as they r not big enough to be ridden by experienced people (adults). I'm fact I am thinking about setting up a schooling business for the under 14hh as I am a short a£&@e! I've found it really helps if 1 half of the partnership knows what it's doing!
Click to expand...

Bootcamp for kiddies ponies!! Fab!! I'd happily send my pony!! As he's great in walk and trot but in canter both he and my daughter are green :(
 
My son is only 2 so he's just on lead rein. I have a 5 to naughty inexperienced pony. He can be jumpy and very forward going. After lunging him for 20 minutes I can do anything to him, he is a completely different pony
 
Our daughter is a slight 11 year old and has schooled her 11.3 pony to win affiliated novice dressage, pc area dressage competitions and jumping 95cm courses. It hasn't always been easy as we bought the pony as an unbroken 3 year old and the first year was difficult, but with the right instructor and some perseverance she has the satisfaction of knowing she produced her pony to earn the results. From the pony turning 5 and daughter 9 we have been able to relax knowing that she could gallop through the fields alone or in company, hack out down the bridleways alone and do farm rides including water complexes, and come back safe and happy. Although the pony is also completely safe in traffic we just wouldn't allow her out on the road alone due to the behaviour of drivers not the pony.

Unfortunately she is now onto a 14.2 dressage stallion and the little one is redundant in the field. But yes, I agree there is a definite shortage of young or small riders willing and capable of schooling small ponies for children to ride. Notice the distinction too 'for children to ride'.
 
I think it's the luck of the draw with childs ponies tbh. I was incredibly lucky when I bought my daughter her pony 16 years ago. The pony was 4 years old at the time and my daughter was 1 year old. Stunning little grey connemara pony who has truly been the best childs pony anyone could ever have wished for. She is retired from riding now and lives a peaceful life looking after my foals every year. As a riding pony she had very good intuition and preservation for not only herself but also for her rider (my daughter). There are a number of stories I have where that pony most certainly took care of herself and my daughter and for that I will always be in her debt. She was THE best first childhood pony we could ever have wished for and I cuddle her daily for her just being her.

On the other hand, my own childhood small ponies were helions! They were naughty and would put in bucks here and there and try to bite and kick. Really not the perfect ponies at all but boy they taught me to ride! When I was a little older I had 14.2hhs who were a whole different kettle of fish; sensible but fun, and safe but bold.
 
I have 2 section A's for my kids aged 8 and 10. One is a Christian, the other a monster! Luckily my 8 year old is gusty and loves him anyway when he misbehaves. Jumps the moon for her but if he's not in the mood just plants and bucks!! My sons pony however should own a halo, she can even read course numbers and could run out but never does! Good ponies are gold dust and I have learnt that you get what you pay for!
 
I acquired a Sec A a few years ago and while she isn't perfect she has certainly helped my son learn to ride. She's a solid lead rein pony to the point will follow handler on the ground, regardless of whether she is on a lead rein or not. Off lead rein / riding independently she does need a firm rider as does have a habit of deciding to walk off in a different direction to the one her rider might want to go.
6 weeks isn't that long a time and your daughters pony could still be settling in and pushing boundaries etc.
I know it's worry when they buck / shy. It took over 15 months for me to get my son back riding / trotting after his last pony bolted with him and he fell off at a flat out gallop onto his head.
Have done the right thing getting a body protector. Try not to let your worries transfer to your daughter and let her enjoy her pony.
Could you do any long reining with the pony? Just get some more established groundwork and build a bond / understanding with the pony without risking your daughter being on at the time in case pony decides to put in another little buck?
Good luck!
 
Hahahaha I love this thread! Almost as much as I love little ponies! I don't ever want to buy a horse for my daughter, ponies are waaaaaaay more fun!!!!

I honestly and truly believe that it's the nature of the child you have to look at, and what they need. Do they need a confidence giver, or do they need a challenge? Are they the sort of child that jumps back up after a fall and runs after their pony, or the sort that needs a cuddle. Both sorts are good, but I think the pony has to be bought to suit.

Dolly is well behaved, IF you're confident with her. And that goes for in the stable, in hand or under saddle.

If my daughter is having a "soft" day, you can guarantee Dolly will try it on! If daughter is on form, Dolly is on form and they are a fantastic partnership.

When we first bought Dolly, many people thought I'd over horsed daughter. And on paper they were right.

However, I knew my daughter. And I KNEW she would get the better of Dolly, given the time! What I didn't realise was what she could turn her into with a bit of hard work.

In short (and this may not be much help!) only you know your child. As above has said, none (bar perhaps the few saints!) are perfect, and perhaps those with "quirks" are the makers of good little riders.

My daughter has learnt to kick on, and stick on!!!

I wish you the very best of luck and happiness with your pony! xxxx
 
Lol, I wondered if you'd pop up on here Redmone! Goodness me your post shows just what you have learned in the last three years. You are spot on! It very much depends on the child and how they cope. A different child on Dolly three years ago could have been totally put off. Daughter never gave up and stuck it out, and reaped the results.

We had a 4yr old section A on loan for my stepson. She was very forward and a little madam, but not nasty with it. I never thought we would ever get him off the leadrein! We did lots and lots of ride and lead (initially me leading pony out without child onboard). We then progressed to lungeing. I was also lucky that my friend's daughter was four years older than him and a fab little rider, so she rode the pony out a couple of times a week and was big enough to lay down the law if need be! The flip side of a forward, whizzy pony was that when stepson did get confident (and it took a good year) the pony had a forward button, so it would canter and jump. My friend had a ploddy pony for her son, which was great for confidence initially, but he simply couldn't get it into canter or over anything other than a pole on the floor, as it just didn't go forward! In the end, he went off riding just as my stepson was getting going and enjoying jumping and gymkhana games.

OP give it time, keep your child on the leadrein/lunge much more than you would think. Join the pc - there will be lots of others on the leadrein at that age, so your child will see theres no rush! Do lots of things like handy pony and games, that don't need speed but build up control and a partnership. And keep looking for someone to ride the pony for you.
 
Hahahaha Honey08 - it was sort of made for us this thread! :-)

OP - patience is the key, as I'm sure you probably know. Time and patience.

I honestly and truly believe there are very few "bad uns" out there - just a lot of misunderstood ponies that need a bit of time and patience.

Yes, we had to adjust our goals for a little while. And perhaps that wouldn't work for everyone, but it was fine for us. Again, I knew my daughter well enough to know that whilst her friends were in the jumping lessons, she was happy to hack out with me on foot, carrying the leadrope in case it became necessary. She was just happy having her very own, first, pony.

I'm sure your little pony will become a superstar, given the opportunity. xxxx
 
If he was loaned as a plod maybe that's all he's ever been asked to do, plod and not canter in which case they would not know he bucks? It's normal for young or green ponies to throw in a buck for canter, I schooled a pony that had been sold as a first pony, however it was more like a lead rein pony as had clearly never been taught to canter. Walk and trot fine canter was bucking every stride to begin with. My little new forest however is an absolute saint and has always known when to take it careful with young riders. We had a welsh A for my little brother years ago who again was a saint, so they're out there it's just picking the right one and finding a good small jockey to test them first. Where abouts are you? I'm little :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top