Need to hear some success stories on buying a green horse.......

[lisastanding]

Hi
I am excited and pleased with a gorgeous GREEN and unschooled pony who is 6 but I am being scolded and told off all over and I wanted to know if anyone shares my views......
I have had ponies since I was 15 and my experiences of them vary from excellent to very dangerous! I have learned the hard way NEVER to believe what I have been told when buying a pony as I have probably had almost every scenario I could have imagined. So, when I looked about for a pony for my novice 10 year old, I was totally shocked at what I was seeing: A rider put in hospital while showing me her 'perfect' childs pony; A horse so drugged on medication it could hardly be ridden: A pony who ONLY responded to the current owner and would defy anyone else to come near.........I am sure I am not the only one out there. Needless to say after months of searching I came across a 6 year old Dartmoor Hill pony who had only been broken but was ready to be brought on. His temperament was gentle and inquisitive and I instantly fell for him.
Anyway, my logic was to not have any surprises when it came to having a sound pony. I wanted to be sure of my pony's experiences and fears and overcome them with him so I knew him thoroughly and had confidence of my own in him, with my children in mind. He is schooled at HIS pace, in my own facilities with a gentle professional who knows what I want and respect his needs too.
HOWEVER....... I have been completely slated on my decision and almost everybody I have spoken to has told me I am WRONG to consider this option as a potential safe ride for my daughter. So far, both my girl and I have been handling him and teaching him to respect us both, just in everyday situations and I feel so confident in my choice so far. I guess I need to hear some encouraging words from anyone who has successfully done the same. Please put my mind at rest....Lisa

 

[Barnacle]

If you know what you're doing, it's a perfectly reasonable decision. Time will tell if you know what you're doing.

 

[PonyclubmumZ]

We are doing the same as you. I would say that 95% of the time its the right decision, the pony has not bad history to deal with and the pony and child are learning well together. however its is not a straight line in terms of improvement, there are lots of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back (for example they were eliminated at first jump yesterday after having weeks and weeks of getting around the course), however if you are patient and don't expect an easy life then its fun. Enjoy the journey

 

[Charlie007]

Unless you have a bottomless pit of money to buy a ready made child's pony you sometimes have to think outside the box. He sounds lovely and the fact that you have a professional help you is great. If I got comments like that it would make me all the more determined to produce a mannerly child's pony. Good luck to you and your daughter, take it slowly, take advice from your trusted professional and there is absolutely no reason why you can't have the pony you want x

 

[dibbin]

My first horse was a just backed 4 year old. With knowledgeable support he came along beautifully. We sadly lost him to grass sickness after 6 months, but I have no doubt he'd have turned out brilliant.

I got Jazz as a fairly green 6 year old and again, with a good instructor to help out, he's coming along really well.

Good luck

 

[TGM]

I think a lot depends on the personality of the child and the pony. Some children are quite happy to take things slowly with a youngster, whereas others are more impatient and get resentful that they are missing out on fun activities that their friends are enjoying on more established ponies. Also a nervous child and a young pony are rarely a good match, as youngster needs to be introduced to new things by a confident handler or rider. But it sounds good that you have got a professional in to school the pony, although in the long term such an approach might cost you as much as it would to have purchased a proven schoolmaster. But at least hopefully you should know the pony inside out by the end of the training process.

 

[Shay]

As TGM says - there are pros and cons. Childhood lasts a short time and with a green pony she will miss out on some of the stuff - probably quite a lot of the stuff - her peers get to do. (Unless she has access to something else as well?) But she will learn a lot about patience and being a good leader for her pony. You haven't said how tall the pony is but if he is on the taller side (and she on the smaller side) this could be her partner for the next 25/30 years which is quite something.

We've had a mix of pony types as my daughter grew up. We started with (and still have) the 100% PC Schoolmaster who gave her so much confidence wise. He can turn a hoof to anything, is bomb proof and as happy messing about with fancy dress etc as he is representing the branch at Area level. But as she grew we also had ponies for re-schooling, green ones to bring on, competition ponies on loan. Like you ranging from the perfect to the somewhat risky. (Other than 1 which didn't last long which was actually toward the dangerous end of the spectrum!) Thinking about it she was probably about 10 or 11 when we had our first greenie to bring on - but she had been riding since she was 4 and we had the others as well so she gained more than missed out and it was wonderful experience for her in her development both as a rider and as a person. Ours were always with us only for a period of time and for a particular reason so she also got good at letting go!

Young horse / young rider - and perhaps particularly young horse / nervous rider is not, in my experience, a happy combination. And young horses become older horses long before I would consider most a safe ride for a novice. But the process of getting there is a wonderful one if done well!

 

[lisastanding]

Thank you for your reassuring replies. My girl still rides at a good local equestrian centre so she can still ride otherwise. Our pony is 14h and the idea was to have a pony we can both enjoy riding and as I have a younger daughter too, he would remain with us for a long time. I know it will cost more in the long run, but having a pony I can really trust and who trusts us is worth it. So far, I have been very satisfied with his progress and I feel I have made the right decision. Only time will tell but right now we are loving our experience with him and he is teaching us so much about horse and pony behavior.

 

[SusieT]

PErsonally- I think your child will miss out for the next 2-3years on what her friends are doing -after that depending on how pony turns out she might enjoy as much as the rest.