Novice pony and novice kid? Am I mad?

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Yogi Bear

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Hi all,
I’m currently looking for a first pony for my son.
He’s a tiny, tiny 8 year old - more of a 6 year old size wise.
He’s can walk, trot and canter (wobbly) off the lead and jump small cross poles in trot.
I feel like I’m searching high and low for a golden pony approx 12hh.
I’ve seen a lovely 12hh pony who looks fab, but she is young and not been backed that long.
Initially, it was a definite no from me, but I keep coming back to this pony. She just seems to have a lovely attitude and seems pretty unfazed by life.
Am I mad thinking of getting a young novice pony for a novice kid?
Please, wonderful people - share your thoughts?
 
If you are prepared to give the pony time and possibly get a more experienced jockey to help school if necessary I would consider it.

Buying any pony has a risk factor, I’ve still seen people buy the elusive unicorn that’s been there and got the T-shirt that doesn’t work out for one reason or another.

Temperament is definitely key. Has your son ridden the pony?
 
You would need an older competent child to school the pony alongside your son riding it, to keep it behaving as beautifully as it does now. I have a young pony with beginner sharers. She is an absolute angel for them, but that is because my kids ride her a couple of times a week and I lead her out off another pony for a good canter hack once or twice. All that alongside consistent handling with boundaries she knows and understands. For example, she decided one morning a few months ago that she didn’t want to pick her back feet up - I reminded her that is not acceptable. She stopped complaining. If I had not been clear and consistent she might have decided this was a fun thing to do, behaviour would have escalated, she’d now be bad to pick feet out. Today she was holding her rear feet up like a literal angel for a 2.5 year old child to attempt to pick them out with a hoof pick. I knew that the child would be safe because every day we practise nice manners and safe behaviour. It’s her routine.

So can a young pony be ok for a beginner child? Yes. Can they do so without a significant support network? No.

What about looking for a share? That way the pony comes with the older child educating it for free as it were!
 
I have found that young horses and ponies tend to go through two phases of being horrid* - one aged three to four years when they are full of strong opinions, and one aged five to six years when they are set upon testing whether one truly wishes to remain involved with horses at all. Age four is an oasis of tranquility in the middle of this, and tends to be an excellent marker for how their adult temperament will be. By six, they are quite themselves again. So I would advise you to decide if you can cope with that.

*My theory for the horrid phases is that they are caused by a mix of hormones, growing in general, and having their back teeth come in fully.
 
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Ceifer said:
If you are prepared to give the pony time and possibly get a more experienced jockey to help school if necessary I would consider it.

Buying any pony has a risk factor, I’ve still seen people buy the elusive unicorn that’s been there and got the T-shirt that doesn’t work out for one reason or another.

Temperament is definitely key. Has your son ridden the pony?
Click to expand...
Temperament is definitely key.
 
My very recent experience of buying a young pony for my child did not end particularly well.

In January I bought a 14h pony for my 11 year old daughter. He's just turned 6.

Great great temp.

He's lovely never bucked or reared or scooted off etc but he did spook with my daughter on board and it totally and utterly destroyed her confidence. A young pony needs confidence from their rider at times and my daughter just wasn't able to give that.

I was having him schooled and hacked by a pro rider and he was fab for her, I'd ride him and he's great but the combo for him and my daughter just didn't work.

Somebody said to me green and green make black and blue.

I've just sold him to a 16 year old and she is doing brilliantly on him because she can ride him past a squirrel or the bike that is lying on the floor etc.

My daughter was on the slightly nervous side of the scale anyway and so it really depends on your child.
 
I'm going to say no....purely because a young just-backed pony will need a bit of hand holding for a while and a novice child won't unfortunately instill the confidence she needs.

Also, it's a big ask for a youngster to put up with a wobbly child potentially bouncing in the saddle.

It might work out OK, but is it really fair on the pony?
 
What does your son think?

Personally, if he was more novice (I.e on the lead rein, slowly working to gain experience and go off the lead rein over the next 12-18 months) it would probably work but at the stage of being slightly independent I’m not sure it would. My daughter is slightly younger and her pony is 24, the pony knows when to listen, when to ignore and her jockey just has to focus on learning to ride, not teachering her pony her job.
 
It is usually a no. I helped a child with a 4yo but it wasn't a success. I could keep her safe by lead rope or lunge but it was holding her back as she wasn't able to take the next step. There wasn't anyone else to ride the pony, at least not on a regular basis. It had only been backed 6 weeks when they got it, and was simply too green. The pony didn't know the correct responses and the child couldn't teach it, plus the pony didn't see why he should work at all. I recommended they swap and they did, for an older one, and the child was off competing at the local show clear round the week after! The child never looked back and didn't need lunge or lead from that day on. Hacking, shows, solo schooling- all by the child.

It may work if you can find someone else to ride the pony regularly. It is that commitment that is key IMO, as well as the confidence of the child. Plus patience to wait for the pony to be mentally ready for various situations.
 
HopOnTrot said:
What does your son think?

Personally, if he was more novice (I.e on the lead rein, slowly working to gain experience and go off the lead rein over the next 12-18 months) it would probably work but at the stage of being slightly independent I’m not sure it would. My daughter is slightly younger and her pony is 24, the pony knows when to listen, when to ignore and her jockey just has to focus on learning to ride, not teachering her pony her job.
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That is the ideal situation
 
Red-1 said:
It is usually a no. I helped a child with a 4yo but it wasn't a success. I could keep her safe by lead rope or lunge but it was holding her back as she wasn't able to take the next step. There wasn't anyone else to ride the pony, at least not on a regular basis. It had only been backed 6 weeks when they got it, and was simply too green. The pony didn't know the correct responses and the child couldn't teach it, plus the pony didn't see why he should work at all. I recommended they swap and they did, for an older one, and the child was off competing at the local show clear round the week after! The child never looked back and didn't need lunge or lead from that day on. Hacking, shows, solo schooling- all by the child.

It may work if you can find someone else to ride the pony regularly. It is that commitment that is key IMO, as well as the confidence of the child. Plus patience to wait for the pony to be mentally ready for various situations.
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Temperament and really good help.I agree though,the ideal is an older been there done that.I had a friend once who used to loan out her out grown child's pony.People nearly put their child's name down at birth for that one.
 
My daughter could confidently walk trot canter and jump before we got the young pony and it was till too much.

Little things like the pony not just being able to do a 20cm circle without being properly 'ridden' Dd didn't have the skill level to teach a pony that type of thing.

And slowly but surely she lost her confidence and wouldn't ride him. 😢
 
racmun said:
My daughter could confidently walk trot canter and jump before we got the young pony and it was till too much.

Little things like the pony not just being able to do a 20cm circle without being properly 'ridden' Dd didn't have the skill level to teach a pony that type of thing.

And slowly but surely she lost her confidence and wouldn't ride him. 😢
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I think personal experiences will always colour your opinions.I agree that a novice rider (any age) and a novice pony can be a very poor match although not always.It goes back to where do you get the good alround horse/pony, sound and very level headed that most of us want and it is very difficult.When I was last looking I Didn't want a young horse but couldn't find anything suitable.I decided temperament and workable soundness were my absolute priorities and I bought a 4 year old.I wouldn't have though without very good back up as, like your daughter,I lack the skills to educate a young horse.She is being schooled for me by a very good sympathetic trainer.It hasn't been entirely plain sailing and finding genuinely experienced help can be a challenge but overall I am happy with my choice.I have got what I wanted.
 
In my experience green on green (novice horse and rider) only works if the horse is very forgiving and laid back. As mentioned above though, I still don’t think it’s fair on the pony who will likely need its hand held.

The fact that he’s wobbly in the canter would likely worry a recently backed pony. Confidence is so fragile at that age - both the pony’s and your sons.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
It us advertised as lead rein/2nd pony so doesn't really sound like what OP is looking for.
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I don't know.It is a young pony and if it is the dealer I am thinking of she does get some nice children's ponies.That will be her older daughter who is younger than she looks as she is tall for her age.She has been well taught though.As you say though,probably not suitable for OP.
 
racmun said:
My very recent experience of buying a young pony for my child did not end particularly well.

In January I bought a 14h pony for my 11 year old daughter. He's just turned 6.

Great great temp.

He's lovely never bucked or reared or scooted off etc but he did spook with my daughter on board and it totally and utterly destroyed her confidence. A young pony needs confidence from their rider at times and my daughter just wasn't able to give that.

I was having him schooled and hacked by a pro rider and he was fab for her, I'd ride him and he's great but the combo for him and my daughter just didn't work.

Somebody said to me green and green make black and blue.

I've just sold him to a 16 year old and she is doing brilliantly on him because she can ride him past a squirrel or the bike that is lying on the floor etc.

My daughter was on the slightly nervous side of the scale anyway and so it really depends on your child.
Click to expand...
A 14hand pony and anything but an experienced rider at 11yo will always be a mismatch unless the pony is an experienced saint.
 
Honestly, it can work but depends on many factors. Firstly, what is the child's temperament like? A resilient child who is prepared to listen, be calm and isn't nervous with a pony who is genuine, backed up with good facilities and plenty of support and lessons can end up being a great partnership. A child who is either nervous or loud without listening skills and a pony who is unduly sensitive, quirky or bolshy is a disaster waiting to happen.

My son ponies (and horses for that matter) were all young, the eldest was a very green six year old. We couldn't afford "made" ponies so we produced them ourselves from him being five years old. They all turned out to be lovely ponies, the three smaller ones (11hh, 12.2hh and 13.2hh) were great PC ponies and did low key shows, dressage, sj and xc successfully. The two 14.2hhs both did all PC activities including area competitions and jumped BS successfully. However, I am a coach and supervised all the training along with PC training etc and we are lucky enough to have good facilities at home in our family equestrian centre so had a definite advantage in that respect. My son's experience with his young ponies definitely stood him in good stead and he was given opportunities with rides on other people's competition ponies. Moving forward onto horses he had a good foundation and skills to produce his own horses well.

One thing I would say is definitely factor in help if needed. With a small pony an older more experienced child can be invaluable. Also, look to the future, how big is the child? You don't want to reach the point that the child is just beginning to get to the point they are confident and achieving what they want for the pony to be too small to benefit from the hard work put in as the pony has to be moved on.
 
Depends how experienced you are, how confident the child is and how much help you have if the horse needs more education that you can’t give.

I would say no though, seen it go wrong too many times! We have one on our yard at the moment, the pony is very green, the child is now totally terrified of it and the parents are in denial about the situation despite everyone being quite honest about it!!
 
Yogi Bear said:
Hi all,
I’m currently looking for a first pony for my son.
He’s a tiny, tiny 8 year old - more of a 6 year old size wise.
He’s can walk, trot and canter (wobbly) off the lead and jump small cross poles in trot.
I feel like I’m searching high and low for a golden pony approx 12hh.
I’ve seen a lovely 12hh pony who looks fab, but she is young and not been backed that long.
Initially, it was a definite no from me, but I keep coming back to this pony. She just seems to have a lovely attitude and seems pretty unfazed by life.
Am I mad thinking of getting a young novice pony for a novice kid?
Please, wonderful people - share your thoughts?
Click to expand...
When my children were small I couldn't afford made ponies so most were bought either unbroken or just sat on, and I was too big to ride them. As long as you are not expecting the child to have any real control, they are just really sitting on a walking sofa, and you are going to control by voice aids or on lead rein it can work.
I always bought for temperament, at about three or four, and the majority I had for all their life, and the temperament IME never changes. As they get older they get smarter at avoiding things, but they were never nasty and when it came to teaching them something like jumping or leg aids I paid a pro for a couple of weeks, just so the lesson was well learned.
I wouldn't get an older child to ride it because most of them are doing it for their amusement and they will not be thinking that the pony must be suitable for a novice child when they get off, and the pony soon learns bad habits.
 
Yogi Bear said:
Hi all,
I’m currently looking for a first pony for my son.
He’s a tiny, tiny 8 year old - more of a 6 year old size wise.
He’s can walk, trot and canter (wobbly) off the lead and jump small cross poles in trot.
I feel like I’m searching high and low for a golden pony approx 12hh.
I’ve seen a lovely 12hh pony who looks fab, but she is young and not been backed that long.
Initially, it was a definite no from me, but I keep coming back to this pony. She just seems to have a lovely attitude and seems pretty unfazed by life.
Am I mad thinking of getting a young novice pony for a novice kid?
Please, wonderful people - share your thoughts?
Click to expand...


I think it could potentially work but is unlikely unless they do their learning together out on hacks for a year at least and not in a school. I can't imagine how a child who is wobbly in canter could cope with learning to canter confidently on a wobbly newly backed pony in an arena. Or how the pony would cope with that., saint or not.
.
 
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