Oh gosh, where to start. Trying to buy a pony for a shy 11 year old!

[windand rain]

You need a pony that is suitable for your child now of a good age and if she is likely not to want to part in future it has to be safe now able to learn with the child to move on so not too old, not too young and not set in its ways. I think the right highland pony would be perfect. They usually are affable, loveable gentle and extremely versatile can turn a hoof to anything,
from a gallop on the beach

to pony rides

jumping

to showing the kids ages range from 2 to 15
learning to canter

child here is a little younger than your daughter.
Biggest trouble is ponies like this are like hens teeth She is 25 now but still happily doing her job. She is 13.1hh and the rider in the showing photo is 5ft 9

 

[Flyermc]

i dont know these ponies, but they do seem to be about if you're willing to travel, could it be worth having a weekend away to look at afew altogether?

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/120871537/lovely-14hh-11-year-old-coloured-gelding.html?link=/classifieds/horses-livestock/horses-ponies?page=2
https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/120895888/super-fun-cob.html?link=/search?sectionId=3365&advertType=forsale&page=3
https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/...arch?sectionId=3365&advertType=forsale&page=9

 

[bonnysmum]

Some really fantastic advice here, I'm blown away by how many of you have taken the time to respond to my ramblings and try to set me on the right track. A lot of food for thought here, I'll be re-reading this thread a fair bit. Thank you so much.

 

[DabDab]

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/...ng.html?link=/search?keyword=14+pony+for+sale

 

[DabDab]

Ooo, or this one looks like a good older model:

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/...?link=/search?keyword=14+pony+for+sale&page=6

 

[bonnysmum]

I think the right highland pony would be perfect. They usually are affable, loveable gentle and extremely versatile can turn a hoof to anything

I would LOVE to find a Highland pony for my daughter. Her favourite RS pony is a Highland and she adores him.

 

[Winters100]

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/120890722/stunning-142-connemara-gelding.html?link=/search?keyword=14+pony+for+sale

Wow, the UK market must be really hot. 5k GBP for this pony? Looks like a nice useful type, but at that age I think would me maximum 2 k euros here, if that.

 

[Caol Ila]

Wow, the UK market must be really hot. 5k GBP for this pony? Looks like a nice useful type, but at that age I think would me maximum 2 k euros here, if that.

You're telling me! The market here has gone insane. I don't envy the OP in her hunt to find a nice, sane horse for her daughter. It's hard enough finding a nice, sane one when you don't mind young or green, even in the Central Belt. I imagine the Highlands are slim pickins' indeed.

I've noted that my horse's breeder has put her prices up by 1K. If anyone wants a semi-feral PRE who might be in foal, Hermosa has a little sister.

 

[Dynamo]

It's all said already above. It all makes sense and is great advice.

- Take up the friend's offer to go with you; horsey people LOVE horse shopping, whoever it is for, whatever the budget. Most horse people think it's a treat rather than a chore. Even better if the friend or friend's child can get on the pony and tell you what they think.
- Be very careful, as others have said, about getting into any situation where the instructor has to ride the pony regularly to keep it going. It's great if an instructor CAN ride the pony if you do run into difficulty, but less great if you are DEPENDENT on an instructor riding regularly. Quite apart from the vested interest in you getting a pony that is going to generate income additional to lessons, what happens if the relationship breaks down for some reason, or the instructor is not able to continue? It's important that your daughter can enjoy the pony in her own way and on her own terms, with support.
- Please think about going smaller. 14h-14.2h is a lot for even a tall 11 year-old. Taking a steer from some of the pony competition disciplines, the age and height groupings suggest much smaller ponies for 11 year-olds. Yes, there are exceptions, but these age/height categories are born of decades of experience with children and ponies. Here are a few examples, and I give these simply to show you how competition societies, run by very experienced people, view things:
National Pony Society: 11 year-olds are eligible for First Ridden classes on ponies up to 12.2h until the year in which they have their 13th birthday! Junior riders in Horse of the Year Show M&M classes on small breeds, so up to 13.2h in the case of Section B ponies, can be up to 14 years of age, and in Large breed classes, so including the 14h-14.2h ponies, can be up to 18 years of age.
British Show Pony Society: Similar/same as above, plus the age group for 14h non M&M ponies includes riders who are 16 on the 1st of Jan, so who can be 17 in the year of competition.
British Show Jumping: Riders up to 12 years (as of 1st Jan, so can be 13 during the year), are eligible for ponies 12.2h and under. Riders up to 14 (so can be 15 during the year), 12.3h to 13.2h ponies. Riders 16 (so can be 17) 13.3h to 14.2h ponies.
Of course, some riders do ride in categories above their age, but the point is, that the societies equate age 11 to much smaller ponies than 14-14.2h and there is a good reason that they all do that.

Very best wishes for your search, and do keep us posted. You see... we ALL love a horse shopping thread!

 

[fredflop]

My thoughts…

an 11 year old may be ok riding 14 hands plus in the riding school, but different on their own pony that doesn’t get as much work. A smaller model, as others have pointed out, is more likely to be suitable. I’m 5ft7, and on the right pony, don’t look out of place on a 13.2.

as others have mentioned, you certainly don’t want one that your daughter can “grow into”. Especially if she’s a nervous type of child. You want one that you can have fun with.

is your grass livery yard literally just a field with a few horses in it? I’d think carefully about this if so. If you are inexperienced, on diy, with not much access to help, you may find it hard. Also if it’s just a field, realistically your daughter won’t be able to ride, or do much with the pony for six months of the year. You may be better off trying to find somewhere with a few more people/ponies/children. You may find that she becomes less worried around people if she can talk “horses” to them.

 

[bonnysmum]

is your grass livery yard literally just a field with a few horses in it?

No, it's at the riding school with unlimited access to the facilities, including outdoor and indoor arenas, and support on site from the yard staff.

 

[millikins]

As you are in the Highlands, look on the Eriskay Pony Society website. They are tough, hardy and versatile, child friendly and a bit smaller than most Highlands so easier on little legs. There is a sales/loan list or worth putting a wanted ad on. I bought an 8 year old ex broodmare for my daughter's first pony (daughter was 10) we made a lot of mistakes but a good instructor and a kind natured pony and we got there

 

[Gloi]

To be honest all those ponies given in the links would be far too much pony for a novice 11yo's first pony. Even tacking up is much easier with something smaller, could she lift a saddle onto a 14.2 or bridle it if it put its head up?
I got my first pony at 13 when I had been riding about 3 years. He was a stocky 13.1 and I had him until I was 19 and did everything with him.

 

[bonnysmum]

To be honest all those ponies given in the links would be far too much pony for a novice 11yo's first pony. Even tacking up is much easier with something smaller, could she lift a saddle onto a 14.2 or bridle it if it put its head up?

She can lift a saddle onto a 14.2hh ? but my thoughts on the links are, firstly, they're all at least a day's drive away from us, but secondly they're exactly the kind of ads that I have responded to (in Scotland) and been told the pony is not for a novice and been refused a viewing (if I've had the courtesy of a response at all). I'd all but given up on private sales for this reason before posting this thread, but I have definitely taken on board the comments about widening my height criteria. I'm still not hopeful of success though given the current climate!!

 

[buddylove]

It is wise not to take a child to the first viewing. Don't even say you are going to see one. Once you have found something you think may be suitable , then take the child. You will be able to be more objective without them there and not keep getting their hopes up.

I always take mine, and they have just turned 9, at the end of the day they have to ride them. I hope I am teaching them to trust their gut instincts and be sensible about buying horses (and moving them on when the time is right). For example, the latest pony we bought looked strong when she was being ridden by the seller, and I was unsure about her, but as soon as the kids got up there she was foot perfect and not strong at all. Without them there I may well have turned down a pony that is proving to be a gem in all circumstances.
You know your child best, mine know I have the final say! ?

 

[bonnysmum]

I hope I am teaching them to trust their gut instincts and be sensible about buying horses (and moving them on when the time is right).

Yes, these are my thoughts, and also helping my daughter to understand a) that I am actively looking and b) why it is going to take a long time. To be honest I think gut instinct is incredibly important and I think I might have more tendency to bat it away than my daughter. She wasn't happy at all with our viewing on Sunday (neither was I). I've since read a string of bad stuff about this dealer that confirms my fears at the time that they were trying to palm off an unsuitable pony, taking advantage of my greenness. So of course the ideal companion is a knowledgeable friend, but my daughter's gut instinct does matter to me as well. I find she's a great judge of (human) character.

 

[I'm Dun]

I just sold the pony you are looking for. 14.1hh, 7yr old kind and easy, pretty pony who loves kids, plods safely with a frightened novice but revs up with a competent adult if asked. Could be trusted to take a 5yr old child hacking. She sold to the first person to view her for 4k and is now making a nervous and timid 9yr old girl incredibly happy. In a week the girl went from being scared to get on to learning to jump. So these ponies are out there.

But heres the catch, she was 4k as she has a medical condition that needs careful management and I wanted to be able to choose the right people for her. Novice wasnt an issue, in fact I wanted her to go to a nervous novice child so she could do what she does best, I just had to be confident she would be cared for appropriately.

Without that medical condition I would have asked for and got 7k without blinking. The market is insane and safe, sound and kind ponies like that carry a huge premium.

 

[bonnysmum]

But heres the catch, she was 4k as she has a medical condition that needs careful management and I wanted to be able to choose the right people for her.

Can I ask what medical condition? My reasons for avoiding this so far are a) my lack of experience, b) fear of finding myself unable to afford escalating treatment costs and c) not wanting to break my daughter's heart if the pony gets sicker and heartbreaking decisions have to be made. An ad was shown to me for a middle aged pony that had just been diagnosed with Cushings and I turned it down for these reasons.

Edit: of course all of these things can & probably will crop up at some point with any pony we buy, but I'd rather not walk straight into it if it can be avoided.

 

[1523679]

I’m in Sutherland and know of a few ponies who are being sold by word of mouth only. I have a feeling they might be slightly over your budget but if I can help please drop me a PM.

 

[Jellymoon]

I know this is really boring and you are all looking forward to a summer of fun with your own pony, but I’m wondering if you guys are ready for a pony just yet?

If she’s only been riding at a riding school for just under a year, she is still very much a beginner and the type of pony she needs now would be a saintly plod, not a 14.2 established jumper that needs your instructor to school it, at your expense. Sorry to be cynical, but that sounds a bit iffy to me!!
In another year or two, she probably could manage a pony like that, but it would still need to be a first pony. Especially if she has lots of lessons, rides diff ponies at the riding school, does lots of pony care.

It would also give you a chance to gain more knowledge, and get more savvy. Horse people are terrible for pouncing on novice first time owners, or even anyone with a horse who shows a bit of self-doubt, and selling them either a horse or their services, or both.

 

[Trouper]

I'm always banging the welfare drum but there are advantages. The ponies have been independently assessed and they will take the trouble to match pony/daughter carefully if they have anything vaguely suitable. The best thing, however, is that you will always have them at your back to help with any teething issues and the pony has a home for life with them if/when you have to part with it.
Your daughter sounds an intelligent and sensitive soul so the idea of giving a rescue pony a loving home might really appeal!!

Edited to add - I have just read @Jellymoon's comments above. While I agree with the sentiments about concentrating so much on developing your daughter's riding ability, I do think it is equally important to develop a child's skills in caring for a pony and learning stable management. It is daunting at first but with the right help I think it will do wonders for your child's confidence in general. I found that the only way to learn was just to plunge in and plague the experts on everything!!

 

[bonnysmum]

Hi Jellymoon, believe me this has been thought about long and hard. The main reason is the therapeutic value of a pony to my daughter and the fact we simply can't fulfil that with any of the goodwill arrangements we currently have. I think I might have been trying to achieve too much in the one go, and the more I think about it I wonder if we should be looking for a safe, kind plod that my daughter can take care of, and possibly still keep working on her riding with other more spritely horses at the RS. It's difficult because it's a lot of money and I want this to be right for the longer term, not just a year or two, especially as the number one reason is for my daughter to build a relationship with a pony of her own.

 

[eahotson]

Hi everyone

I'm a newbie here. I've introduced myself as requested and was recommended to come straight on over here and ask my questions, so here goes. To cut a long story short, my daughter has been having riding lessons for just under a year and loves every minute of it. She's cantering nicely and just started learning to jump. She's 11 and a very shy & anxious child, and she would spend every waking moment with horses if she could. Herein lies the problem that we are not a horse family and while I have several kind friends willing to lend their ponies and time we are finding that begging favours and having to pre-arrange sessions is not working out for us too well. My daughter desperately wants (and, given her temperament I would argue needs) a pony to call her own. We have livery etc. sorted we just need to try and find that pony!

And wow, what a minefield! First of all I've had next to no luck with private sellers. Because of where we live there are no ponies for sale closer than about a 3 hour drive and I work full time, so everyone who is more local can get there before me. Furthermore almost every seller will tell me their pony isn't suitable for a novice rider and isn't happy for me to take my daughter to view. Those who I've lined up viewings with have dried up and disappeared off the face of the earth before said viewing has materialised. :-(

So, we tried a dealer, armed with full awareness of the buyer beware principle. Wow, talk about a baptism of fire! I won't go into it here, but my goodness did I feel out of my depth. I have no intention of buying any horse or organising a vetting unless my daughter's instructor has seen it, but the impression I had is that if I wasn't prepared to put down money there & then, then I could forget ever being able to buy one. They also said "at the end of the day it's your money, and your instructor's job is to teach on whatever you give them". Eh? That attitude didn't sit well with me.

So I need tons and tons of advice at all stages of this (and I am getting it from friends and our riding instructor, don't get me wrong), but right now I am really needing help with how to get my foot through the door as a serious buyer and how to have any chance at all of doing my due diligence and not losing out to those willing to flash the cash at the first viewing. TIA.

Couple of things. Not all dealers are like that,you may find one that is honest.Two, your child has an instructor at riding school.Try asking their advice.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Couple of things. Not all dealers are like that,you may find one that is honest.Two, your child has an instructor at riding school.Try asking their advice.

Instructor has suggested buying a pony that she needs to ride, to 'bring on'! I would ignore that advice

 

[ester]

She has been asking instructors advice?! It's been well commented on, did you somehow miss all those comments?

 

[bonnysmum]

I'm always banging the welfare drum but there are advantages. The ponies have been independently assessed and they will take the trouble to match pony/daughter carefully if they have anything vaguely suitable. The best thing, however, is that you will always have them at your back to help with any teething issues and the pony has a home for life with them if/when you have to part with it.
Your daughter sounds an intelligent and sensitive soul so the idea of giving a rescue pony a loving home might really appeal!!

It absolutely would appeal @Trouper, it would be her dream come true. She wanted me to buy the pony we saw on Sunday, not so she could ride it but so she could "take it to the vet". I hadn't considered a welfare organisation before because I just assumed I'd be laughed out of the door, but I am definitely going to look into it now after your comments. Other questionmark is whether welfare organisations further south would even bother with someone in our location, given the need for home visits etc. but I guess I won't know unless I ask.

I think our instructor's comments about size and potential have skewed some people's impressions somewhat of what we are really wanting our own pony for, and I'm going to bear that in mind in future when I look at and respond to adverts. If people think I'm the typical pushy parent who thinks their child is the next champion showjumper and is going to badly overhorse them then it's no wonder I'm having problems getting sensible responses. I'm just trying to make sensible decisions, for my daughter, for the horse and for my finances!

PS this is so much more interesting than work, but I'm going to close this tab now and check in later on if there are any other responses.

 

[rascal]

Most of the rescue places do a loan scheme, some are in Scotland or the north of England.

 

[smolmaus]

Obviously things will vary up and down the country but knowing our two local rescues you would be very very lucky to find a pony backed for riding and suitable for a child. One or the other, maybe but both? Those ponies just don't end up in rescue very often. It doesn't hurt to ask of course.

 

[I'm Dun]

Can I ask what medical condition? My reasons for avoiding this so far are a) my lack of experience, b) fear of finding myself unable to afford escalating treatment costs and c) not wanting to break my daughter's heart if the pony gets sicker and heartbreaking decisions have to be made. An ad was shown to me for a middle aged pony that had just been diagnosed with Cushings and I turned it down for these reasons.

Edit: of course all of these things can & probably will crop up at some point with any pony we buy, but I'd rather not walk straight into it if it can be avoided.

PSSM Type 1 so not something that gets worse. I would never have sold a horse with a condition thats expensive to manage or would deteriorate. Sadly its really common in cobs and most people just dont know. The problem with childrens ponies is that they do quite often come with EMS or PSSM etc. Its the nature of the type.

I'm not advocating you take on something you cant cope with, but dont dismiss a medical condition out of hand if the pony is otherwise perfect.

 

[I'm Dun]

Obviously things will vary up and down the country but knowing our two local rescues you would be very very lucky to find a pony backed for riding and suitable for a child. One or the other, maybe but both? Those ponies just don't end up in rescue very often. It doesn't hurt to ask of course.

Its the same up and down the country. I've just bought and I tried all the rescues first. Most arent even taking applications for ridden or potentially ridden horses or ponies!