Pet Ponies and Realising Potential..

WelshD

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Going back nearly five years I decided to buy pet ponies

Ponies 1 and 2 were both bought as youngsters and bought cheaply but both are decent examples of their breed and well bred

I am not in the very best of health and it occurred to me that the market is flooded with small ponies being bought for pittance and that should anything happen to me it would leave someone having to try and find homes for unbroken small ponies - the outlook would not be good I feel. It seems that in recent years its popular to buy youngsters as pets and I see so many now reaching 5 or 7 yet still unbroken and when the owners circumstances change they sell for pittance

So.. pony 1 was sent for breaking last year, he did well he currently isn't ridden and has allergies he will be here for life hopefully but being the sort of pony he is (quiet lead rein) I think he would probably find a home and be useful should the worst happen

they were joined last year by pony 3, she was bought specifically to show and has now been broken in, is going well and has a small jockey for local shows but I have failed to find an experienced rider for bigger shows so to some degree she is being wasted here but her education is expanding and the child is having lessons on her so its not all bad I suppose good things will come in time

So my dilemma is surrounding pony 2. He is now four years old, he is a 13.2 section B and worth minimal money as he stands, he has 'potential' he is well bred from working hunter and show jumping pony lines but as AA's post points out - how do you put a price on 'potential'....

I am preparing to spend around £1700 on his initial education which plus tack, teeth etc is no small sum

I feel I owe it to him to give him an education

Once educated I will then try and find a jockey with the hope that as he is bigger and more versatile he may find one easily

Or I could get him some competition results under his belt and sell him on or loan him out and be happy to see him doing something

My husband and friends say i am crazy to pour money in to another pony when I already have two not doing a great deal and I should just sell him now

When I was a kid there were seemingly hundreds of kids jumping at the chance to groom a pony let alone ride one but its not the same these days despite me offering to foot entry fee/transport costs etc

These ponies are weighing on my conscience I COULD just keep them as pets but as they get older its making me worried about their prospects

Thoughts anyone? be gentle, these ponies are much adored by me :)
 

teddypops

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If you can afford to, I would get him broken and kitted out. Alternatively you could try to sell him first as he is and if he doesn't sell, then get him broken in.
 

SEL

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I agree on getting him backed and kitted out - 13.2 is ok for a small adult sharer if you couldn't find the right child.

Without wanting to sound morbid if you want to make long term plans for them then I looked into gifting my 2 to World Horse Welfare in my will.
 

merlin12

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I understand your concerns. You could make provision for your ponies, if anything happens to you. World Horse Welfare can send you information about making arrangements for them to take your ponies on , look at their website or phone for advice.
 

pennyturner

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I am constantly looking for riders for my dozen 'pet' ponies. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to back and drive them all myself, so they have decent experience and could be rehomed easily enough... but I can't exercise them all, and you try finding people to ride them!
 

Irish gal

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You poor thing, it is hard when they are your pets and you're so attached to them.

When I was a child someone like you would have been an answer to prayer for horse mad kids. It's a sad state of affairs today that kids are so wrapped up in cotton wool that it's hard to come across small local riders. But maybe they are out there. Would it be worth putting adverts in your local shops offering the chance to ride - I would have bitten your hand off when I was ten! Or maybe the local paper...
 

FfionWinnie

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If the temperament is right on the 13.2 then it's a good size to be popular to loan out. Loaning is in some respects easier than getting someone in to ride because it opens up more people who will be interested. It really depends what sort of pony it would make as to whether you would get anything like your initial investment back. Really unless you can get it ridden away for a while it won't be worth much more as it stands, than broken imo.

As a mother of a very good child rider who is riding 12.3-14.1s at the moment I would buy unbroken if I liked it and we would do it ourselves, I'm not sure about recently broken with no record as I would be suspicious. Whatever you do make sure you get plenty of video footage of the pony doing everything it can do, and have it safety stored on YouTube so that in the future if you want to sell it, and it's not done much since, you can show this to people.
 

oldie48

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I also agree with getting the pony "broken in" to ride if it has a nice sensible temperament. I recently took on loan a sect A that was rescued as a youngster. He's not the best example of a sect A and has a problem with his patella so is pretty worthless in money terms but he is a sweet companion pony that will stay on his own if I take my horse away, is nice to handle and can be ridden on and off the lead rein. My neighbour's 6 year old adores him and they are having a lot of fun together. As he's a nice person and a bit of a kick on ride I think he's the sort of pony that will always find a home as a LR/FR but unbroken I think he may struggle.
 

windand rain

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I agree to getting him started doing something I think it is every young pony/horse owners duty to make sure every equine in their care is fit for a purpose should their circumstances change. The only exception being those too broken or dangerous who it should be stated in writing are to be PTS and monies put aside to do so. I would include every breeder in that but responsibiltiy passes to the purchaser on sale
 
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