Pony squishing if ever I saw it

PeanutButterDragon

PeanutButterDragon

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(edited as I felt quite bad about posting a link to exact advert!
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I ride an 11.2 welshy and carries me fine! Werent they meant to carry grown men up the welsh mountains?
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She isnt struggling at all!
And its says due to no rider thats why its up for sale so i would have thought she only sat on it for the pic for an advert
 
My welsh section a had a dipped back when we got him as a 3yo because someone smaller than that had broken him in......it's a nice pony but it will have back problems IMO.
 
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Werent they meant to carry grown men up the welsh mountains?



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I think you are thinking of Shetland ponies....Welsh COBS are meant to carry grown men up the welsh mountains!!!!
 
But this pony has just been broken in at 4, not 3, and how can you prove your ponys back is dipped because of someone breaking it in???? A dipped back is a conformation defect or something caused by age.
Sorry, just my opinion of course
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same old argument, it seems to me. it depends who's riding them. they have been ridden by adults for generations, have they had saggy backs? maybe. is that the end of the world, probably not. Are they better off with a lightweight ish adult who knows what they're doing, sits light and balanced, has nice hands, or a midget kid with hands like concrete and no balance? who knows? you need 20/20 hindsight to say, don't you?
 
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how can you prove your ponys back is dipped because of someone breaking it in???? A dipped back is a conformation defect or something caused by age.


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We got him when he was 3, just and he had already done quite a bit with a teenager and his back was dipped because of this....the owner even admitted this to us.
 
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Werent they meant to carry grown men up the welsh mountains?



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I think you are thinking of Shetland ponies....Welsh COBS are meant to carry grown men up the welsh mountains!!!!

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beg to differ, welsh cobs are small draft animals, welsh farmers often used to ride as and bs. I'm sure they rode cs and ds sometimes too. I expect it depended on what they had to hand, to be honest.
And as for 'meant to' - none of them are 'meant' to do anything, are they, really, except eat grass reproduce and fertilise the ground they walk on.
Actually Shetlands are also draft animals, by and large aren't they?
 
Shetlands were bred as pit ponies throughout the islands but were also used to carry the miners into the pits and to and from their houses.
 
Well I'm a proud 5ft 8 pony squasher so I can't say anything.. saying that I have my pony limits of about 14hh. I think its fine if she's just sitting on him for a bit to show he's ok to sit on. Welshies are quite sturdy little things so I don't think a few sit ons are going to damage him!
 
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how can you prove your ponys back is dipped because of someone breaking it in???? A dipped back is a conformation defect or something caused by age.


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We got him when he was 3, just and he had already done quite a bit with a teenager and his back was dipped because of this....the owner even admitted this to us.

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Having done quite a bit at 3 with a teenager is a little different to being sat on at 4 to break in.
But I still can't understand why you think the back is dipped because of it. Even if the owner said so, what does the owner know????? They'd been doin a lot with a 3yo with someone too big for it, so I hardly think their opinion would be worth much.
Sorry, but I think you are over reacting. As I've already said, a sway back is a conformation defect. If someone has 'proof' that it can be caused by oversized riders then please point me in the direction of the information!
 
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.f someone has 'proof' that it can be caused by oversized riders then please point me in the direction of the information!

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Maybe if you saw the pony in the advert without a saddle on. As someone has said, if they have no rider for it then I'd rather see it with no rider.
 
well all I can say is in my summer holidays as a kid I used to show a section b who frequently won (at welsh shows) and during the winter the farmer who owned her and was never an ounce under thirteen stone, rode her all over his hill farm and I do believe hunted her! and she didn't have a sway back!mind you he also used to feed her foxs glacier mints without taking the wrappers off and that didn't seem to hurt her either!
I think we've all got a bit precious.
 
But surely this is just an advert photo to show that the pony has been sat on... can't see a major problem tbh.
This is my daughter on her Welsh A...yes she's outgrown her but she still rides her occasionally..it does her no harm whatsoever. In fact we've had her since she was 4 and I used to ride her a mile or so home from the vets from time to time and I'm a full grown adult..
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That's fair enough and funnily enough I do actually agree, but you are assuming that this horse is going to have back problems because someone too big has sat on it.
I've been doing a bit of research on this because i am genuinely interested (am not trying to be argumentative, honest!) and have found this......

'When the span of the back dips excessively in the center, it is called swaybacked (other names include saddle-backed, hollow-backed, low in the back, "soft" in the back, or down in the back). It is the far more common condition, particularly in older horses. A low back may make a horse more prone to a stiff head and neck carriage and usually causes stiffness in the back and difficulty collecting. A horse with a long back and loin, while often considered a trait associated with smooth gaits, is prone to developing a sway back sooner than average. Swayback is caused in part from a loss of muscle tone in both the back and abdominal muscles, plus a weakening and stretching of the ligaments. It is often seen in a broodmare that has had multiple foals; an older horse whose age leads to loss of muscle tone and stretched ligaments; overuse or injury to the muscles and ligaments from excess work or loads; or premature work on an immature horse. Less often, a long-backed horse that in poor condition may develop a sway at a younger age simply due to lack of exercise, particularly if kept in a stall or small pen for long periods without turnout. A sway back often makes it harder for the horse to collect, particularly for dressage and any event that involves jumping. A sway back can also cause soreness to a horse's back because most saddles will "bridge," putting the rider's weight only on the front and the back of the saddle, creating abnormal pressure points, especially over the shoulders and loins. A heavy rider may also put additional strain on already weakened ligaments and muscles. A swaybacked horse is less able to achieve rapid impulsion; which may cause problems in such sports such as horse racing, rodeo and polo. With a properly fitting saddle, a swaybacked horse still can be used as a pleasure horse and as a horse for teaching students.'

So what I deduct from that is that if the horse has a weak back or is too young, then a heavy rider, or a heavy workload, or both CAN make it worse. But it is hardly likely to cause a sway back unless the weakness is already present. And this pony doesn't look long in the back or weak.
I know of a shetland who was rescued as a yearling being ridden around by grown men. The back was severely damaged, but it was never swayed in the slightest. In fact the pony had pretty good confo (although was obviously never ridden again)
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Sooo, without seeing the pony without a saddle or rider on, no one can say that this pony is going to have back problems. Sitting on it a few times is pretty unlikely to cause damage at all. The ad just says it is broken, not that it has been ridden away, or is riding nicely or anything like that.
 
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welsh farmers often used to ride as and bs. I'm sure they rode cs and ds sometimes too.

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Does that make it right though??
 
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welsh farmers often used to ride as and bs. I'm sure they rode cs and ds sometimes too.

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Does that make it right though??

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that would depend on whether you believe this long held practice has in some way undermined the breed?

it seems to me showing, prettying up, and the resultant obesity have caused a damn sight more damage.
 
As someone who rode a 13hh and 12hh pony with no problems....all be it too tall but not too heavy (I made too sure of that) I find peoples attitude to adults riding ponies offensive sometimes (not seen ad so can't comment on that so might be way of the mark). I got verbal abuse from strangers about riding two very hardy natives (who were very opinionated and would have told me if I was too heavy
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) yet ask anyone who saw us together and they'd tell you they had no issues. Unless it's excessive I have no problems with small adults (I am 5ft3 and was under 9st) riding ponies....does them more good IMO but obviously consideration should be made to fitness/age etc.
 
Oh I have nothing against adults riding ponies and certainly wouldn't rule out a 14.2 when I start looking again shortly
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Its just in the add the rider looks to weigh 13st ish and is sat on a 4yo Welsh A. IMHO that is a bit too much, but I could be wrong!
 
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My welsh section a had a dipped back when we got him as a 3yo because someone smaller than that had broken him in......it's a nice pony but it will have back problems IMO.

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That last comment could get you in a heap of trouble. You do not know this pony, you have no idea when it was backed (ad says 'recently' so quite possibly as a 4 yo) or by whom or how much work it has been in (probably none, as no rider) and you are predicting it will have back problems based on one photo?
If it were my ad, I'd be absolutely livid.
 
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