Quirky,Talented Pony-Are there people out there that dont mind?

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My mum is selling her stunning black PBA 14.2hh pony. She is extremely talented,but shes a bit naughty to handle -she can bite and pull faces. Pony-thats her nickname - has been handled by me since I was 11 and Ive managed her, but will people put talent over quirkiness?

Pony has been like it since a yearling, and very,very occasionally shows attitude in her work,but she yet still won the first and second rounds of the pony club dengie dressage winter league,10th at champs, won area dressage, xc and sj-very scopey. She will be heading to the performance sales in march,but I worry about her going to a home,then being deamed too dangerous and ending up somewhere where she really shouldnt be :(. The people that have tried her so far have been complete timewasters, are happy to take her on for trials and love showing her off,but then look shocked when she pulls faces etc,even though they know what shes like! What do you guys reckon?
 
In short - no.
Have a pony identical to yours - really good competitive pony, SJ & eventing, but doesn't make life easy on the ground.
We've been trying to find the above fictitious people for the last 18 months - the sales are a big no no as we've had him so long. We've had him since a 4yo, he's 11 this year. Same reason as you - we don't want him passed from pillar to post. Good luck finding someone.
 
Im wondering the same thing about one that im selling for someone. Hes 14.1 and got all the talent in the world, but hes more like a horse than a pony (not quirky like the one your describing though). Will just need a really confident litle kid otherwise they wont get the best out of him, and im wondering if those kids are out there?!
 
bigboyrocky said:
im wondering if those kids are out there?!
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You'll usually find it's the parents over the children. Child would usually be pretty gutsy all round if it's a gutsy rider - but parents get worried about their darlings. Plus usually parent's will do the 9-5 stuff while child is at school.
 
We would have if the pony was talented enough. My sister had very little care for what her pony was like on the ground (one pony she had to climb in and out of the stable as he was so bargey...) as long as it would jump big, go fast and do a decent dressage. If you find the right (often desperate/ more hard up) parents and children they will take on quirks.

Groom42- have PM'd you :)
 
They are out there but just very rare! Friend of ours had a very quirky but talented pony. Got upset easily and was very sensitive, did occasionally take off when it panicked. But they sold him to a very neat, quiet but gutsy young girl and from what I know they got on very well together. Its not that people dont mind, but they will compromise if the pony generally fits the bill
 
i had one a bit different to yours. A lamb on the ground except leading on the road - fine most of the time but very jumpy when fresh. Our field was half mile down the road so she was always a bit on her toes in the morning going out. She (and I !) were hit by a bus on our way to the field shortly after I got her so this was the cause - as long as she wasnt too fresh she was fine though.
Also was a tricky ride - soft mouth, not strong but forward going and very sensitive. And could put in a fair few bucks when jumping if fresh (never on the flat though).

We had a lot of people who could not handle her, mostly girls who over-exagerated their experience and ability. A few riders who were too heavy or strong with their hands (she was just 145cm) but eventually found someone who seemed to suit. However they never really hit it off and despite the girl being a bit older(15) she was very nervous when showjumping the pony and caused her to stop. She never ever refused a fence in our time together and came to me with a clean SJAI record - bar her very very first 2 shows. I had her jumping(with me and then with a freind) and she only ever had 4flts once and that was the jump-off of a national Champs open.
They sold her on about a year later - after she had spent most of it in the field. She went through Cavan sales and was picked up by a showjumping dealer and exported to Sweden where she is still jumping successfully! Lucky for the dealer he picked her up for a fifth of what he offered me when i had her (and he still paid a lot for a pony out of work with a poor recent record!!).

I think my pony would have been far trickier to sell and it certainly took us 2-3mth to sell her so dont think you will have too mny problems. She wont suit a hacking/non-competitive home most likely with attitude but as she has good reults as a PC/competition pony I dont think you will have too many difficulties. When I was in ponies, she wouldnt have put me off. Advertise her via PC website and you might get the right sort of buyers interested.
 
i believe there are getting less and less kids out there who just get on with it and accept pony as it is. probably change in parenting attitudes as much as anything. also although no way a dealer in my experience as a horse owner and now children/pony owner when horses are sold it always seems to be novices and joyriders looking. just recently i sold a retrained racehorse on behalf of a friend and in order to get him a good home said i would allow as many folk as possible to see him and would choose the best home for him.i actually had about a dozen offers but in reality there was only one lady i thought would be really suitable for him.this was just a nice sensible no problem horse.

i would worry like mad selling something a bit quirky. the last family we purchased a very good pony from had previousley owned a well know fantastic pony that they had sold a year earlier. they explained that although top class he could be quirky and although they had wished to keep him another year were approached by a suitable family and therefore sold him a year early as they could not be guaranteed the right home for him on the open market.
 
Not really, although I sold a sharp and slightly 'odd' pony a couple of years ago, there wasn't anything dodgy about her she was just sharp and easily upset, but at the same time absolutely fearless jumping wise. I had lots of people try her and you could just tell she wasn't happy with them, then a lovely family came along and the pony just clicked with the kid and it was like a match made in heaven. When they bought her I did send her off with a list of do's and don'ts although the folks were smart enough to work her out for themselves.
 
I'm sure for the right price someone will want her. I had all the rubbish no one wanted at PC including a 15hh, stiff 17yr old but not broken until she was 10, Heinz 57 scruffy type, labeled as Not Novice Ride and she was bloody brilliant! Took us 3 hours to load her when we went to pick her up as she kept flying out backwards. Reared up with me in the first week, couldn't put shoes on her as she used to kick the farrier. Couldn't hose her she would kick you. Honestly she was brilliant though, brave as a lion and genuine as they came. I was a bit nervy skinny 12 yr old and we really clicked, won everything PC champs, we were on all the teams she was fab.
Im sure there is someone for your horse, she doesn't sound that bad either.

I saw a funny advert once for a horse it said 'if you can get into the stable and put a bridle on the bi*** she will jump anything' lol. She was only up for 1k and the ad had a 'sold' sign a few days later!
 
It is hard to sell a good pony that someone has built up a relationship with over a few years. I have known two that were advertised in H & H at top prices, and had the competition record to back it up.

Trouble is, people came along and thought that their child just had to sit on and it would go out and win, and both ponies came back again and again, simply because the buyers wouldn't give the pony a chance and thought that since they had paid lots that was all there was to it.

I think in both cases the ponies had to be loaned out before they were sold, but neither ever had the success they had with the first riders who had brought them on in the first place.

Sorry, probably not want to want to hear! I think you will find someone in the end but you have to be clear and make sure they understand. Sometimes you say something to a buyer and they just don't seem to listen and hear and understand what the seller is saying.
 
I used to ride Strawberry Mojo when i was on ponies, she was the most talented pony ever, she would jump the moon and won everything, yet on the ground she was a total madam! She would kick you out of the stable, bite and she wouldnt come in from the field, she would just rear up at you so the only way to get her in was open the gate and chase her with a lunge whip (obviously not hit her with it) she had sooo much character but that didnt put people off! The owners were offered so much money for her, and i mean a LOT and they wouldnt take it. You just need the right kind of people to know your pony is for sale and if she is as talented as you say, you will have no trouble selling her :)
 
Depending HOW talented, you might be better to look for an adult? When I got mine on loan initially, they had over 40 calls and 15 viewings but he is a lamb on the ground and can be a handful to ride, nothing awful just fast sharp and spooky! He's Arab. They didn't want him to go to a child as he isn't talented enough for a properly competitive child.... Only happy up to about 1m.
Maybe try advertising through riding clubs etc?
 
I think it depends quite a bit on how you define your terms and what niche the pony is supposed to fit into. A winning JA pony, kept only for that purpose and probably living with experienced people, can be a lot more difficult in other areas (so long as it does the job) and still meet its mandate. But for Pony Club etc, I suspect most kids and parents also want a "friend" and a pony the kid can safely handle with minimum supervision, at least eventually. If they're competitive and on a budget they'll be more likely to compromise but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for parents to worry about their kids' safety. ;)

That said, there's a lid for every pot. I was involved in the sale of a mare that used to drive us all, experienced horse people, crazy because she was so sensitive, used to stop with the slightest provocation etc. She was at least pretty, but we were not hopeful we'd get our price, if we found someone for her at all. Didn't we end up having a bidding war for her! A kid came in the morning, loved her, but we had another looker booked so we honoured that commitment and they loved her too! The father of the first kid offered us above price, vetting the next day, take her away asap. Sold!
 
Really good junior riders are very few and far between. They mostly want machines to win them rosettes :( We picked up a fairly talented 14.2 who had led several people a merry dance and pretty much chucked it under saddle, but clicked with my son. So fond of her are we, that he rides her in seniors and she will never be sold because we can't guarantee she won't be exploited and passed around because the rosettes won't come. However, she wasn't being marketed as a jumping pony and had relatively low mileage - and none with juniors. She is fab to do most things with, although a bit of a worry-pants, it's mainly the riding thing! Not worth the risk of selling nor the heartache, though I appreciate not everyone can afford to retire a special pony nor turn down the offer of £££££'s.
 
Its nice to hear of your past experiences with this sort of situation,thankyou for the advice and Im very glad to hear some have been sold! I understand safety is a major priority so I was thinking along the line of hands on parents/adult riders for her. Shes been advertised and been out on loan,but loan homes are awkward because I dont really want this pony back when its 15yrs old, because I ll have to find her another home.Price wise she is going for a quarter of her worth,due to the slow market and her "problem". People have different opinions on what talent is, but I think that arriving late to a test,jumping on without a warmup and going in and winning with 9's is pretty good (I do stress warm ups are important lol!), performing a 1/2 canter pirouette at a first attempt,winning her first hunter trial and scoring 27 in her first ODE is talent. Pony could FEI/BE but Im a bit tall for her, and get unbalanced when jumping.
There are more talented horses than her-but I think she is pretty special,and shouldnt be written off either :). Plus her attitude adds depth to her work-she does very good 1x changes when angry.
If she grew another hand,she wouldnt be going.
 
The other option might be a small adult?

My younger sister is an adult, yet at under 5ft is still on her 13hh pony comfortably. This pony is getting on, however, and my sister wants to start eventing so we will at some point in the future be looking for a little eventer.

I know short arses are slightly rarer, but might be worth trying to emphasis that she could do well for an adult as well and opening up that door to yourself?
 
Firstly...she sounds stunning. A black PBA is my cup of tea!!

I'm a petite adult, only 5ft2 and of a small frame. I much prefer smaller horses/ponies yet like them with character and attitude!

I used to loan a 14.2hh PBA chestnut flaxen mare who was very sharp and could be difficult, was definitely NOT suitable for a child. Although to me, she was my absoloute dream horse! So let me assure you, we're out here!

Unsure of how much she's up for sale for but, ohhh if only I had my own land/yard and was in a better paid job :rolleyes: *dreams*
 
You sound perfect,an adult rider whose light weigh would be ideal! well tbh,pricing her was/has been difficult. I think a pony like her is worth £10k plus as she does do everything. We wont get that though, wed be lucky to get half of that I think :/.
 
I would definately be looking at the small adult market for her. I'm a short-a**e, just over 5 foot and definately an adult now. I have a 14.1hh, quirky type. Have known him since he was 4 and is 22 soon. Can be cheeky to handle, very strong with a good buck and extra strong when he is jumping, but has been there and done it and is so much fun. The stuff on the ground won't worry an adult so much, as long as they are talented ridden.
 
I think it would be good to get her out to some BSJA if you can? BSJA kiddies are happier with a quirky pony than PC kids. I had a difficult pony years ago - was a rig so no wonder. We only had him on loan but the girl didnt want him back (!) so he was sold from our place, he went to a PC home. I've heard he was moved about a lot between PC homes beacause he was so difficult which is really sad. Unfortunately I had no say on where he was sold to though. He also has masses of potential, could jump massive (regularily jumped out of fields over the highest gates too, he was only 13.1hh!).
 
ponypops said:
i believe there are getting less and less kids out there who just get on with it and accept pony as it is. probably change in parenting attitudes as much as anything.
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Completely agree! I teach at the same Riding School I learnt to ride at. Now I'm a wimp, always have been, but I was always the minority. Now so many of the children are nervous, they panic if someone else's pony misbehaves.
I'm sure a lot of it comes from the parents, we have several that complain if their kids fall off, if the pony is too fast, too slow, too well behaved, too naughty, they cantered, they didn't canter, etc etc... :rolleyes: :D

OP - hope you find someone. My friend is in a similar situation with her horse, unfortunately as well as being a difficult sod, he is also limited in his jumping work by an old injury.
 
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