Riding a Sh*tPig...weight??

[SatansLittleHelper]

So ShitPig is the (I'm reluctant to say "my" and thus admit responsibility for the little gobshite..!!! ) large mini Shitland...approx 36" and possibly as wide ?
I want to eventually break him to cart (previous owner believes he may have been driven in the past) but am a bit time poor at the moment. Am going to start ponying him off the big guys and muzzle him (thank you to whoever it was on here that suggested this...my horses will very much thank you for it..!!!) but I have a friend who's life I'm fully prepared to sacrifice by getting her to rodeo..ermm."ride" him. She's 5'4 and just over 9stone....a real novice and therefore still at the too naive to question my instructions/ motives stage ??? So is she too big/heavy to be a crash test du...I mean jockey for him..??? On a scale of one to ten I'm thinking an eleven for the entertainment if nothing else ?‍?‍?‍

 

[Bellaboo18]

? sorry to me, she's way too big! I'm 5'3 and 9ish stone and I'd never even consider it x

 

[PurBee]

When i was a teen i rodeo’d a beefy shetland….i was just 5 stone and pinged off at the first buckaroo into a pile of mature stinging nettles! I think more weight is needed to at least have a fighting chance ??

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I should add that I've only thought of it because I saw some stuff about some adults being stupid enough to ride Shitlands, Inc some larger Minis

 

[Palindrome]

If you go with an ideal weight of 200 kg (which is probably generous), you get a maximum weight of 40 kg.

 

[cauda equina]

My smallish - not sure if he's officially a mini - Shetland was 120kg on a weighbridge; 20% would be 24kg so under 4 stone

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I was 5ft1 and about 8/9st and riding dartmoors so tbh I wouldn’t see anything too bad about it if it was short sits to get him used to it. Prolonged long riding I wouldn’t do but cart sounds like a good option.

sorry I had to keep stopping so it didn’t refresh ??

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Ok thanks guys...probably not the best idea then. Bugger. I'll get him sledding her about instead ???

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Def not on that height, would really be too much for a std at around 42, particularly with a real novice. No SLH, do not use friend, however much you detest her! ?
Ideal to lead alongside, but then get him long reining (2 lead ropes, 1 each side to start with) in front of you, perhaps with friend as guy rope at his head.
Report back when able to steer, go and stop ?

 

[cauda equina]

Or find a gutsy little kid!

 

[[153312]]

Sorry too heavy I think.

 

[stangs]

There must be plenty of parents, sick to death of their child, who would be happy to loan you said child for these purposes…

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Too tall even for a stocky one, you would need roller blades either side which would defeat the purpose of breaking them carrying weight!

But I know what these little blighters can do so I doubt the weight would worry him at all ??

 

[Gloi]

Too big for one that size. However in my youth when I worked at a holiday site ,I was about that size and everyday took the pony ride full size Shetlands to and from their overnight pasture several hundred yards away. I rode one bareback and led four and they had no problem carrying me at a spanking trot. Stopping the little beggars racing was the biggest problem.

 

[Equi]

I would not at all be comfortable with someone that size riding my 36" miniature.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Also a no from me - find a brave small person, or what about building a dummy!

 

[rara007]

This is 5’4 on a chunky 39 inches. Nearly a hand smaller you can see isn’t going to work for actual riding!

Ps. Isn’t the mini cut off 34 inches?

 

[[153312]]

View attachment 90372View attachment 90373

This is 5’4 on a chunky 39 inches. Nearly a hand smaller you can see isn’t going to work for actual riding!

Ps. Isn’t the mini cut off 34 inches?

I thought it was 31"?

 

[rara007]

I thought it was 31"?

https://www.shetlandponystudbooksociety.co.uk/about-the-breed/history
34

 

[[153312]]

https://www.shetlandponystudbooksociety.co.uk/about-the-breed/history
34

Ahhhh thank you!!

 

[Wishfilly]

I'm 5'4'' and when I weighed about 8st VERY occasionally sat on a standard shetland (not sure of actual height, but a proper chunky "normal" shetland). But it was 3-4 times over the course of a couple of years, not a regular thing. My feet weren't honestly that far off the floor, either, and I have quite short legs for my height.

(If you like, I do have a somewhat amusing story about it, though).

 

[catembi]

My Shetland was 9.2 hh and I backed her. I weigh 48.5 kg and am 5 ft 1. I kept our schooling sessions to 20 minutes, strictly timed. All done bareback as there is no saddle that would fit her & me. I don't think that she particularly struggled to carry me, but it was more a case of needing to back her to sell on. I wouldn't have hacked her as I was conscious of being on her upper weight limit, & when I taught her to jump, it was on the lunge.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Thanks all. He's registered with the SPBS as a Mini...I need to measure him properly with the stick I guess.
Sadly all the parents I know seem to like their sprogs...damned inconvenient ?
Don't worry folks although he's a complete shit I don't actually want to hurt him (mainly ? )...I guess I'll have to start making him drag things ???

 

[LEC]

I ride and lead with my mini Shetland and it works great. It never went very far would do about 3 - 4 miles before becoming pretty tired as has to jog the whole way and then the sport horses needed to get fitter so the Shetland got left behind. I did need to get barefoot boots though. I find lunging pretty useful (she is terrible in canter) and Polework. If I want to have some fun then we free school over jumps. All helps as she is far too small to ride. I do keep meaning to make more effort long lining but then something else comes along. After all I can make mistakes with long lining the Shetland I can’t make with the sport horses! I have taken my Shetland to the beach and just let her go thinking she would follow the other horse. She didn’t. Just stayed with me on foot. I did have treats in my pocket in case!

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I ride and lead with my mini Shetland and it works great. It never went very far would do about 3 - 4 miles before becoming pretty tired as has to jog the whole way and then the sport horses needed to get fitter so the Shetland got left behind. I did need to get barefoot boots though. I find lunging pretty useful (she is terrible in canter) and Polework. If I want to have some fun then we free school over jumps. All helps as she is far too small to ride. I do keep meaning to make more effort long lining but then something else comes along. After all I can make mistakes with long lining the Shetland I can’t make with the sport horses! I have taken my Shetland to the beach and just let her go thinking she would follow the other horse. She didn’t. Just stayed with me on foot. I did have treats in my pocket in case!

All great ideas, I just need to make so extra time in my day to work with him.
He will need to be muzzled to be led as he's a little shit for biting the others ?

 

[LEC]

All great ideas, I just need to make so extra time in my day to work with him.
He will need to be muzzled to be led as he's a little shit for biting the others ?

Mine is a kicker and not a biter. Though very respectful of the sporthorses. The cob, she has no respect for at all…..tbh he is really annoying so I agree with her. She thinks she is a sporthorse. She is awesome though, very chatty. I need to get some video of her as she is so cool. I do spend my life experimenting on my training with her. I sound like a 15yo, talking about the Shetland don’t I? When in reality I am nearly 3x that and a jaded old skool horse person ?

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Mine is a kicker and not a biter. Though very respectful of the sporthorses. The cob, she has no respect for at all…..tbh he is really annoying so I agree with her. She thinks she is a sporthorse. She is really awesome, very chatty. I need to get some video of her as she is so cool. I do spend my life experimenting on my training with her.

She sounds ace, please post videos in here...would love to see ???

 

[LEC]

She sounds ace, please post videos in here...would love to see ???

Here she is - Duchess Potato

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[Elf On A Shelf]

Mini Shetlands are under 34". Standards are over 34" and under 42". An overgrown mini just goes into the Standard classes at shows if they are very obviously overnight for a mini. If they can get away with it most stay in mini classes. "Midi" ponies (35"-38") don't tend to get much of a look in in the show ring as they are too small compared to most standards - which is entirely the wrong way of looking at it! A good pony is a good pony no matter the height or colour.

 

[Equi]

Mini Shetlands are under 34". Standards are over 34" and under 42". An overgrown mini just goes into the Standard classes at shows if they are very obviously overnight for a mini. If they can get away with it most stay in mini classes. "Midi" ponies (35"-38") don't tend to get much of a look in in the show ring as they are too small compared to most standards - which is entirely the wrong way of looking at it! A good pony is a good pony no matter the height or colour.

Oh this causes so many arguments in the mini world (horses not shetlands) as the "midi" as you call them tend to keep winning the shows despite being overheight and not measured at the shows. Happy to say all my show minis are actually under 34" hahaha