Riding pony / show pony temperament

[Jenny3603]

Hi all, wasn’t sure this was the correct place to be posting this question but thought I thought it may be worth a shot.

As the title suggest I am looking for some light to be shed on the temperament of the riding/show ponies if anyone has any experience.

I know there will be good and bad as with all breeds but a general idea on their temperament.

 

[AdorableAlice]

A ridden show pony is not a breed as such, it is a type. The smaller ones will have a fair bit of Welsh Section B in them, the bigger ones will often have TB in them or PBA.

A good show pony will need a decent temperament to cope with the big shows but will also need to be forward going and have a lot of presence.

 

[minesadouble]

In general...sharp as s***!

Joking aside some bloodlines are hotter than others and you do get exceptions to the rule. But, usually they are pretty sharp.

I rode them as a kid and my mum breeds them.

 

[Jenny3603]

How would do they compare to the Welsh ponies as this is what my daughter has currently and he can be a right little sod when he wants to be, which is actually quite often.

 

[minesadouble]

In general less ballsy and cheeky than Welsh but much more sensitive and sharp, and often nervy. BUT that is a massive generalisation.

One of my daughters had a section B who was every bit as hot and nervy as a RP and conversely we have a 12.2 RP who is as bold as brass.

As with any breed or type, you have to judge the pony as an individual.

 

[JackFrost]

In general...sharp as s***!

Joking aside some bloodlines are hotter than others and you do get exceptions to the rule. But, usually they are pretty sharp.

I rode them as a kid and my mum breeds them.

Agree with this. They seem to have been bred for size and looks not temperament, and have a lot of thoroughbred in them. They need good and brave little riders. Not surprising that you hardly ever see them as fun children's ponies.

The Welsh section Bs, not so dissimilar, often have good temperaments if your aim is a general riding pony that could also do a bit of showing.

 

[Equi]

The only one I ever knew well was called princess and she was a princess ? quite sharp and forward but very safe and loving with the kids, so decent beginners and pony clubbers both got good rides from her.

 

[conniegirl]

They are sharp “blood” ponies, some are less sharp than others but generally all more sharp than your average pony.
Compared to a welsh i’d say they send toward being more spooky and sharp.
Welsh tend to be forwards but brave, show ponies generally not brave

 

[ester]

They make good driving trials ponies, on the basis that they are sharp, quick, and keep going.

 

[Michen]

The most strong minded, talented, sharp, forward and humorous pony I’ve ever come across and his fellow riding ponies weren’t disimilar! Oozed presence but took no prisoners riding wise. He won everything there was to win county showing, Olympia, Royal London in his day and I was lucky enough to have him as a veteran- 24 yrs old in this pic.

A 16.2hh version would be terrifying but my god he taught me a lot. I can’t remember how he was bred sadly (20 plus years ago).

A brilliant show pony is something special to watch IMO.

 

[ozpoz]

They aren’t any sharper than other ponies necessarily but they are big moving and more athletic due to type, and often kept in a way that makes them sharp, feeding, stabling, excercise all have a part to play. The best are the best ponies in the world and can do anything and everything.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Our oldie was a riding pony, with cracking breeding! Should have been 12hh, but turned out 14.1h and definitely wasn't a child's pony. Positively chunky compared with how they now, and turned his hooves to anything.
There is quite a big difference between the ones you see competing in ridden and in hand classes.

 

[oldie48]

The ones that do well in the show ring are generally quite sharp and forward going.

 

[AdorableAlice]

The ones that do well in the show ring are generally quite sharp and forward going.

and are normally seen being trotted around the lorry park at 3am with an adult on them getting them settled for the 8am class.

 

[minesadouble]

One other point is that if you go to a County show you will notice the SHP, WHP and M&M classes are very well filled. The riding pony class numbers are now very small.

They have declined in popularity so dramatically that many shows now refuse to run riding pony classes. One of our local County shows dropped them altogether 2 years ago. The reason for this is that they are not so easy to ride and keep. They are also, in general, not as much 'fun'.

My 13 year old daughter has a Welsh C who has been to HOYS on the flat, he does Workers, he hunts, she can take him to the beach for a gallop or hack him along the busiest road without a care. There would be very few riding ponies who could do all of this without blowing their brains. Our Welsh is bullish and opinionated and.can be cheeky but he's not sharp, spooky or plain silly.

There's the odd calm riding pony out there but they are few and far between.

 

[rara007]

Mine are horse size German riding ponies which are basically lightweight German warmbloods. The British riding ponies tend to be pretty similar to TBs in temperament. Polite but forwards edging to fizzy/hot!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Old school show ponies could do anything. The ones these days are mini tb's in pretty much every sense of the word. You get some who are dope on a rope but the majority lean towards needing a good rider, a good routine and plenty of work to keep their brains occupied.

It also depends on what size you want as some of the native breeds can double up as SHP's for the show ring. Connemara's and New Forests are often plaited up for Working Hunter classes. Smaller ones Welsh B's and Dartmoors can be stripped and plaited too. I have a Welsh B out on loan just now. He won the Welsh B yearling class at the Royal Welsh but he stopped growing at 12hh and so doesn't stand up in M&M classes but he went ro HOYS and won at the Royal International as both a Lead Rein and Open SHP.

Riding ponies are sharp and sensitive. Welsh are pig headed and bullish at times. It depends really on what the kid wants to do as to what you buy.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My friends daughter has had quite a few most are Welsh Arab, the 12.2 was a gorgeous pony moved beautifully and was Hoys quality but was as sharp as hell he actually did better at dressage as the show ring could wind him up, her 13.2 was lovely had previously been to hoys so was a been there done it type, she qualified him at hoys on her 2nd year showing him, she now has a 14.2 which was also placed at hoys as a 5 year old she actually has a bit of TB blood in her breeding and is a very refined beautiful pony but she is safe.

They also have a 14.1 non native coloured show pony on loan she is Welsh Arab and does really well in in her classes, she is blue and white and quite unusual looking and really stands out in a ring, she has a really good temperament been to most of the big shows and is fine.

From what I can gather some breeding lines are more known for being sharp, so it's worth knowing the bloodlines and talking to show people they tend to know which ones are easier than others.

 

[ozpoz]

and are normally seen being trotted around the lorry park at 3am with an adult on them getting them settled for the 8am class.

By certain, but not all, producers. But not all riding ponies have to be flattened before going in the ring, even the top ones and it sadly seems a more common practice nowadays. I hate seeing an adult squished into a tiny saddle riding in what is supposed to be a child’s pony so it can compete.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

By certain, but not all, producers. But not all riding ponies have to be flattened before going in the ring, even the top ones and it sadly seems a more common practice nowadays. I hate seeing an adult squished into a tiny saddle riding in what is supposed to be a child’s pony so it can compete.

We used to exercise the show ponies in felt saddles because we were all small light adults it just worked for us, nothing worse than trying to sit in a 15" saddle and it can't be good for the pony either.

 

[COldNag]

We have a British Riding Pony, he was bred to show. (We aren't a showing home though).
Temperament wise he can be sharp. Definitely not a first pony, more a third as he can be quite opinionated. Can turn on a sixpence and whizzy as heck.. Jumps like a stag, is most at home on a cross country course and given the choice would really do everything at 90mph.
But on the other hand he's the safest hack I've known, not fazed by anything and a lot of the time my daughter rides him tackless with just a neck rope.

 

[meleeka]

The most strong minded, talented, sharp, forward and humorous pony I’ve ever come across and his fellow riding ponies weren’t disimilar! Oozed presence but took no prisoners riding wise. He won everything there was to win county showing, Olympia, Royal London in his day and I was lucky enough to have him as a veteran- 24 yrs old in this pic.

A 16.2hh version would be terrifying but my god he taught me a lot. I can’t remember how he was bred sadly (20 plus years ago).

A brilliant show pony is something special to watch IMO.

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This sounds just like my pony of a lifetime. She was only 12.2hh but had so much character. Even in her 29th year , after many years retired, she enjoyed in hand showing. She was sharp as anything (TB x Arab x Welsh) though and looking back I can’t quite believe my parents thought it a good choice as my first pony!

 

[Jenny3603]

Thank you everyone for all of you advice, certainly given me something to think about.