Rode my Shetland...with photo evidence...

[catembi]

(Summary for those who aren’t up to speed with my rubbish time with horses. My beautiful buckskin QHxTB who was heading towards being my horse of a lifetime became progressively more dangerous and was found to have PSSM types 1 and 2. N/p1, n/p4, px/px. Retired at 7 as he collapses v suddenly when ridden. Determined to make the best of it, I started riding my 12hh NF companion pony who I backed when bored between horses. Taught her to load and to jump, started doing some dr and polework clinics, hoping to do a walk-trot test and a x pole CR before the end of the year... Dangerous behaviour started, I got her tested and she is n/p3 ?)

Also at home I have Trev the ex racer who is 16 and had unsuccessful KS surgery in 2015. He is rideable but only for 20 minutes or so in walk on the buckle. And I have Florence the Shetland. She is 5 and I bridled her and did some long reining and lungeing when I was backing the NF. So I thought, why the hell not? I have my newly finished arena doing nothing. Florence could do with burning some calories.

I put her little bridle on, hopped on and we spent 5 or 10 minutes doing laps of the stable on each rein! But then o/h took a photo, and it’s v obvious that it’s not going to work ? I am too tall! At 5 ft 1, I have never been too tall for anything! Realistically, I am probably too heavy too, at 49 kg ? She is around 9.2 hh. I am saving up to buy no 5 in the spring and will have to make do with Trev. He likes a gentle potter but it’s so dull!

I ought to sell Florence really to make some room. It would be nice for her to be loved by a child. And she’s backed now! She does actually have reasonable manners for a Shetland as I have had her since 6 months and she has always had firm adult handling. Aaarrrggghhh I hate selling! I am going to end up with 5, aren’t I!

 

[millikins]

What Florence needs is a cart.

 

[Reacher]

What Florence needs is a cart.

Good point

 

[Chinchilla]

aha Florence is gorgeous.

(I confess to having a sit on my dinky New Forest a couple of times over the summer. I need some long boots with wheels on and so do you. )

 

[Snow Falcon]

Pair of rollerboots required?

 

[TheOldTrout]

Florence is gorgeous!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

What you need is a full up 42" Shetland so a 10.2hh and then you will look and be smaller than the majority of shetland riders on the southern show circuit!!!

 

[Micropony]

Can she not be put to work harrowing the school, or topping the fields or some such? Less nickable than a quad, and cheaper than a tractor? She is super cute!

 

[catembi]

I have been mulling over the cart option. I worked with driving horses for about 3 weeks once, so wouldn't be coming to it completely cold... I don't actually have a harrow for my school, but apparently it needs a power harrow (economy track - sand + mixed in fibre).

She didn't feel too bad size wise ridden as she's so fat, but the photos don't lie & roller boots would be needed. I am disappointed as I saw a photo of someone (a child) doing dressage on one recently & I thought, that's what I'll do! I'll teach her dressage! It was an elegant-looking Shetland though, not a chunky round one...

I think she'd sj & event - at various times her antics have included repeatedly jumping a large ditch on my property (escaped from field & trying to evade capture/being long reined & trying to evade work), jumping a ton bag of builder sand (escaped from field & trying to evade capture) and been up & down the steep, 5-6 ft bank on one side of the arena where it was cut into a slope (escaped from field & trying to make sure that I was dumped off whatever I was trying to school). Maybe I will see if I can teach her to jump on the lunge/free jump...although do I really want to add jumping to her 'escape from field' arsenal...? She usually teleports...

 

[millikins]

I have been mulling over the cart option. I worked with driving horses for about 3 weeks once, so wouldn't be coming to it completely cold... I don't actually have a harrow for my school, but apparently it needs a power harrow (economy track - sand + mixed in fibre).

She didn't feel too bad size wise ridden as she's so fat, but the photos don't lie & roller boots would be needed. I am disappointed as I saw a photo of someone (a child) doing dressage on one recently & I thought, that's what I'll do! I'll teach her dressage! It was an elegant-looking Shetland though, not a chunky round one...

I think she'd sj & event - at various times her antics have included repeatedly jumping a large ditch on my property (escaped from field & trying to evade capture/being long reined & trying to evade work), jumping a ton bag of builder sand (escaped from field & trying to evade capture) and been up & down the steep, 5-6 ft bank on one side of the arena where it was cut into a slope (escaped from field & trying to make sure that I was dumped off whatever I was trying to school). Maybe I will see if I can teach her to jump on the lunge/free jump...although do I really want to add jumping to her 'escape from field' arsenal...? She usually teleports...

There's quite a few videos of people doing dressage with Shetlands in long reins. If you have time on your hands with your riding horses out of work you could try on line agility. My previous part bred (10.3hh) loved jumping on the lunge and I even found a competent child to loan her and do PC for a year. You may find if her active little brain is more usefully occupied she'll spend less time looking for gaps in the fence.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Pair of rollerboots required?

I used to wear rollerskates to ride a Shettie ? I was light enough but legs too long ? Was hysterically funny.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

It sounds like a confident and courageous child, with a chilled parent(!), would have a whale of a time with her. Can you ask your local PC?

 

[maya2008]

Shetlands are fetching VERY good money, even unbacked at the moment. If you want to sell to boost the new horse budget, now is a good time!

 

[catembi]

Interesting...ballpark figure...?

 

[Durhamchance]

I can lend you a small child? It keeps stealing my 16hh

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Haha, that's awesome ? I'm 5' 11" so no chance of me ever riding my ShitPig but I am tempted to try to drive him at some point ?

 

[maya2008]

Interesting...ballpark figure...?

I was looking about a month ago - £1000-1200 backed, £600-800 plus never sat on. I only needed a companion the kids’ friends could also sit on, decided to wait the winter out and see what was going on in six months to a year!

I would be interested to know what behaviours the 12hh NF was displaying - I have one mare that is PSSM 1 (and probably 2 also) and 2 that I suspect are PSSM 2 (tested negative for PSSM1). I manage them all as if they are, and they are doing well. No behavioural problems to date (they don’t like treed saddles but that’s about it), I would be interesting to know what others have experienced!

 

[Littlewills]

Type 2 is a horrible disease and while I am heartbroken mine is type 1, I am very grateful shes not type 2. Someone shared a video, on here I think about type 2. I watched it hardly daring to breathe in case mine showed any signs, but thankfully none. If you are on FB there are a few decent groups for PSSM. Some of the stories are devastating but there are some positive stories too

 

[catembi]

My QH went spooky when he was normally extremely laid back and spooked me off a few times. Was bought as he was v quiet ? Then he was bucking after jumps and I couldn’t get him forward between jumps. It started in comp warm up as there is a stress component so travel plus comp stress brings it out. Then he wanted to carry his head with his nose on the floor, or flap his head in an odd way. He got a lot more aggressive with the others and bit me too. Got worse, not better, with exercise so worse if lunged and worse 30 minutes into a hack than at the beginning. Then he started collapsing v suddenly under saddle, the last time after three minutes in walk. He is now retired. The NF went spooky, then when asked to trot, would halt instead. She got a lot worse when work increased. QH got worse when the weather turned cold. ? It is really rubbish ?

 

[Quigleyandme]

Interesting...ballpark figure...?

There is one advertised in H&H as an 11hh cob for £8,000!

 

[maya2008]

Poor horses! I have to rug up my older one but the others’ symptoms have been manageable with appropriate diet and work. I am so used to pssm life though that we warm up slowly and put muscle on gently and do everything gently and gradually! I rode one bareback for over a year because she could not tolerate a saddle of any kind! Now she is looking after my 6 year old and the only obvious symptom is needing to put her head on the floor after canter. No stress though, a few shows a year, always with buddies, mostly hacking and gentle schooling once a week or so. What were the bloodlines of the NF?

 

[catembi]

No idea re bloodlines! Passport only has year of birth. And the person who rescued her as a foal now says she came from Dartmoor, not NF!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Interesting...ballpark figure...?

For a 38" pony you won't get as much as you would for a 42" but they are commanding good money just now. They always have to be honest. So if you want to sell do as much as you can first to make the pony and bombproof and child proof as possible. A good pedigree is always a bonus but not the be all and end all for a kids pony. If you get her walking, trotting, cantering, popping a wee jump and safe and sane in open spaces then you could easily get around £2k for her. I sold the Wee Coloured Job back in March as a lightly backed stallion who had done well in the show ring in-hand for £2500 and though he is now gelded he is proving to be an amazing kids pony and will hopefully qualify for HOYS next year as a First Ridden.