saintly ponies and how do you find one?

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dorito

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As an over-50 rider I am thinking (well fantasising really) about getting a pony of my own.
I used to have an arab but lost her 7 years ago, do not want something spooky or sharp again. Confidence is kind of fragile, but goes up or down depending on the blimmin horse and how it behaves, or doesn't!
Just want to school (classically) and hack (safely) - we have wonderful bridleways but there are cattle, sheep, tractors, shoots, 4 x 4s, cyclists, dog walkers etc - believe me there is lots going on! Oh and it's always windy - high up on the downs.
Is there such a saint who will not bat an eyelid at all the above (and carry an 11 stone rider) and how rare are they? I would really love some positive answers here...also how best to find one?! Have become totally cynical reading adverts and honestly don't know how one can buy a horse on just one or two viewings.
I am thinking connie or welsh d but think connie temperament sounds slightly easier - if you can rely on reputation.
 
Don't know of any - but they are out there.

I personally would go down the word-of-mouth route, often the saintly ones are not advertised x
 
I searched high and low, done 300 mile round trips to see ponies for daughter! Two months later found one 3 miles from home via a wanted ad! :rolleyes:

They are there, just way over priced but worth it in my opinion.

p.s good luck x
 
search search and search again :)

after alot of hassle, my mum's friend found a little cracker :D she's a fell cross only 6 and despite baby spookiness (doesn't mind lorries, tractors etc etc but if hacking companion coughs she jumps out of her skin!) has an old head on young shoulders :D:D

they do exist.

ETA: have a good look around horsemart is useful. there are alot like this on there and not too expensive either http://www.horsemart.co.uk/cobs_horse_16_yrs_15_1_hh_black_kent/advert/176352
 
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what sort of price do you all think, just out of interest? I must have read too many ads - don't necessarily believe price is an indicator of quality. do think there is a lot of truth in the word of mouth/ex-kids ponies idea.
 
dorito said:
do think there is a lot of truth in the word of mouth/ex-kids ponies idea.
Click to expand...

Yes!
The trouble is that these types of pony never even hit the likes o the H&H "For Sale" pages as they are often "promised" to another PC member should they come up for sale!
Makes them extremely hard to find sometimes!
 
They are out there, but some never get advertised as they go from home to home by word of mouth, or are never sold!

I've got one, I rescued him and had a stream of teenagers lining up to share him (I don't want to part with him as he had such a bad start so he has a home for life).

Be prepared to put up with a few minor problems if the horse is safe to ride - my boy has a bursal enlargement on his knee, a thickened tendon, and mild sweet itch, but I would not take a drop in price for him if I were selling him because he always brings his rider home safely with a smile on their face.

He is a connie/cob cross, the best behaved pony I have ever known - hunt turned up at our pc camp and took the kids round the field, after 3 laps only two were still behind the Master and my boy was one of them.

You might find a wanted ad is good - it might tempt someone to sell who is undecided, or not got round to writing an ad. And try the pc website - my friend sold a sweet pony that was great to hack etc but not competitive enough for pc and it went to a lady your age who absolutely adores him.
 
What about ex-riding school?

I have afriend who bought her favourite horse and hasn't looked back. He was used in the school for about 3 years and is the perfect gent in all ways. He's forward going, not a kick along type and will turn a hoof to most things.
 
good luck with the search :D could you maybe look at a riding school if they have a bombproof pony? i know my old riding school said they would never sell a pony.. but for the right price i am sure they would have parted with one :)
ifg you put wanted ads around everywhere! then someone who is thinking about selling might contact you first, instead of putting on the market etc.
 
They are out there but take some finding and you'll probably have to drop the schooling requirement and be prepared to start that part from scratch.
 
Interesting idea about the wanted ad.
RE the schooling - would far rather something relatively unspoilt than one that has been gadgetted into an outline - as long as the pony doesn't have some arthritic body part that would preclude certain school movements.
edited to add: not that my schoolwork is, or ever will be, terribly advanced! but, don't want to be limited in that way!
 
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I hit extremely lucky.

I had a limited budget and was not prepared to travel too far. Lo and behold, the first pony (14h3) I went to see was extremely mannerly even though she had only been broken and was 3 1/2.

I liked her, took a punt on her as she was cheap enough and she has grown into a pony that is worth her weight in gold. Sane, sensible, will look but not run/buck/spin and just a nice animal to have around.Due to all I have listed though, she won't be leaving me, which I guess what many people with similar types say, hence they're hard to find.

They are out there and I wish you every luck in finding one.
 
Saintly ponies are out there - but you must also be prepared to give them lots and lots of time to become saintly for you. Even the sweetest natured horse can be disturbed by a move so my advice would be to find a good person to help you/hack out with you/deal when you to find something to deal with any issues before they become a problem. For me, this meant a good budget as I wanted to be in control so £4,000 for the horse and a £2,000 training/settling in budget!

When looking I looked solely for temperament - I was prepared to compromise on everything else. I couldn't find what I wanted so ended up buying a really sweet 4yo - and then gave him 2 years to become exactly what I wanted (which to be fair we needed).

I recently sold a saintly pony to a friend (over 50) - but made sure that she committed to having the person who had done most of the breaking in for a few months, to make the transition as easy - therefore as successful, as possible for the pony.

I think often it goes wrong because people don't give the horse enough time to settle in and don't recognise quickly enough when it starts to go wrong?
 
They are out there :)

I have one :D I hacked her yesterday, it was windy and it was a route she has never done before (I've only her her 7 weeks) She was fantastic. She ended up leading the ride because the other two Horses (8 and 16) were too spooky hehe. She's forward going, without getting strong or silly. Perfect fun hack and confidnece giver. Oh and she's just turned 6 :D got her for a bargain price too as her previous owners didn't really understand what they had :p

Try writing a wanted add, looking at local riding schools etc..
 
I have one, a welshie, and she's saintly because I've had her for years and she's developed that way. I would never sell her but she's been out on loan more than once. I echo what other posters have said about word of mouth - when mine went out on loan (because I went travelling) I called people I thought would be interested rather than advertising so I think your best bet is networking. Talk to riding schools, livery yard owners, riding clubs, pony club instructors - get the word out in your area that you are looking because this type of pony doesn't change hands that often and when they do people will want a good trustworthy home for a much loved friend. The more horsey people you know the better your chances I would say.
These horses are absolutely out there though, and once you find one they just get more and more wonderful as your relationship with them develops and your trust grows and grows. It's a wonderful thing. Good luck :)
 
I'd stick to an Arab they aren't all spooky and they are so light I feel very safe on both mine although one is spooky and they other one is feisty but both very sensible with such soft mouths. D's are quite feisty but nowhere near as light to handle so maybe a C would be better. I'm very nervous now and will only ride arabs as when I get on anything else I find the lack of brakes very unnerving!
 
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