Sheltlands...good for teaching a little'un to ride or not?

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loulabelle

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I have been on the look out for a shetland for my son, he is nearly 2 and although i know his too young to learn to ride he loves grooming the 2 horses we have and just loves being aroud them, i think he would benefit with getting a good relationship with a new pony before he comes to riding.
Are they a good starter pony, if you can find one with the correct temperament?
Also at what age will he be able to learn to ride? I know its pointless now but in a year or 2?
 
We have got a saint of a Shetland, got him from a friend whose Mum bought him from Shetland! He is tiny and so good,ties up to anything has had kids all over him baths with a hose pipe loads, does not escape has even done show jumping on our lawn with a ple propped on plant pots!! He has done PC diddyman stuff, got dressed up as a reindeer once he is worth his weight in gold, bless him.
 
If you find one with the right temprement they can be great little ponies to learn to ride on. A young girl on our yard had one and it brought her confidence on leaps and bounds. She used to lead it round the yard by herself and was able to handle it without adult help
 
They are stubborn and opinionated. Some dont move, others buck. They are obsessed with food and saddle fitting is difficult. But i think theyre great! They are true childrens ponies, trustworthy (mostly) and they know how to teach kids. They are great for a first pony because you can start on the lead rein and most jump. I know one that jumps over 3 foot! They are less spooky than welsh or dartmoors, and smaller, so good for a first pony. Theres a website called shetland-pony.com (honestly!), have a look on there!
 
We have seen one who is a excellent for the 5 year old who currently owns him, he is like you describe yours is, its very hard finding the right one tho. Little worried as he is still entire but have been told he shows no bulshy stallion like signs at all. Really like him
 
The best saddles are those little Cub saddles with the handle on the front, you can adjust the pads as the shetties tummy and back widen in the summer!!
 
I adore Shetlands and my daughter had one as her first pony. He was a wonderful character and taught her alot. However, he was 19 when we first had him lol, like all horses, if you get a good one then they can be a joy, get one that's been spoilt and it will be a pain. My shetland always got treated like one of the big boys and we never had a moments worry with him.
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if you fine a job one. i have one for my 4 year old and he is a total saint. she can do anything she want s with him
 
The one my daughter has is a saint, she can lead it around and if she falls over it stops and waits for her to get up, she can crawl all over it and under it and it doesn't do a thing. Eveytime I go to brush its tail it sticks its ears back, but with kids it is great.
 
We have three minii Shetlands and they have super temperaments. The oldest is 18 and he is an angel. Last summer my niece set up a jumping course in our paddock and he had the time of his life leaping around it! He'd have a try at anything, can be safely led by the tiniest tot and would be happy to be bathed, brushed and groomed all day long.I cannot imagine him ever kicking or biting, he hasn't got a nasty bone in his body. Just make sure you get one with a gentle nature, some of them can be little devils.
 
My daughter (whose nearly2aswell) little man is a star and he's a shetland he puts up with an awfull lot from her being crawled over under pulled about kissed having to give teddy rides you name it he puts up with it, he slows down if he feels her wobble he's only 6 but worth his weight in gold so i think if you can get a good one (some of them are g*ts)then yes they can be great little 1st ponies.
 
The good ones are fantastic but they can be strong willed, opinionated, and some dont move and buck , you have to be carefull with what you buy. Personally i prefer Sec A's for teaching small children
 
Yeah good ones are great! Just hard to come by. Had a little devil for my daughter but he taught her stickability perseverance and it wasn't far to fall
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She then did shetland racing which was even more fun
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Her technique was described as "interesting" by her first PC instructor when she got her first "proper" pony and had to relearn how to ride.
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As said above find a good one and they are brilliant but the bad ones are very naughty! When I was a 3 year old my parents had me on an extremley naughty standard shetland who would buck and tank off and I think I was quite scared but somehow still loved him! Had a shetland pad for a sadde which used to slid off his back when he got fat in the summer! The next pony was much more suitable a Welsh A! I think the benefit of shetlands is as lead rein you can give children a canter on them on the lead rein which is more difficult to achieve on a bigger pony!

I have a blue and white shetland companion pony for one of my horses whom I have had since he was a yearling. He has grown up being treated the same as a 15.2HH horse and is a pleasure to have around. He jumps 3 foot on the end of a lead rope with ease!!

So I think they key is how they are handled as youngsters!
 
Some little ponies actually like small children, tolerate all the pulling and squawking, are patient and generous, and look after them. Others hate little kids and will bully and probably hurt them, nipping or knocking them over, dropping a shoulder, napping... there are truly saintly ponies about, and they never get advertised, they pass on through word of mouth. Maybe approach the local Pony Club DC, and riding schools, who may know of a wise old treasure of a pony that will be looking for a new child before long?
 
I think they are a great starter pony because they are awkward, arrogant, temperamental, stubborn, naughty and all the other things they are that make them wonderful. LOL.
I think if a child can endure life with a shitland. They are really in to horses in a big way.

My Shetty used to drag my leg along fences, refuse to move, take off and buck, bite, refuse to be led, refuse to open his mouth for a bit, refuse to stay in any form of stable, refuse to stay in anywhere, constantly eat even when you were riding. Do you know what? I blooming well loved my little pony. LOL
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NO!!!

Apart from the fact their strides are much shorter than most ponies and it can be hard to teach a child to 'rise' to the trot.....they are much stronger than most horses(I mean literally not comparatively!) and IMO are in no way suitable for children. I've had my girl for 17 years and I would never leave her alone with a child. Shetlands being Children's ponies is a daft idea! IMO.

ETA I love Shetlands but as show/driving/small adults ponies. I would too recommend a Section A.

ETAA The bit about outgrowing a shetland made me laugh.....I'm 25 and I haven't outgrown mine yet! In the Shetlands they were ridden by men!
 
We loaned a shetland for my son when he was just turned two. The pony was bombproof and had taught loads of kids to ride and driven everywhere. We rode him for months. One day he was really narky in the field and picked my son up by the back of his collar and dumped him down a steep muddy bank. Fortunately he was totally unharmed, but it put my son off! The other thing was my saddle and girth from my 15hh welsh x tb fitted the shetland!!! My son found it really hard to stay on the pony because he was far too big around the girth. I think there are really good shetlands out there, but I'm not convinced they're the best for tots. I'm looking for another pony for my 3 year old daughter now, probably something like a section A/Dartmoor type.
 
i think maybe i stated the out growing bit wrong. but i think you knew what i ment....... my daugters welshie drives also and we love her to bits but i think you knew what i meant
 
Thanks guys, I have been contacted by a fried of a friend who has a saint of a shetland (apparently), gonna go down to see him but if not i may look for a small stocky pony as want my son to be able to hadle it to with a little help lol
 
I'm a true shatland fan. We've had two shetlands now. The first was an opinionated little so and so, who'd been treated like a pet dog. With a few rules and some hard work he came good, and was sold to a forum member for their (then) toddler. Latest I heard he goes to the little girl's nursery for 'show and tell' and lets all the kids fuss him
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Second one is an elderly shettie who we bought via word of mouth. He's truly been there and done that. I've had seceral ponies over the years but not one has ever had the personality and patience of this one. My daughter's had him for a year now and has learnt to ride on him (she's 4).
Cue lots of pics.

BTW she started to learn aged two, but was about three before she had the capacity to actually 'learn'.


Firstly with my son.

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fancy dress

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showing

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By no means are they an easy breed. They have to be treated firmly but fairly, and be given clear boundaries. They're just like children really... give em an inch and they'll take a mile.
But they're so worth it.

Go via word of mouth, find an older pony (ours is in his twenties) and you won't go far wrong.

ETA: ours wears a maxam saddle (never slips, is just rubbish for jumping as it catapults small children out of the saddle), and a suede saddle pad for showing.
He;s kept in trim, therefore has 'shape' and as such the saddles never shift.
In the past i've found that a bit of the rubber matting you can get to put under household rugs (to stop them slipping on wooden floors) under the saddle will ensure it doesnt shift.
 
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