Shetland pony help!

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charlottemary

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I put a deposit down on two miniature shetland ponies last week (eekkk)! Originally I was going to have them as companions for my TB but my YO has just told me that she is getting a pony for her daughter so I'm not going to keep them together now. I have asked my YO and she is more than happy to let me put up my own fencing for the little fellas in a section of the field. We have 4 acres but how much do they need? The grass is very good at the moment and the last thing I want is fat ponies or ponies with laminitis. Should I make their field smaller or put grazing muzzles on? I am used to trying to keep weight on my boy now I've got to try and keep it off:D. What is the best materials to build the fence with? I was thinking wooden posts and ..... I'm not sure. I've heard they are very good at getting out! Also just any other advice on owning and caring for them is much appreciated.
Ohhh and where is the best place to buy shetland size things like headcollars and such like
 
my two are standard shetlands but they are on the smaller side. They actually wear pony sized headcollars not specifically shetland sized.

Rugs - they don't wear in the winter, their coats are too thick and they'd be roasting even on the coldest wettest days but I do have a lightweight rambo just in case one of them needs it. I also use a rambo sweet itch hoody for one and I have a cheapo fleece from ruggles.co.uk dinky rugs might also be useful - tack & turnout sell rollers, bridles & the like.

I keep my ponies on a track system - this keeps them moving and also stops them eating too much, I have a track all of the way around the outside of my field and another one that runs up the middle so they have a figure of 8 - they can also access their stables 24/7 and they do use them quite a lot in the summer to escape flies and have an afternoon snooze!
 
Wheels said:
my two are standard shetlands but they are on the smaller side. They actually wear pony sized headcollars not specifically shetland sized.

Rugs - they don't wear in the winter, their coats are too thick and they'd be roasting even on the coldest wettest days but I do have a lightweight rambo just in case one of them needs it. I also use a rambo sweet itch hoody for one and I have a cheapo fleece from ruggles.co.uk dinky rugs might also be useful - tack & turnout sell rollers, bridles & the like.

I keep my ponies on a track system - this keeps them moving and also stops them eating too much, I have a track all of the way around the outside of my field and another one that runs up the middle so they have a figure of 8 - they can also access their stables 24/7 and they do use them quite a lot in the summer to escape flies and have an afternoon snooze!
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Thanks for the reply! I am thinking of having some driving lessons and then sending them away to be broken maybe...
Do you think that they would need clipping then?
 
Depends how much you are going to do but I've found my ponies sweating just standing around in the field on a warm autumn day :)

How much driving will you do in the winter?
 
Wheels said:
Depends how much you are going to do but I've found my ponies sweating just standing around in the field on a warm autumn day :)

How much driving will you do in the winter?
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Depending on how well it all goes I'm hoping to go out 3-4 times a week. I'm hoping it will give them a job to do and keep them trim haha
 
I wouldn't give them more than a std arena size to start with - 40 x 20.
They (if pure bred) will usually live on air & a blade of grass occasionally. (ok, don't take me too literally, but you get the gist).
3 lines of tape at a minimum, tho poultry netting (the electric stuff) is pretty good for keeping them in if they are the sort to join the 'persecuted movement of escapologist tiny ponies' ;)
 
Some Shetties will put weight on if you stand them on a patch of concrete painted green...
Fencing- 5 strands of elec fencing surrounded by another lot of 5 strands about 3ft away (connected to the nearest pylon), surround that by a trench approximately 12 feet wide and at least 8 feet deep, then razor wire followed by a sort of no man's land with mines laid at random locations, finally a solid stone wall about 6 foot high with highly trained marksmen stationed at regular intervals along it. That should about do the trick... maybe... depending on how determined your Shetties are feeling on any particular day ;)
 
set a track up to keep them walking, though the whole 4 acres might be too much grass to have it all open yet.

Obviously with TelH's precautions though.
 
4 acres = miles too much!!!!!

I'd create a moveable pudding paddock with 5 strands of electric fencing and move it a bit at a time every few days so they don't get too much new stuff all in one day.

Dinky rugs are good for shettie stuff.

Best of luck and enjoy the little fellas. One other thing though - don't ever let them fool you into treating them like sweet little cuties and indulging them - it's a sure fire way to turn them into absolute nightmares! As a customer of my farrier found out when their 'cute little pony' stood up on its back legs and boxed the front teeth out of their child :(
 
TelH said:
Some Shetties will put weight on if you stand them on a patch of concrete painted green...
Fencing- 5 strands of elec fencing surrounded by another lot of 5 strands about 3ft away (connected to the nearest pylon), surround that by a trench approximately 12 feet wide and at least 8 feet deep, then razor wire followed by a sort of no man's land with mines laid at random locations, finally a solid stone wall about 6 foot high with highly trained marksmen stationed at regular intervals along it. That should about do the trick... maybe... depending on how determined your Shetties are feeling on any particular day ;)
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^^^^ This. Also don't let them read any of the books written by my Shetland Nev or by TFFs Tiny Fuzzy. Titles include 'Levitation and the Shetland Pony; a guide to escaping fencing leaving no visible clue for humans' and it's sister title for the lazier Shetland 'Tuck and roll; a guide to getting under that fence without getting zapped'
 
Tiny Fuzzy's latest missive includes chapters on Feeding with sub-sections on:
'How to entice new humans'
'How to create the perfect food snatching opportunities from your larger companions'
' Remember: Lots and often'

Also, sections on:
20 great uses for grazing muzzles
How to sleep in a spotless stable and come up covered in poo (sections for beginners and advanced)
When to create a distraction to allow equine colleagues to have an opportunity

And finally: (from theory only as haven't put into practice)
How to rid oneself of ridiculous coats that humans think you need

OP - have fun :biggrin3:
 
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