shetland pony

murphysmum123

murphysmum123

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 May 2012
Messages
91
Location
dorset
Visit site
Thinking of buying one for my 2 year old little boy can anyone tell me how hard owning one of these are? Are they really more hard work then any other horse, have had mixed reviews go for it keep away as they are escape artists anyone give me their experiences? Many Thanks!
 
My friend got one as a companion, which was a nightmare as it suffered severe separation anxiety when left and would literally climb the fences to follow her other horse. That could happen with any horse when there are just two of them though.

They can be difficult to keep at a correct weight and need careful management over spring and summer, using muzzles/stabling or a track or starvation paddock, and temperament wise some can be quite cheeky and strong for young children, so worth choosing carefully! It might be worth loaning initially if possible to see if it fits in okay?
 
Dot do it, we had two, we are down to one and although he is sweet, hes hard work at times. The other ne we have rehomed was the worstpny I have ever met, we had them both at weaning and he seemed intent on killing himself and running away , get a welshie....
 
Do you really think a 2 yr old would appreciate having its own pony? I mean seriously? Two years old? I think most adults have trouble with the ankle biters (pony not kid!) so a two year old isnt go to stand a chance!

I would say its unsuitable when if you already own a horse/ pony you can have 'horsey' time with your kid with the existing animal surely without the added expense?
 
We had one and he was a nasty little thing with temper problems - he had no patience for kids when groomed, ridden or played with!

You can get nice ones, but I tend to think they're few and far between when it comes to Shetlands. Hard to find another home for if you end up with an absolute b*gger.

Plus, the can get under almost any fence and run amok.
 
Antw23uk said:
Do you really think a 2 yr old would appreciate having its own pony? I mean seriously? Two years old? I think most adults have trouble with the ankle biters (pony not kid!) so a two year old isnt go to stand a chance!

I would say its unsuitable when if you already own a horse/ pony you can have 'horsey' time with your kid with the existing animal surely without the added expense?
Click to expand...

Agree with this!
 
I haven't had a Shetland but disagree a little that a 2 year old won't benefit from a pony. My older son started riding a friends little Welsh sec A x at 2.5, and still adores it at 4. My little boy of 20 months loves playing around at the yard but isn't ready to ride. I don't let them near my big horse as I don't completely trust him not to squish them (same would apply to any big 6 year old horse). But they both like grooming and patting the little one. There might be better breeds than a Shetland though - even if a touch taller, a welsh A might be narrower and nicer to ride (and in temperament). You see plenty of little kids of less than 3 in the hunting pages of H&H, looking adorable on their tiny ponies. If you can afford it, why not...
 
Antw23uk said:
Do you really think a 2 yr old would appreciate having its own pony? I mean seriously? Two years old? I think most adults have trouble with the ankle biters (pony not kid!) so a two year old isnt go to stand a chance!

I would say its unsuitable when if you already own a horse/ pony you can have 'horsey' time with your kid with the existing animal surely without the added expense?
Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking of leaving my two year old alone with a pony! I have a 16hh cob which although my little boy loves riding I think is more dangerous him being around then a small pony. My horses are kept at home so financially it's fine, I see little kids dancing and starting hobbies at 2/3 years old don't quite see what the difference would be if they have taken an interest in something and they enjoy doing it I don't see why they can't do it?
 
I have two miniature shetlands and have had them (mother and son) for almost eight years. They can be escape artists and you do have to watch their diets, but they have wonderful temperaments and my four year old son has ridden both of them and they have looked after him (they haven't been backed)!
 
I have three miniature shetland x fallabella's, love them! They have such fantastic little characters and yes they can be escape artists but haven't had a huge problem there as if they have escaped they just stop at the nearest bit of grass which in my case is the front lawn. They have got onto a neighbour's lawn before much to her delight and she just walked them back up the lane on a dog lead. Their little feet don't dig up the ground so neighbours really don't mind them eating their lawns. I never thought I would have minis and now I will never be without them in the future.
 
My personal experience of Shetlands is that they are very strong for small kids to ride. In Shetland ridden classes, you generally see bigger kids riding them - or even small adults!

They very much have 'small man syndrome', can be strong to handle, and are too clever for their own good. I've known a few cracking ones too, but generally they are people who have treated them like proper horses and given them respect rather than like little ponies.

I've seen more children successful and happy with a Welsh A type tbh.
 
Sometimes charities rehome lead rein ponies, which could be ideal as they should be tested to make sure they are right for that role (any eputable charity will do this), and if you are not in a position to keep the pony forever then you can return them once they are outgrown and know they will be found another good home, rather than worrying about what might happen to the pony that you sold on.

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/rehoming/horse-profile.php?id=269496

This little one is not in your area, but gives an idea of what you might get :)
 
Do it! I have had several Shetlands over the years, but have found very few of the problems associated with them. I had two brothers initially, one was a Houdini who would climb the muck heap and jump over the fence to go visiting various people in the village, while his brother wouldn't have left the field if the gate was left open. Both were loving and gentle, despite being stallions.

My current Shetland is for my 20 months old granddaughter. This Shetland is so easy. She isn't an escape artist, won't even step over electric tape on the ground. She is calm, gentle, and loves a fuss. My granddaughter adores her and the first thing granddaughter says when she sees me is 'orse' and gets her wellies out :D Shetland is best friends with my mad 2 year old Welsh C, but also likes to groom the stomach of my 17hh ISH - that's the only part of the ISH she can reach :D

Get one, you won't be disappointed!
 
I would say go for it. My shetland is an absolute joy. He is a cheeky monkey and definitely an escape artist (we like to say that he's very helpful for testing our fencing skills) but he makes me laugh and smile every single day. Just make sure that you have the facilities to control the diet if necessary - a laminitic shetland is hard work!
 
My little man (he's a stallion) is brill and I wouldn't want to be without him. BUT, we have always treated him like all the other ponies, and he's not been allowed to get away with being cute, Yes, he can be an escape artist - I've so much electric fencing at low heights that the place looks like a spider's web at times, and he is very strong, tbh I wouldn't trust him with a child handler, but only because of this - no qualms on the biting or kicking front. If you can get a good shettie go for it, but don't spoil it by letting it get away with stuff just cos it's small. I've also known a 'nasty' shetland who took 2 people to muck out as it was so fond of biting people and could let itself out of the stable so I guess like everything to do with horses so long as you have your eyes and mind open you should be OK, but if not then watch out!
 
Mine have never bitten or kicked and are completely happy around any human no matter how big or small that human is but I have come across a few that I would never trust anywhere near a child. Just have to find the right one.
 
In some respects they are horrid, escape unless you have mega good fencing , need a special diet and or a lot of work to keep them slim. bite, kick and are absolutely awful to try and live with, make lousy companions as they need such specialised care compared to most horses and are very very smart and willful
Get a good one and they are absolute gems are kind, loving and love kids, are easy for kids to handle and are the right height for the kids to manage to brush and faff about with.
So it isnt a Question of getting a Shetland but getting the right pony for you and yours
 
Thank you all for your experience and advice on this breed I will be looking very closely at them as they come up for sale and also be looking at maybe a x breed or a Welsh. Many Thanks again!
 
I've had a few and they've been lovely, the trick is to treat them with the same respect as a bigger horse IE no tidbits and correct training. Be sure to get a quiet unspoilt one if it's for a tiny tot and don't expect it to baby sit unsupervised. A controversial but effective way to control weight gain and reduce escapes can be found in tethering, or better still a really good electric paddock with at least 3 strands. Another good breed to consider would be New Forest or a little Dartmoor hill pony, fab temperaments usually.
 
to those questioning buying a 2 year old child a pony. My daughter had her first pony aged 1 week old(wasnt my decision lol) and do you know i dont regret it at all. And he was year old shettie i broke to ride and drive :) she grew from day 1 learning about ponies (ok not much went in in early years and mucking out with her to ageeeesss lol) and we spent so much quality time outside playing with ponies. 24 years on she still as that passion for horses even having her own down under in aussie . Her memories of childhood "perfect" she says. do it. buy a pony if have time and finances and enjoy together :)
 
I bred my two, so now have three. They are such characters, easy and cheap to keep, mine stay out all year and just eat hay, can be cheeky if you buy a young one - mine was a nightmare to teach, nibbled and kicked numerous times. They ARE escape artists as they have little fear, but do not be put off. They are lovely to keep, very easy and I highly suggest getting a slightly older one as they tend to be very calm once matured. Many young boys and girls at my yard own older shelties, so 15+ and they can do ANYTHING on these ponies. They are brilliant.
 
babymare said:
to those questioning buying a 2 year old child a pony. My daughter had her first pony aged 1 week old(wasnt my decision lol) and do you know i dont regret it at all. And he was year old shettie i broke to ride and drive :) she grew from day 1 learning about ponies (ok not much went in in early years and mucking out with her to ageeeesss lol) and we spent so much quality time outside playing with ponies. 24 years on she still as that passion for horses even having her own down under in aussie . Her memories of childhood "perfect" she says. do it. buy a pony if have time and finances and enjoy together :)
Click to expand...

How lovely to hear how much your daughter loved her childhood, I don't see it as buying a pony for a two year old I see it as extending our family he he decides he doesn't want to ride when he is older that's fine we will always have kids in our family so will be given loads of fuss and attention! X
 
lol i had as much fun looking after the pony as daughter :) plus her pet lamb(think mary had a little lamb lol) rabbits chickens. oh and the goat. wonderful memories
 
My son had a shetland at 3 yrs old - the pony was an absolute poppet and never put a foot wrong.

We muzzled him in the grass growing season to allow him to be with the bigger horses but was very low maintenance other than that.

My son totally appreciated him at 3 yrs old, and appreciated him even more as he got older, and we had a lot of fun with that pony.

We kept it as a pet for a few years after my son had outgrown him as couldn't bare to part with him, but eventually decided to find him another home as was too good to waste. He is now with another 3yr old child and is their pride and joy and hopefully she will enjoy him as much as we did.

Go for it!
 
My daughter is nearly 3 (April and has had her own pony since she was 2. She loves it, and helps with everything, even gets excited about picking up poo when mucking out. She certainly appreciates and asks to go every day. However she has a Welsh A cross, as livery yard I'm at won't take Shetlands as they class them as troublemakers lol
 
I bought our shettie as a companion as my big horse kept jumping out. He was a foal which looked like a baby buffalo he was so wooly. I've just put this pic on another thread about shetlands....he was three here and daughter was 22 months, he was an angel for her and a typical naughty pony the rest of the time, only problem we encountered was a 'sticky stifle' which lots of them suffer from
paddy.jpg
 
They are not called shitlands for no reason.

We had 2 ancient section A for the tiny kids. Ponies were nearer dead than alive but did the job brilliantly, allowing no end of poking and prodding without malice. When they got fed up they just ambled off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top