Should we keep on trying with first ridden pony?

[sparky1981]

So we have had our pony for coming up to a year now. He is a 12hh welshy. My daughter is 8. He’s rising 8 and green!he is great hacking and on the leadrein. My daughter is off the lead rein in walk, trot, canter (this needs a bit of work) and doing rounds of mini jumps. She is a gutsy little rider and not much puts her off but as only young is obviously still green herself. We’ve joined pony club and upped the work load in the last few months. This hasn’t gone down well with our pony. Who has now learnt that when he doesn’t want to work very hard he bronks, bucks, Skids to a holt with his head down particularly jumping and in canter. (Jumping isn’t his favourite activity but is sadly my daughters passion in life )So we have had some nasty falls. I have had everything checked and my daughter has had loads of lessons. But is really starting to loose all her confidence and love for it. Now my thoughts are either send him for schooling (he is fine when our tiny adult friend rides him)and hope we can work through it, stop pushing him and rehome him as a lead rein/hacking/hunting pony (he previously hunted) or just keep on trying ourselves and mainly hack him out. Has anyone else been in a similar position?what would you do?

 

[ester]

Does tiny adult friend ride him regularly? if not would she be able to?

If she really wants to jump and he doesn't that might be as important as his other behaviour.

 

[wattamus]

If he’s not keen on jumping then maybe you have a problem.
if it’s just a “can do, don’t want to” then I’m sure he’ll get over it (barring any physical issues) I know of several ponies that have gone from being leadrein to independent riding. Sometimes it’s taken a bit of schooling with a more confident adult rider, and a few lessons also but the pony has always come round one example is a little pony was too strong for its intended rider, it went away on loan to another home for a year and has now come back and is just a match made in heaven for the original little jockey

 

[sollimum]

Sometimes ponies are lead rein ponies and not first ridden ponies. As a mum of three, I would say sell him to a lead rein hunting home and find a true first ridden that she can take to pony club and have fun on. She may be gutsy but is only little and riding is meant to be fun. Good luck!

 

[Fiona]

I'd suggest a trial of grass reins, preferably crossed over the wither so pony can't get it's head down...

If that fails, then some schooling with a bigger rider.

If no joy, then sell.

Fiona

 

[sparky1981]

Thanks for your replies. I could put him out on loan for a bit but I fear she would have outgrown him by the time he comes back as she’s super tall for her age and her legs won’t stop growing he seemed happy off leadrein until she become more competent and was cantering independently and jumping more than raised poles

 

[be positive]

I would sell him as a LR before your daughter loses her confidence, as an instructor I have seen this so often when a pony is not going to take the child to the next stage and the child is becoming nervous that I tend to say move on rather than look for solutions, as long as the obvious checks have been done, it may be worth sending him for schooling but if he does not enjoy jumping it may be a long road before he will really do the job you want him to in a confident way whereas he could be in a new home back on the LR and your daughter could be making progress with a new pony.

Children have limited time to get out having fun with ponies so move on rather than wait and see, it may take time to find the next one so the sooner you get started the more fun to be had this summer.

 

[sparky1981]

We’ve tried balance reins and now have a daisy rein on him which goes from the top of his bridle to his saddle. He’s now learnt to skid to a hold and twist instead he doee none of this when hacking a more bumbling about stuff

 

[ester]

Sounds like no longer a good match and both would be happier with something else.

 

[doodle]

Yep sell on as a lead rein pony and get the next step up for daughter.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Good LR don't always make good FR. Many of them are fab 2nd ponies. I would sell as a lead rein and begin the search for the paragon of virtue known as a 1st pony.

 

[ozpoz]

I'd want to rule out pain first. He sounds uncomfortable with faster work. If your daughter is very tall, does she still fit the saddle? If she's sitting on the back of it, this could be the reason for his behaviour.

 

[Lois Lame]

I think if the pony doesn't like jumping but your daughter does, it's not a good match. I've heard that horses and ponies either love jumping or they don't like it much at all.

It would be a shame to see your daughter lose confidence and for her pony to lose his enjoyment of his job.

 

[maya2008]

Our lead-rein pony brings children off the lead beautifully for the first few months, then starts putting her head down, bogging off home out hacking and being generally uncooperative. It's her way of telling them she's not doing all the work and they need to learn to actually ride!

We used to have a more patient first ridden, so the first time this happened, older child went on to the first ridden, younger child stayed on the smaller pony on the lead. After about ten months of lessons, older child could get back on and control her, and she's perfect for him now! This time round we don't have the other pony any more, so I'm insisting on a longish lead-rein for hacks (and making my daughter do all the riding, so she can't just sit there!) and she's having a ton of lessons to progress her riding quickly to the necessary point.

Ours is perfect for an older child (will hack out like a dream for my 7 year old, then bog off home repeatedly with the 5 year old!) so schooling by someone larger doesn't help the smaller person.

 

[Leandy]

Personally, if you can find the right alternative home for the pony and another for your daughter to move onto, I would. Confidence is a very fragile thing and time is not with you when it comes to children and ponies. This is a tricky stage to find a pony saintly enough off the lead rein to cope with all the wobbly learning to canter and jump phase. If you have just joined pony club you may well be able to find both a more suitable home for yours and a more suitable pony by that route. Younger children tend to need a tried and tested older pony that suits them now, not one that will be great in a year or two when they are more capable. Agree that schooling with someone larger is unlikely to solve the problem. If the pony has learnt to play up with your daughter, it is always likely to try this with a weaker rider I'm afraid and no amount of schooling is likely to overcome that even though it will improve the pony for a stronger rider. In the meantime, what is he like on the lunge? Perhaps keep the canter and jumping for the lunge so everything can be more in control?

 

[Kaylum]

If you have upped the work load I would get the saddle checked again.

 

[Orangehorse]

There is ALWAYS the exception to the rule, the angel/nanny pony, but I don't rate Welsh ponies for first ridden, too many of them of them are little sh....s who behave perfectly with an older, more experienced rider but are simply not reliable for younger children off the leading rein.

I found New Forest to be a whole lot better they just seem to be more human friendly! I don't know about other breeds and believe me, I know how hard it is to find that pony.

 

[maya2008]

I would agree about New Forests - we have two NF youngsters at the moment. Lovely personalities that adore people and mean no harm. Our oldie New Forest who we lost this year, was the most perfect first ridden you could ever imagine.

 

[honetpot]

I think small ponies have a very low boredem threshold and the fact you have upped the worked at this time of year means that perhaps you are not doing the hacking the pony enjoys.
My childrens ponies used to get depending on the weather November to March off, when the light nights started. In a school a pony pick up a childs weaknesses quicker, there are more corners and getting anything to anything in a school is often a lot harder. Its just to easy to go to the gate.
I do not believe in getting older rider to sort them out, it often makes them quicker, sharper and fitter. The pony is smart enough as soon as the child gets on its back to know who they are, The idea is you have to load the situation so the pony has only really one option, which is the one you want, to make life easy.
I would leave it, the weather is a perfect excuse, pay for some lessons on another pony, so she is getting ahead in the game, then go back to hacking in the spring where you are in control.

 

[sparky1981]

Thanks so much for all your replies so helpful! I’d thought the same regarding sending for schooling that he will behave for the older rider but then is clever enough to know he can still get away with it with my daughter.

 

[sparky1981]

Re the saddle it has literally just been done again. I’ve contacted our back lady again to just check him shins to make sure no pain anywhere

 

[Shay]

I would echo BP's wise words. Children have a very short time on ponies. As your daughter will outgrow him shortly anyway I would sell him on to an LR / hunt home. LR Hunt ponies are like gold dust and you can get a decent price. Then buy her something that will take her onward.

 

[SEL]

I think I was the same age as your daughter when I used to get regularly dumped by a welshie! Even hacking with me on a lead rein he'd buck and drop his shoulder.

We got posted overseas before he could completely destroy my confidence but the fact I can remember him after nearly 40 years meant the little sod left an impression.

I would find her something more suitable IMO

 

[sparky1981]

Yes I too had a welsh pony as my first and I still remember him very well. He’s just cheeky and green but I think the combination is tricky