Teaching children to ride on horses not ponies ?

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Bedford Joy

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I would like to hear people's opinions on teaching children to ride on horses instead of ponies. My two mares are retired polo ponies and both 15.1 they are super super quiet, safe, fab in traffic, can be caught and brought in by the children, will stand like rocks whilst being groomed etc
The only one of my 3 children who is really keen to ride is my 6 year old daughter who is quite tall. My 8 year old isn't really interested and my 2 year old son is too young so I'm not keen on buying another pony as my other two are in full livery in Hampshire which is not cheap. I have taken my 6 year old daughter out on both of my mares and they behaved perfectly both on and off the lead rein, they also lead from each other so would like to start hacking out together with me leading from mine.

Has anyone else gone down this route and if so what advantages/disadvantages have you come across?

I'm not looking to teach her jumping or dressage to begin with as I just want her to learn balance, control and confidence . Then when we have a better idea if she is really really keen we can discuss the possibility of buying her her own pony ...
Thank you :) x
 
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My nearly 4 year old has started out on our 13.2. She is pretty small so may be similar to your tall 6 yr old on a 15.1. She is enjoying it learning balance and can walk, trot, do round the world , poles etc but I can't see how I can ever do much more as it is so far down if she falls off and he is too strong, however I am happy with what she is doing at the moment and so is she as she goes through phases of being keen then not. if she wants to do more I will take her to a riding school. My 18 m little boy however is totally horse obsessed and I haven't worked out what to do with him yet !
 
For learning on, if your mares are absolutely safe then it's probably easier, especially with learning what rising trot feels like because it's less effort for the child's legs at first!
 
My OH never rode ponies, he learned in Holland, at the yard he rode at they have no ponies, only horses, he started riding at the age of 7 and has always ridden horses, :)
 
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Okay its fine, but i do believe the rider has to sit differently and mentally it is different so why do it, over horsed, i hated working riding anything over 16hh i just felt i wasnt in control, i am 5ft and have been riding all my life, 49 now, i wouldnt want to make my 6 year old child have to do it, just my opinion, but have fun anyway
 
My 2 children used to ride my 15.1 cob. I got my daughter a little 11.2 section a on loan but daughter feels safer on big girl and she finds pony harder to ride as he has a tiny stride! He bucked her off the other day too and he can be sharp.
My cob never puts a foot wrong!
Still daughter is learning all the time with the pony and i like to think he is making her a better rider for it, shes certainly more confident now, and i like the fact that he is small so she can groom, tack up etc herself.
 
I think its better to learn on ponies.. smaller, easier for child to do themselves etc! And more fun ;) :p

However, in your situation I think your child will be fine specially if horses are so safe.
 
I first learned to ride on horses between 15.2 and 16.2 at 9 years old, didn't ride a 13.2-14 until I was about 14. Means you spend a long time on the lead rein, though, and probably don't progress as quickly as a child. But when You come off the leid rein you are straight away riding horses - no jump later on, you never have to come back a level the way a lot of teens do going from ponies to horses.
 
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