Trying to find a decent LR/FR pony is it really this hard???

Hi sorry i cant help but wanted to say that we sold my daughters first pony last year LR and FR 11hh 14 yo welsh A , she was sold for £1400 with tack and i would not loan or trial as she really was the bees knees and had pony club and showing record to prove it .
My point is good ponies are snaped up .
PS still really miss my silly little friend but she is making her new 4yo best friend very happy :D
 
Friend has a lovely grey sec a first ridden. He's been hunting this season off the lead rein with a little dot on top. She wants £1500 for him. Message me if you want her number. In Surrey. Sadly outgrown.
 
Sounds as if you already have a suitable pony for when your 5yo gets a bit bigger / better balanced so it is really just a short term issue. In your position, I'd be tempted to keep your daughter on the LR on her own pony for now & get her some lessons on a 'first pony' type to get her confident off the LR. She can do pony club & lots of stuff like gymkhana / mini jumping / showing on the lead rein. My younger daughters have all had to ride the horses / ponies we already have have and my youngest daughter learned to walk & trot on our extremely forward going (but very kind) 13.2. Once she was confidently walking & trotting, she had 5 or 6 individual lessons at a RS to get happy / reasonably balanced @ canter before attempting her first canter on our pony.
 
I have has the same problem as you. I bought out current pony 4 years ago as a quiet, gentle lr/fr. She soon showed her true colours and can be a little devil! However we persisted with her and (although still a little witch - she is known as as "the bullet" at our local hunt) she has taught my children everything they know. My 7 yr old daughter does everything on her and my 5 ur old son rides her off the lead rein. She still bucks like stink and runs off out hunting but I wouldn't change we for the world. I think often it is a case of better the devil you know! She was certainly not a typical first ridden but she was all we had and has come good in the end. At 5 your daughter is still very young and won't have the strength or confidence to be fully in control. Keep everything simple and in time the 2 of them will have a great relationship. I tried to rush my daughter to soon but I have learned the error of my ways!
 
There is the other side of the coin which is Lulu. Sheis 12 and has been with us since a 2 year old. My grandaughter has grown out of her but my grandsons have not yet grown into her. So atthe moment she is doing nothing much but I could not possibly part with her becasue I would never fin another county standard FR who can be absolutely trusted in any situati. She is a lovely smiley easy person who loves the children. Maybe there are other grandparents hanging on to similar ponies??!!
 
be positive said:
You really are looking for the ultimate 1st pony, they are extremely hard to find and will either change hands without being on the open market, so a wanted ad is a good idea, or they will be very expensive.
I would go for a safe lr to start with, if it will not go off the lead when she is ready, you can sell and your daughter may by then be ready for something a little more green or forward than she is now. I know it is a lovely idea to buy the right pony to last for a long time but a stepping stone one is probably easier to find for now.

I have known one or two that fit your needs but they are the exception rather than the rule.

I have just read you are looking for a loan, even harder to find so a wanted ad would definitely be the way to go.
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Agreed, you are just going to have to compromise somewhere. My children's pony is perfect for us, but I'm sure there are many who would not consider her perfect! There are faults I would not tolerate, but other minor ones I will from our pony 'cause her good points outweigh the not so good by far.
 
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We had just that pony, having flown from one end of the uk to the other to be interviewed before we were allowed to buy him. Three years later when B had outgrown him I had a queue of mammoth proportions and he went the length of the country again to a lovely family whose elder child was not yet 3yo but they didn't want to miss him.
 
They are like gold dust.I've got one and have been looking for another on and off for over a year now.L/r are pretty easy to find,but first riddens a lot harder.Our current pony didn't need a lead rein,just stayed next to me until my girls were confident enough to ride independently and now is a fantastic 1st ridden/2nd pony.I will never sell her and have already had someone ask if they can loan her once my girls have moved on.

We are about to loan a very nice little pony who is younger and greener than I'd originally looked for,but as my youngest is a confident rider with quiet hands,it could work.

I do know of a very nice 11.2 for loan,but he is perhaps too much for a 5 year old.
 
These ponies are as rare as hen's teeth.They are often expensive because you are paying for safety.
Local pony club/riding clubs often have Classified adverts on their websites. Perhaps an advert on one of these?
There are sometimes adverts on Facebook horse forums but how true is the information?
 
Have you tried World Horse Welfare? We've just adopted a pony (admittedly a shetland, but a good sized standard) that was used at one of the centres for children's birthday parties so she's utterly bombproof with littlies, ever so easy to handle and will hack out on a lead rein no problem. £100 adoption fee and lifetime backup should we ever not be able to care for her any more.

Also she's utterly adorable and I think I've been more excited about it than the three year old she's supposed to be for. :p
 
The saint you are looking for is unlikely to be available for loan or trial, and no doubt a queue of folk waiting to buy it when it becomes available. I'd contact the PC and see what's going to be available.
 
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