Very 1st Pony; Sorry long and boring!

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jelibean

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My son now 2 is showing more and more interest in the horses and we reguarly sit him on our shetland.
Im now torn between buying a very 1st pony or sticking with what weve got.
Our shetland is now 5 shes an ace pony not nasty in anyway, shes been lunged, worn tack and been sat on quite a few times by my sis who is far too big for her but weve no-one small enough to ride her away.
Anyway all this said,pony is great to stick safari cub saddle on and let my son go for a little walk round the paddock, but Im holding him on at the mo while someone else leads. what worries me is that as a young pony whos not had experience of being bounced about and crowded by people she may eventually freak.
We used to have a pony as a companion who looked like he was on deaths door but was very sound and healthy for 30 odd years old, and im tempted to try and find something like this that is too old to even think about bucking or doing anything other than tortoise speed for a 10 minute walk maybe once a week. Possibly even cheap as well as he'll more than likely loose interest, but id rather him loose interest because he doesnt like riding rather than because hes scared or not had the opportunity.
Do you think this is a bad idea, im all up for spending money on the right pony, you cant put a price on your childs life and all that, but to what extent at this stage?
Plus it may be a bonus to give an old codger a nice home?
 
I feel, and please don't take this as gospel, that for at least another year, your child would not be able to be independent and properly "let go of" anyhow, and I reckon it sounds as though your 5 yr old shetland is just the job, for one year, if going on as you are, she'll be broken in properly and you'll know absolutely what you've got there. If you can get your sis to sit on a few more times. She sounds fine!

My children, even at four, could not really "learn" and ride independently - they would need to be supported, helped, led, etc. So at three, perhaps you can begin to think about leading without holding the child. By then surely she'll be fine to lead about.

Our little shetland/welsh is now 16 but apparently over 5 years ago she came from a disabled child (outgrown) where she hardly ever trotted and never came off the leadrope. So they do exist!
 
I appreciate what your saying and dont get me wrong i dont believe for a minute that i have super child and that he'll learn to ride anytime soon, i know only too well from teaching my cousin theyre still not interested in learning to ride at 5 just wanting to sit pretty. But i feel im holding onto him more because im unsure what the pony will do more than because he needs it, hes unbelieveably sturdy for two and id like to teach him to do stuff like around the world ect.
Am Mad Unsuitable mother I Know!! Maybe im not giving our pony enough credit.
Ive found that as some ponies learn to accept people crowding them as part of theyre jobs others learn to resent people walking by there sides where they cant see and start to cowkick, has anyone else found this?
 
Finding a pony like that is like finding hens teeth. People keep them in the family, or loan them to close friends.

if you do find one advertised you've then got to find someone to try it. As you havent anyone smal enough for the shetland this may mean either sticking your 2yo on a strange pony or risking buying a pony which was a saint with it's last rider but a devil at yours.

I would keep the shetland and bring it on to accept a toddler on board. This can be done with weighted sacks or strapping a huge teddy to it's back then lungeing it. Let it see and hear kids screaming, don't be shy around it, go up to it yourself every day and touch it all over, pat it, make noise... take it out in all traffic, dress it up and take it to a fancy dress show. Throw all you can at it.

It may freak at first but 6 months down the line it will be quiet as a lamb with your child on board.
 
Why not just take your son once a week to a riding school where he can be led round while you hold or walk at the side of him?

This way you can work on the Shetland for a couple of years. He's too young to buy a pony for as it won't be doing anything most of the time. What do you think
 
My 3yo sister was the same. I've a New Forest & as good as she is on the ground/in the stable/on the lead she was a bit much/got bored after ten minutes.

I'd bought a miniature shetland as a companion for Sunny who by the time little sis was interested in horses was 4 rising 5. We'd broken him & my younger very light 12 yo sister had ridden him, taken him round the village, to the school fete etc etc etc. He was a star anyway but to make him utterly bombproof we just did everything we could think of. That included leading him through the house out to the back garden (being a farm the 'garden' was more like a small paddock!) so if we had BBQ's through the summer we'd leave him in there while somebody tended to the BBQ.

He ended up being ideal & wouldn't bat an eyelid at anything.
He was just something for her to go round the paddock on & 'her horse' to look after (with help
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Wait until next year, by that time your boy will be older & after a year of getting your pony desensitised to anything & everything I would think she'd be fine
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Either way, good luck with what you decide
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[ QUOTE ]
Why not just take your son once a week to a riding school where he can be led round while you hold or walk at the side of him?

This way you can work on the Shetland for a couple of years. He's too young to buy a pony for as it won't be doing anything most of the time. What do you think

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry but I agree with this statement, At the the age of 2 his joints will probably not be able to stand much more. I think half an hour each week is more than enough, if he sticks to it, then when he's about 5 or 6 and still keen then you can concider buying.
 
I'm doing the same with my daughter, who is almost three. She gets bored after 15 minutes and wants off so don't waste your money just yet!

We have a four year old miniature shetland stallion who was only broken a couple of months ago and he's as happy as a pony could be with crowds of people around him and a small sack of potatoes bouncing away on his back. He has the best personality and is totally bombproof already. Nothing phases him.

It all depends on the horse's nature. Your shetland may never freak with your child on his back and as long as you are there holding him you can get him out of danger quickly if it does.

I agree with debdeb. Wait till he's about 5 before you upgrade from the shetland. Until then, I bet they'll be the best of friends!
 
Because quite frankly, anyone who has a two year old will appreciate that one minute they want to do something and the next they dont. So to book a pony for a half hour lesson once a week is not a good idea because by the time he got there he wouldnt at all be interested in riding a pony hed rather climb the muck heap or sit on the tractor for an hour and even if we got him on the pony hed only stay there for 15mins max. So apart from wasting time, this would waste a fair bit of money, which as we have our own pony im not really inclined to do. The idea is just to be able to sit him on a pony when the mood takes him which is safe enough to. IN my Original post i commented on the fact our shetland was a lovely pony, but for me its about waying up the pros and cons of having a young pony and a small child, you wouldnt put a novice on a newly broken youngster would you. Same difference really, whatever experience this pony gets of being bounced on by a small child will stay with it, and vice versa whatever this pony does (and it would be acceptable for it to have the odd dicky fit) will stay with my son. Just because these ponys are kiddi size its unreasonable to expect them all to be immediately kiddiproof.
However it is lovely to hear other peoples similar experiences and does give me some hope. At the mo after speaking with OH were going to see how this summer pans out and make decision next spring.
 
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Because quite frankly, anyone who has a two year old will appreciate that one minute they want to do something and the next they dont. So to book a pony for a half hour lesson once a week is not a good idea because by the time he got there he wouldnt at all be interested in riding a pony hed rather climb the muck heap or sit on the tractor for an hour and even if we got him on the pony hed only stay there for 15mins max. So apart from wasting time, this would waste a fair bit of money, which as we have our own pony im not really inclined to do.
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In your first statement you said you were considering buying another one. Wouldn't this be a waste of money
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Having to feed it, vet bill, etc.,

I rather loose £10.00 than a thousand or two wouldn't you?

Sorry if I misunderstood your 1st post
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NO! I've re-read it and you do state you were considering buying another???

Bye the way yes I have had 2 children who both wanted to ride and yes they lost interest. Hence I only spent a few pounds rather that thousands.?
 
I dont look at buying Another pony as a waste of money (They can always be sold on) however paying money to ride or not ride someone elses is. Feeding five horses / ponies amounts a tiny amount extra than feeding four and vets bills are just one of thoses things, you either get them or you dont. Apart from anything else, the reason behind my original post was to see what other peoples experiences in this situation were and trying to establish if our exsiting pony would prove to be suitable. I really dont care if my children dont want to ride, i just want them to be able to experience what every one of us addicted to this site fell in love with about our horses.
My OH is a farmer, his dad was a showjumper and between us theres always plenty of horses kicking about, he had a pony from a young age and was encouraged to ride, but fell off and now wont get on one, which i think is sad. I dont want my children to feel forced into riding like my husband probably did which is what id be doing taking him for lessons. When hes old enough to understand the basic principles of riding he will go for lessons if he wishes to continue to ride, but until then im only interested in making it fun for him so that when hes ready he can decide if he wants to share MY hobbie or not and if that means WASTING MY MONEY on a safer pony, so be it.
 
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