What's wrong with adults on ponies??

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bex1984

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What exactly is the rationale for the fact that, at certain levels and types of competition, adults can't compete on ponies?!

Why should an adult be on horse, when a pony is more than capable of carrying them (and I'm not talking little diddy ponies)?

Does anyone else find this really annoying? I have no desire to ride a horse, I get on perfectly well with my pony, so why should that preclude me from entering competitions?

It all seems to be part of the fact that the equestrian world seems to favour those who have had ponies/horses from a young age. Having spoken to other friends who got into riding later in life, they agree that we often seem to be at a disadvantage because at a certain age you are expected to have achieved a certain level of riding, to be able to jump a certain height etc.

Thoughts?
I'm in a ranty monday mood today - can you tell?!
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Adults on ponies were an absolute Godsend to me this weekend out hunting lol! I was riding a rather tall, rather difficult about mounting P2Per and two of my friends on ponies did waaay more than their fair share of gates to save me getting bronced if and when I managed to haul my stiff old bones back up on board! Oh and I didn't get my first horse till I was 16 either so missed out on PC etc. Sorry prob not exactly what you were looking for, but thought I'd show my appreciation for adults on ponies lol!
 
I know what you mean. I had my 14.2hh when I was 12. When I turned 16 I could no longer do pony classes. Eventually we did showing with breed society which didn't stipulate age, and riding club, low BD dressage and combined training. She is 23 and I'm 28 and still both "fit" eachother although she is now head baby sitter with youngsters while I concentrate on my other horse. It is annoying esp showjumping but local hunter trials and dressage don't mind age / pony thing.
 
It annoys me that Trailblazers won't let me compete in their showjumping classes on a pony but they will let me compete on him in their dressage classes!
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Totally understand! I quite liked riding nieces 14.2hh (now sold..:( but gosh, I got annoyed at the rules - 16yrs & under for most classes!!! If i bought a 15hh ISHT I wouldn't be able to compete because I'm over 25yrs!! But I am only small & look perfectly okay on 14.2hh, actually better than 16yr old niece did!! I don't want to have to by 16hh just to 'fit in'.
 
I am an adult on a pony because I am not very tall or heavy so it makes sense having a pony as it is easier to tack up, groom, rug and handle him as I do not have to stand on box or anything!

At local level I can enter him in almost any classes I like - our riding club does not discriminate on adults on ponies and the SJ classes are split into ponies and horses with no age restrictions - after all lots of taller children are now riding horses.

I could not do BSJA or affiliated eventing or affliated show pony classes - but affiliated dressage is open to ponies. I think with the jumping that is fairly sensible as the stridings are different for ponies.

I have a native pony so I can also do all the affiliated M&M showing classes as well.

I think it really depends on the area you live in as to what competitions you can do but most local shows are quite accomodating.
 
i really think they should make up a adults on ponies class sure they'd be lots of entries...like you say why cant adults ride?
I will be (hopefully) be taking my mare into ridden and in hand veterans classes next year all being well with her...and i'm way too tall to be riding her really but certainly light enough and no kid atm would be able to control her i'm sure..
 
I was only talking about this yesterday (how odd!) We have a local SJ (unaff) venue, that some of my friends are going to, and they state that ponys much be ridden by someone 16 or under. So what happens if someone over 16 has a pony, does it compete as a horse, or are they not allowed to enter!
 
Nothing is wrong with adultson ponies. The main organisations that will exclude as pony riders over the golden age of 16 are ones that insist that it is dangerous for a pony to ride a track made on a horse stride!!

Bit of a joke really!!

I have a 14.2hh he is no way a childs pony, incredibly strong, stupidly fast, never going to be a world beater in the sense of the word but will do a nice 3DE and place, great fun and cheap as chips to feed etc.

I had a horse, who has just been PTS I adored him and was never going to be able to replace him with similar ability horse, so went back to pony!!

A lot of it is snobbery and to some degree oddwardly placed jealousy as of course "it's easy to ride a pony and takes no skill"!!! - apparently!!

Ignore the doubters and just go out and enjoy yourself!! I am a long legged but lightweight gal and adore my ponio who is much more fun than any horse I have ever ridden!!

oh..most of the unaffiliated championships you can do will allow you to ride a pony as an adult...there is only one I have ever had a major row with!!
 
The only classes I can't enter him in are lead rein classes or first ridden but I do think these classes should actually be for the children so have not problem.

If I had a Show pony or Show hunter pony it would I guess be different as there are quite a lot of restrictions on age but M&M make great adults ponies and you can do loads of affiliated stuff on them.
 
ah thats who it is!!! Trailblazers..hmm, they are the ones...because they build senior classes for horse strides, your pony of course wont be able to work it out safely, although Champs of GB dont care, Chiltern and Thames Rider, Central Horse News and Weston Lawns dont worry either!! And oddly no major incidents from any of those locations when riding a pony on a horse track
 
I agree, there is a mentality that adults are expected to ride horses. I competed a 14.2hh up until I was 20-ish and often got comments from people saying wasn't it time I moved onto horses. We were a great team and were very successful at RC / PC level which I think irritated a lot of people as we'd been on the circuit so long (I got him when I was about 13 I think), hence why we got so many disapproving people! Its ridiculous though, if someone does well on a pony for long enough, they end up getting slagged off.

I did eventually move onto horses, purely because I was too tall to get away with ponies anymore and I wanted to do BSJA / BE etc. I still get the odd "project pony" though of about 14.2hh that I will back and compete, but only at the low levels and I'll sell it on.

I think its acceptable for adults to ride ponies at RC / PC level but yeah, anything beyond that you basically have to get a horse. It is dumb, but I figure they have this rule because of striding? But then again at BE, JRN's still run round the same novice XC tracks so that still makes no sense!!
 
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You can compete as a horse but striding is all wrong for ponies...

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It wont be for the ponies... as ponies and horses go over the same course! (Although it may be difficult for the ponies one you get to the 1m course!)
 
I cant see why people have problems with adults on ponies. I had the opposite problem, i have never rode a pony, my first horse was a 16.1 hunter wen i was 12 and 4ft 10!! I was frowned upon, but i dont like riding ponies. We won everything together, i rode him well and looked after me so i saw no problem although others did x
 
Trailblazers jumping was one I'd noticed - I wouldn't be able to compete in the senior classes on my pony.

I've seen it at small local shows, less to do with horse and pony, more to do with adults being excluded from the smaller jumping classes. I'm just learning, and don't want to jump bigger than 2ft away from home, but certain shows and RCs start the over 16s jumping at 2ft3, 2ft6 ish....seems a bit of a shame really.
 
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I cant see why people have problems with adults on ponies. I had the opposite problem, i have never rode a pony, my first horse was a 16.1 hunter wen i was 12 and 4ft 10!! I was frowned upon, but i dont like riding ponies. We won everything together, i rode him well and looked after me so i saw no problem although others did x

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I think it does also happen the other way round though - juniors are expected to be on ponies and I think tehre's some shows/classes/competitions they couldn't do on a horse? It doesn't seem fair or sensible either way round really.
 
You can BSJA a pony - they need to be registered as a horse, and you jump in senior classes. My 13.1h does it, and she just pops 2 strides in one, or 3 in two....

As a pony who is incredibly scopey, its acctually better for us, than doing the open pony classes at RC level, as she concentrates, and has to work a bit harder.

I also hunt her, and often get a few comments at the start of the day, but by the end of the day, most people have realised shes up for it all.
 
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Trailblazers jumping was one I'd noticed - I wouldn't be able to compete in the senior classes on my pony.

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I did! I won lots of Trailblazers SJ classes on my 14.2hh when I was an adult. I never knew this wasn't allowed and the venue never said anything. It was only when I got my qualification letters through and I had emailed them about stabling (with the possibility of travelling 10 hours to the champs!!!) that it came out about his height and they told me I wasnt eligible. Had this not come up I *could* have gone all that way and they'd not have let me compete!!
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Wasn't Marion Moulds' Stroller only about 14.2hh.......& he competed at Hickstead, against all the horses. Was he on the Olympic team...? I'm showing my age now....
 
Riding club is the same, I think it is still that they have to be 14hh to do any jumping areas but not drsg.

I dont think its the striding either as juniors can be on anything ranging from diddy to big. and also most that do unaff are used to putting up with whatever the striding is and everyone copes.

I thought champs GB was split adult ponies and adult horses so they are perhaps thinking of striding though I always though it was to give the horses a chance
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I think its easier with natives re showing etc.
 
I am on a young pony and we are just doing the 2ft novice classes and I get a bit nervous not because of his size though but because I had an accident. I apreciate your might be nervous - but some of my friends on big horses are also nervous and want to do the little jumps so they are starting off doing the clear rounds and then once they are more confident they will then do the 2ft classes.

Obviously if you have a very small pony like a shetland then 2ft will be more challenging.

If you want things to change at RC level why don't you join a club and make your voice heard it can work. Our RC is thinking of doing including a combined training of 1.9ft and walk trot dressage for those novice or nervous riders.

However if you are nervous about doing 2ft I would not be worrying about being excluded from trailblazers/bsja yet! If you can jump 2.9ft then you can compete on RC novice teams with a pony. The RC x country championship was won by an adult on a pony.

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Trailblazers jumping was one I'd noticed - I wouldn't be able to compete in the senior classes on my pony.

I've seen it at small local shows, less to do with horse and pony, more to do with adults being excluded from the smaller jumping classes. I'm just learning, and don't want to jump bigger than 2ft away from home, but certain shows and RCs start the over 16s jumping at 2ft3, 2ft6 ish....seems a bit of a shame really.

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I just had a quick look at the show jumping rules for riding club and it does not mention anything about size of pony except in the teams of three class which is not actually run by the RCs.

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Riding club is the same, I think it is still that they have to be 14hh to do any jumping areas but not drsg.


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SO1 I just double checked all area RC jumping (from novice upwards, inc XC etc) must be over 14hh.

locally I think it depends we always start at 1'9, open to all. Think I might have done a 1'6 too this year!
 
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