Your first pony - I bet he wasn't as bad as mine!

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

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LOL - tell me about your first pony :D

Sammy was my very first pony. He was a Dartmoor, jet black with just a white star. Little bugger he was! :eek:

We used to live in Kent and our paddock was an orchard. Every single day I used to ride Sammy up the side of the field, turn round and he would bolt flat out back to the stables knowing full well he would get me off under the branches!

He would jump like a stag at home but take him to a show and the little blighter would refuse to go in the ring. Believe me, I have had very fat ladys beating him with their handbags to get him in ;)

If we did get him in, he would refuse three times at the first frence - clever little so and so - but still I persisted!

He would either bolt flat out or root himself to the spot. I clearly remember my Dad backing the car up to him and pushing him along with the bumper :o

He decked my sister in the biggest pile of stinging nettles you have ever seen and she didn't ride again for five years.

He would bite, kick, bolt, root and let the other horses out of their stables at night...........but we loved him to death and oh my God he taught me to ride ;) :D

We loved Sammy - he lived until he was 31 and taught loads of kids like me to ride - and I mean really learn to ride ;)

But - I have to say, I doubt I would let my kids near such a naughty pony - oh how times have changed ;) In those days we had hessian backed saddles, never even heard of back protectors and to look cool we always wore our elasticated chin strap over the peak ;)

So - tell me about your first pony........
 
he was fantastic, the safest pony walking the earth.
I never felt scared, but in the same breath i never felt unchallenged by him, he grew with me and my sister, constanty evolving.

The best teach you when you are too busy laughing to notice ;)
 
I still have my first pony! He is a 9 year old 14h cob. He was beaten by a previous owner so when I got him he was an absolute wuss - he literally ran away from his own shadows! He is the most agreeable, willing, genuine and honest pony I have ever met, although he is still a great big wuss! I took him XC the other day and I was riding (hard!) up to a step, he decided it was terrifying so came to a screeching halt then decided to jump it from a standstill!
I love him so much, my Ollycob <3
 
I think my first pony must have been a close relative of yours!
Mojo bolted across the main road with me on many an occassion in order to get back to his mrs, and his feed bucket!
He kicked, bucked, and was fond of using his teeth. He taught me going into a field full of ponies with HIS feed bucket was a bad idea. He also taught me patience.....something you needed in abundance if you actually wanted to catch the bugger!
And I loved that pony above everything else. I wish he were still around to teach my kids a thing or two!
 
xloopylozzax said:
he was fantastic, the safest pony walking the earth.
I never felt scared, but in the same breath i never felt unchallenged by him, he grew with me and my sister, constanty evolving.

The best teach you when you are too busy laughing to notice ;)
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LOL - sounds like a nice sensible pony - unlike mine!! But I bet my bottom dollar that you are an awful lot younger than me :cool:
 
My first pony was a total superstar schoolmaster a very pretty dun gelding. He really was bombproof and he did everything well he jumped, hunted, showed, pony clubbed etc etc. He always won everything. He sadly developed cancer and had to be pts and after that had a run of disasterous ponies that were sharp and typical naughty ponies, main mistake was they were all very young!
 
joeanne said:
I think my first pony must have been a close relative of yours!
Mojo bolted across the main road with me on many an occassion in order to get back to his mrs, and his feed bucket!
He kicked, bucked, and was fond of using his teeth. He taught me going into a field full of ponies with HIS feed bucket was a bad idea. He also taught me patience.....something you needed in abundance if you actually wanted to catch the bugger!
And I loved that pony above everything else. I wish he were still around to teach my kids a thing or two!
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Awww - isn't it lovely to have the memories though. I don't think that kids nowadays have a clue what it was like back then!

OMG - that makes me sound so old - I am not that old really!!! :eek:
 
I can't remember my first really, I was too small, but he was small, fat, skewbald, and called Brigadier...

The first pony I really remember is Solo.. I got him when I was six, and he was an absolute bloody ratbag! He was a 13.2hh bay dartmoor, and he could jump like a stag!

He was a complete dick to catch - we used up every trick in the book, pretending to see something interesting, herding him into a pen using quad bikes, food, no food, shrieking, being quiet, the lot - which has stood me in good stead for catching horses now, I can confidently say that I can catch ANYTHING within 15 minutes thanks to Solly.

If he got bored in the school or while jumping out improvised XC course in the back field, he'd just stick his head between his knees, buck like a trojan and then jump the nearest boundary - wall, fence, 5 barred gate, he wasn't fussy.

He was often found two miles down the road hanging out with the neighbour's horses, telling them we were cruel and mean and didn't feed him.

He could break into ANY car, and frequently did. The stables were joined on to the side of our old house, and in the summer he had constant access to his stable, the drive, and a small paddock. So if anyone parked their car in the yard while they unloaded shopping, Solly would be in there in a flash eating crisps.

He loved white Magnums and Diet Coke - the only things that would make him eat his medicine.

He ripped a hole in the side of the tent when we went camping, pulled out all the pillows and duvets, and ate three bags of marshmallows...

I sat to a record of 27 bucks in a row bareback one day, trying to convince him that bareback was fun...

You couldn't ride him bareback, but you COULD do somersaults and backflips off his bottom.

I was given a leg up onto him once, and the saddle slowly slid over to the other side, so I did a graceful, escalator smooth mount and dismount in one motion.

He taught me to fall off and land on my feet, holding the reins and running like the clappers so that I didn't lose him and scratch my saddle!

He beat a 17.2hh warmblood at a chase me charlie over 4ft 9

He won me £20 on my 14th birthday when Simon bet me that I couldn't jump him over the chicken house with the chickens still in it.

He took me to the top of Pony Club mounted games and polocrosse.

He was PTS last year, aged 33, with a fat tummy full of polos and bubblegum flavoured Millions, and a daisy chain in his mane.
 
Mine was a bay dartmoor, bout 10hh when I was 11. He taught a lot of kids in the area to ride - I remember being at a show taking his new loaner round in a lead rein class, must of been least 5 years after I'd had him, and the mum of the little girl next to us recognised him, as he'd taught the girl to ride to start too :D. Was a star to hack - I only ever went in company or with a walker tho...but that was down to me not him, and he never put a foot wrong and was a little star in the school most of the time. However he was speedy, napped when fed up, once bolted with the YO's daughter (who I shared him with) who must have only been 6 or so at the time back to the yard, pulling me over.

He was also a lil pig to catch when I first got him, however with in a month I could stand at the top of the biggest field at the yard and call him and he'd come charging up from the other end.

He was one of those ponies who was an ace lil lead rein pony and a brill second pony...but not good when you were first coming off the lead rein and he would literally stand next to the school gate with his head over the fence when he was fed up if you gave him an inch.
 
OMG Starzaan - what a fabulous pony :D

I remember that Sammy used to always nick any cup of coffee, tea, hot chocolate .... lift the mug up and drink it :D

We used to feed brewers grains back then and I swear that he used to walk out of his stable drunk :eek:

First ponies are always the best :D
 
Thats because they are amazing....I still want one (well I want mine back - everytime I'm told theres a suprise at the yard I think it's him)

Mine also had a fondness for lucazade, flaming hot monster munch, buns and cake covered in butter icing....which may explain why he could be a bit daft at time :D
 
LMAO - imagine if we knew then what we know now! We would have had their backs, teeth and saddles checked ;)

Never heard of in those days - but I guarantee you that even if all those were done that Sammy was far too clever and would have done exactly the same :)
 
Misty was my first pony and she lived until she was about 30. We were not so good at showing but we were awesome at gymkhanas, she won me over 300 rosettes and was an absolute superstar. We used to have purple and pink accessories, I still have her sweat rug which is bright pink with my initials sewn on it in purple. I miss those days!

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ETA: she is probably in her mid 20s in this photo, she looked great until the day she died.
 
Ravenwood said:
LMAO - imagine if we knew then what we know now! We would have had their backs, teeth and saddles checked ;)

Never heard of in those days - but I guarantee you that even if all those were done that Sammy was far too clever and would have done exactly the same :)
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Mine was only 10 years or so ago...However still not really that heard of...Tho I'll admit to checking his back my self - at 11...with no Idea of what I was looking for...I basically leant on him to see his reaction - after he bolted with the YO's daughter...because I had no idea why he did it and the only thing I could think was that he'd bolted with me in the school before then and he'd had a sore bit under his saddle...He had no reaction so I tacked him back up and hammered him round the school for a while to tell him off.

When he went through his refusal to come in stage...he'd let us chase him around the field for 30 mins, and then fetch himself in when we'd admitted defeat and gone to fetch carrots to bribe him.
 
My Stacey, 13.2hh typical chestnut mare.

Was a total tare away! Was found wondering down the main street, was locked up by the cops in the dog kennels. My dad was a cop so took her home.

We had her as a field ornament for a few years till i was 12 and i decided I was a good enough rider to ride her.. pfft I was wrong!

She threw me off everyday after school untill i worked out how to stay on. She taught me what balance was. She taught me what a sound seat was. If i made a single mistake I got chucked!

She would gallop as fast as a rocket and jump the moon if asked, but refused to walk the rest of the way home when out hacking.

A more stubborn horse id never met, but she was above me, wiser than my years, and she knew it. She was a decade older than me! She taught me all the basics of good horsemanship, something i believe another human can never teach.


Eventually we met a compramise. She wouldnt chuck me, and id get her in the ribbons.

She was wonderful. I had no fear around her. I miss her dearly. She lived into her late 30's.
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My parents (in all their wisdom) bought me a 5yr old welsh A for my first pony when I was 7. She was the stoppiest little madam I have ever known. She never put her ears forward and use to pull faces at everyone.

I was a pretty brave little rider and never wanted to be on a lead rein. We kept the horses on a farm that backed on to a big country park with great hacking. Misty, my pony, knew her way round and would get to certain points on the ride and decide she had had enough. She would just drop her shoulder, dump me and gallop home. I would have to walk all the way back with my mum on her horse and we would find her waiting outside her field!!

Her record for dumping me was 7 times in half an hour. She once chucked me over a stone wall by just taking off, charging straight at it then stopping dead and sticking her neck out! She even dumped my instructor in a puddle (who never got on her again!). She was very good when you didn't want to ask anything of her but as soon as you wanted that bit more she just downed tools. We use to win all the lead rein classes at the local show like handy pony, games and jumping but she use to kick out sideways at my dad as he was leading me and he use to end up covered in bruises!! I am surprised he kept doing it tbh, he isn't even horsey! My sisters would never ride her in the field because she just use to stick her head between her legs and buck you off as soon as you started to canter.

She certainly taught me a lot....how to fall off, how to get back on, (eventually) how to sit to anything! Here is a photo of us at camp when I was 7. I insisted that I wanted to do this jump (she did have a quite a pop). she refused it about 10 times and dumped me before we got the photo. My instructor said this was my last attempt before they put it down!
misty.jpg


My 2nd pony I have to say was fantastic and we still have her aged 30!
 
My first pony was a horse when I was forty-five :D

Taught me a lot did Tigs. Loved her with all my heart. Broke it when I lost her.


Hm.

Bought D2 a pony - a supposedly been there, seen it and done it pony, though admittedly he was advertised as a 'second' pony, but she had been riding her sister's and was doing pretty well. He bolted, twisted, span, bucked, reared, farted, could jump like a stag but would put in last stride stops, tanked off on a lead rope, walked through people/fences, suffered from lamintis and sweet itch (neither declared at purchase). After the last time of coming off and him standing on her in passing (a trip to A&E for that one), she gave up :( Sad as she has the best natural seat and hands out of all of us. Ah well. I learnt a lot as well. D1 took him on and learnt to stay on :D :eek::D, doing some pretty impressive rodeo acts along the way :rolleyes:. He's now retired because we don't know anyone small enough and competant enough (and certifiable enough!) to ride him :(. So saying, he's a star to hack out - practically bombproof and easy to handle in a Happy Mouth jointed snaffle.

Here he is with D1 on at a show where we tried to see if he would make it as a games pony - excuse all the tack on him, it was the only way we thought we'd keep him on the showground!:

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This was D1 on him, before we found out that he gets bored on a showground and decides to leave...!:

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Bought D1 a three and a half year old Traditional cob. Now that's been fun :D. He's never bolted, bucked (except for out of excitement when out cantering and never to get someone off), or reared (other than when he was first ridden out after two months box rest). He is an ignorant oik in other respects though! Can jump and seemed to enjoy it, but get to a show and he'd walk through the entire course :(. Used to refuse to go into the school, backing up and taking D1 up a rockery under a tree once! I used to ride him and we've rocking-horsed down the road (front end up a couple of inches followed by back end up a couple of inches). He tried to rub the rider off along the school fence (killed his saddle and bruised me from knee to ankle). Attmpeted to flatten me in the tie-up area - had to groom him with a brush in one hand and a schooling whip in the other to remind him of 'my space' :eek::rolleyes:. He's turned into a good lad though, just a pity he's a broken lad now :(

About six months or so after we'd got him:

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First go at working hunter fences:

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He slipped on the drive, then had a little snackette to keep him going lol:

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Learning to work (excuse the saddle being too far forward!):

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I am cruel and made them work lots without a saddle :D :

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And this is what they used to do best (at least at home :rolleyes:):

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I think mine closely rivalled yours RW.

Although he wasn't 'mine' (he was a loan pony) he taught me a thing or two. He was literally a pony my mum's rich friend had bought for her daughter, daughter lost interest and went off to uni etc etc, and she kept him to 'keep the grass down'. I asked if I may ride him and was told to do as I pleased.
The poor old bugger must have been about 30. I'm pretty sure the old saddle (which was found hanging in the greenhouse by it's stirrups) was wooden - least, it felt like it.

To start with, and to save shame after the first dumping, I would walk him inhand into the village and mount him there, and then have a nice little plod round on him. I soon found he napped all the way home.

One day we passed another horse and I don't recon he'd seen another horse in about 15 years, because we ended up in someone elses yard and the gardener had to come and rescue us as pony refused to leave.

So we stayed at home. Like yours, you'd get to the top of the field and he'd bolt for home. His favourite trick was to walk backwards and plant himself. he was a serial bucker and if you tried to make him do something he'd just go up and keep going up until you bailed out or fell off.

He jumped well, a little too well because he then took to jumping out of his field and clearing off into the village.

I was made to stop riding him after he did a buckaroo with me and I landed face first in the foundations of a derelict barn. I plodded home with my twig I'd been using as a whip at the time (lesson there . ... ponies don't appreciate being smacked with a twig when they're napping) and found him in his owners garden. Untacked him, put him away for the night and fed him. Found my mother, and was rushed to hospital. I'd broken my nose and two ribs.

His owner wouldn't dare let me ride him again LOL. It later turned out her daughter had lost interest after he'd kept dumping her too.
 
My first pony was a 13.2 grey gelding called Tiny Tim he was the same age as me when I got him (12) he was the best pony ever for teaching me to ride, he was so safe but not boring but my god he could jump!! Apparently he was an ex JA showjumper before I bought him and had jumped at Hickstead.
I won my first ever Chase-me-charlie on him and jumped 4ft6 :0 He had a bit of a buck on him but I never fell off I just got very good at staying on buckers!!
I had the best times of my life on that little pony, hacking everywhere and cantering on every tiny bit of grass I came to!
When I saw him advertised he was quite a long way away, so me and my friend got the bus and then walked the rest of the way to see him. I did my first ever jump on him that day, as I was rather novicey and had only been riding 6 months, I had only cantered a few times too.
After trying him I asked to borrow their phone so I could ring my Mum but luckily for me she bought him he was £425 including tack and rugs :) this was back in 1983!
I kept him at the same place for a while then brought him home and he lived in my garden for a bit then moved to a nice livery yard where all my friends were.
In all honesty I didn't hardly know anything but I learnt everything from him and all the books I used to read, but he was the ideal first pony.
I sold him to another nice little girl who was friends with my sister and she kept him until he died and taught her daughter to ride too.
 
Not actually 'mine' but it was like she was, she was an 11.2hh Dartmoor hill pony from the dartmoor sales, and an absolute pain in the bum! - taught me to ride though! first time i got on her she reared, she would never be caught, she bit, kicked and bolted- i was on a hack once and she charged forward and stopped suddenly to buck (she knew how to get kids off!) But she had only been ridden by 'kick-flap-pull' kids who were obviously scared of her (and she knew it). After a while we won mounted games alot and then i moved onto another little s*d a hand higher who wasn't much different ;) i then bought the 14.2hh stubborn naughty mare i have now and all of them turned out to be lovley well mannered ponies im pleased to say =D!
 
My first pony was awful!! But I suppose I learnt how to stay on...!

It was a 13hh grey mare who was very spooky, didnt like to be ridden in the wind and awful at jumping :p

I have very vivid memories of "hunting" round a mini course at pony club - jumping all the "bigger" options very out of control :o

She was not very good to jump, she kept stopping at our blue barrels and the first time I cantered I had no steering and cantered into my friends at the gate :p

Oh, and then she got laminitis/navicular (not sure which, as was only 10 at the time!) and she had heartbar shoes on.

She then proceeded to get loose and run up the road (:eek:) and so we "herded" (there was 2 of them) the ponies into a farmers field and managed to catch them - but sooo not good for a lame pony on heartbars!!

Soon after that, she was sold! I think to a riding school, but really not sure :p

Then there was another pony I had on trial, he was great until he bit and kicked another livery's dog over the 5 bar gate :o he went home too :o

Also had a pony called blue, who when I first got on, trotted 3 strides (if that) before he bucked and I fell off! He was the one who taught me to sit a buck - I have a nicely mis shapened nose thanks to him and all the times I broke it/made it bleed!

:p
 
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