Hoping for some advice, has been a long time!

L

leabea

New Member
Apr 10, 2007
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Rosyth Fife
Hi

I have been considering for quite a while getting my daughter a pony. There is a little yearling colt welsh cross that has caught my eye but I'm suffering a crisis of confidence. Apart from that trying to organise field/shelter has been trying to say the least!

It has been about 10 yrs since I was last on a horse!

Do any of you know much about this breed?

And also for mine and my daughters benefit is there some kind of calculator to work out roughly how much the upkeep is?

It's not funny what age does to one's memory lol

Apologies if I've posted in the wrong place..
 
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Are you planning on stabling him at a barn where he will be looked at by others or are you thinking of keeping him on your own land?

Honestly, I would not recommend getting a yearling if you have been out of touch with the horsey world for awhile, unless you have loads of training experience. You would be responsible for his growth, training, etc etc. How much riding and horsemanship experience does your daughter have? Depending on her age as well, I would recommend looking for an older, been-around-the-block sort of pony, who is used to carrying kids (I don't mean a 30 year old pony, I mean older than say, 6 or 7. You want to make sure she is safe!

Also, your daughter would need to wait a few years before she could ride that yearling!! :(

Can't comment much on the breed, as I don't know much about them myself!
 
Thanks for your reply!

It may sound silly but I was kind of hoping for them to be companions at first. My daughter is 7 and has riding school experience. I have a relative that can train, pony has apparently already been 'well handled'

It does make sense to get an older pony but this little one has pulled at my heart strings, the owners just seem to want to get rid but it is so friendly and energetic..

Because its been so long I am a bit reluctant to jump in feet first lol although I will have lots of on hand help.

Thanks for your reply

Lea
 
Trust me, if you start doing some really good searching, your heart strings will be pulled in every direction, guaranteed!! Old ponies, young ponies, big horses, mini horses, you name it, you'll probably want them all!! I really suggest doing lots and lots of research before taking this on; horses are a lot of work and you are going to need to make sure your daughter is committed. I've been there; my parents spent thousands on my riding lessons and were just about to lease me a horse, when one day at the ripe age of 13, I decided I didn't want to ride anymore! :eek: At 18 realized what a colossal mistake I had made and immediately got back in the saddle (at my own expense:mad: ). At the risk of sounding like a broken record though (and I'm sure a lot of people on NR will agree), your life will most likely be much better with a more experienced riding pony. I personally wouldn't want a 2 year old colt as a companion, especially if I were 7 years old!

I hope I don't sound harsh at all or am bursting your bubble, I just don't want you to do something you might regret down the line. I want you and your daughter to be happy with your decision 100%, and it's just my humble opinion that this could be attained with an older, more experienced pony. :) :)
 
Ponyashgirl you have some good concerns there. My 9yo daughter has been horse mad for 5 yrs. Been there done the pony. Now at the I want a break stage. :( So she is having her break but what I wouldnt give for her interest to be set alight again...:eek: Fast forwards to the future to see if there is a pony mad girl at the age of 30. Just like I did...:D
 
My neighbour has a 4 year old welsh mare 11hh that she has had for 3 years. She paid for her to be broken in and she has the best manners and is a lovable cuddlebunny of a pony. Her 6 year old (very tiny) daughter rides her, and even though she is a very quiet pony and has no nastyness about her, she is still very young and at times scares the little girl when she gets a bit excited.

We all love this pony, but I have to agree with the others that have posted replies, and would suggest an older, calmer horse/pony for your young daughter.
 
Sounds like a great project for an experienced adult but not much good for a child. Sorry to be so blunt :eek:

A child needs something made. It would be fraustrating for the child not be be able to ride and do the things they want quite apart from the safety aspect.

I bought Joy who is 6 and as green as grass for my first horse and that is enough of a challenge for me. I certainly would advocate starting with something that needs to learn everything. It's so easy to ruin them at that age even if you have the best of intentions. Even if all went well then how long before your daughter could actually ride?

Why not make her day and get her a riding pony that she can ride now?

I would really recommend finding a loan or share pony to start with.

As for costs, I budget £200 a month for Joy. That's £80 grass livery, £70 shoes leaving just over £50 a month for feed and other extras like insurances. I could ideally do with getting an instructor to come out to give me lessons but I just can't afford it at the mo.

So far I have always gone over that £200 budget and now I have a vets bill estimated to be about £300 do deal with a sarcoid.
 
I too would get an older pony. Maybe get the baby as a companion/project too. You can always train him to drive and all the family can have fun on outings. A welsh A can happily pull a small cart with 3 lightish folk in it.
 
I know if I was 7 and was getting a pony I wouldn't really want a yearling. It's a nice thought that they could be companions but at the same time it would be around 3 years until you could start any ridden work. I would want a been there done it type that I could enjoy, have fun of and do pony club with :)
 
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