How are small ponies backed?

Roxy's Mum

Roxy's Mum

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Jul 21, 2009
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It just came to me really (while sipping my tea & chomping on a KitKat - well it is Friday afterall!).... how are small ponies, i.e. Shetlands, Section As and such like backed if too small for a grown adult to ride?

Are there uber confident children who willingly get on these animals for the first time?

Sorry if it's a dumb question! :redface:
 
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;)

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Seriously, we get them driving confidently, then when it comes to putting small kids on, one person leads and the other person holds onto the child with instructions to grab us rather than the saddle or mane. But I have only ever had to drag a child off a pony once in 20 years....that one was not being driven.

You can almost take for granted ( not 100%) that once they are going sweetly in harness they will accept a rider, but NEVER the other way around.
 
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There's no reason why a small, lightweight adult can't back a small pony! I'm an 8-stone, 5'6'', fully-grown adult and have backed 4 Shetland ponies - all of which I then also schooled and hacked until they were ready for kids to ride.
 
joosie said:
There's no reason why a small, lightweight adult can't back a small pony! I'm an 8-stone, 5'6'', fully-grown adult and have backed 4 Shetland ponies - all of which I then also schooled and hacked until they were ready for kids to ride.
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At your weight and height I cannot think of a breed (mini Shetlands an exception) that you could not back and get used to carrying a rider. You'd be welcome to leap on board any of ours.
 
I'm only about 7.5 stones and 4 ft 5
I often get chucked on the little ponies that need backing, bringing on or having a proper rider on them
 
My shetland has an absolute cracker of a tempermanet and loves being handled so we just sat my 2.5 year old neice on his back and led her around with somebody holding her he was great and never batted an eyelid. I have one of them cub saddles with a big handle on it. A small child is very lightweight for a shetland they probably wouldnt feel them anyway. To get the aids etc i am going to long rein him. Depends on the pony at the end of the day each one is unique especially shetlands.
 
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:giggle:

As Wally said the key for us is diverse work, he can't be bored so variety is the key. I'm actually paying an instructor to help us as I need to wean him off me - he won't work away from me and has a paddy if asked too.
 
We do chuck the dog up there from an early age, it gets them used to something scrabbling about on their back in a chilled environment.
 
This was one of the things I used to do as a child. I was a good crash test dummy. Used to love backing the shetties and other ponies.
 
Um, (bad mother alert)

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I do try NOT to use Piccolo as a furry babysitter :giggle:

Anyway in answer to the question I actually find Piccolo is a lot more tolerant of the little ones then of older kids. I have sat on her once or twice myself (I'm 5ft 2 and 10st) but i am a bit heavy.

I have got a small lightweight 12yr old riding school rider who helps me out but Piccolo was primarily backed by my 4yr old, my 5yr old and my 2yr old children, all novices but not unconfident.

Piccolo was used to wearing tack between 2-3yrs and has walked out on the roads since 2yrs. She started longreining at 3yrs and was backed at 3 then turned away over winter and coming back into work now at rising 4.
 
I have to say though (taking from my experience from back in the dark ages) was that the backing was a piece of cake. It shouldn't be any big deal if the prep is done. The hardest bit was the subsequent schooling and bringing on. That's when things could get a bit hairy as a young mind and body is being required to develop.
 
Joyscarer said:
I have to say though (taking from my experience from back in the dark ages) was that the backing was a piece of cake. It shouldn't be any big deal if the prep is done. The hardest bit was the subsequent schooling and bringing on. That's when things could get a bit hairy as a young mind and body is being required to develop.
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Completely agree which is why i think Pic looks after her little riders but thinks the 'bigger' rider = work and she's not so keen on being told what to do lol. We are having a summer of just mainly hacking out to get her going forwards, plus i can see her point that it's a bit more interesting then schooling and interested=less being silly.
 
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This was who backed June for me last august time. Since then she has hardly been ridden. Agree with about. Getting someone to back her was a piece of cake. Getting someone to school her and bring her on - absolute nightmare!!! Junes got more confident (and cocky) been ridden and this was her on Wednesday night being ridden by the same person who hasn't rode her since she was backed. She didn't make it a lap round the school before June decked her in a spectacular way. Although she did get back on and kept going!

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Just found this - 5"10 10 stone rider on her, she took June out for a hack no bother last year!!!
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Although we did ditch the saddle
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If you'd have put some adult stirrups and leathers on that saddle and taken them to a long length you;d have been fine.
 
That was the banana saddle wally, when it fitted her lol! Although we were short on adult sized stuff (the leathers and stirrups on the pics above were borrowed!)
 
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