34" pony UPDATE and OPINION NEEDED

[Weighaton]

Approximately what age rider would be suitable for a pony this small?

[trainingtree]

Sounds like a miniature horse to me! Probably more suited to driving a small cart.

[Weighaton]

The ad says that their children ride him and they do leadline so when I said rider I really meant child. I have not spoken to these people yet so I have no idea the ages of their children. Would this pony be too small for a 6 year old?

[AM]

My nieces learned on a 36" pony. They limited riders to those who weighed fewer than 60 pounds. He had been passed around to several little girls and they shared him on to additional children.

[Vitriolic]

I have a 30" QH type mini that my 34 pound 42" tall daughter looks great on. She walks mostly with a little trotting, but can lead him over jumps. She is timid, but feels safe so close to the ground. I can tell he doesn't like it when a 55 pound 4' tall kid sits on him, so he will not be ridden when she gets bigger if he is going to be nappy. He is not fine boned and is quite fit too.

[Kate66]

Bear in mind that ponies this small have been trained by kids, small kids, therefore are likely to not be fantastically trained.

[joiedevie99]

If he's a true miniature horse- I've heard (who knows if its true) that they aren't built to be ridden at all. They are better suited to driving.

Otherwise, I'd say 50 lbs. is probably safe with a very lightweight saddle.

[Hilary]

My parents got me a Shetland pony (yesregistered Shetland pony, they had not invented minature horses at that point) when I was three years old. She was 8 hands high ( so 32 inches - small, even for a Shetland) and I rode her until I was 8.

I don't really recall my weight back in those days, but she never had trouble carrying me, even when I was an older child. She also did some pony club games with me when I was 14 or 15 and weighed about 100lbs (oh the days..) and was fine for the short duration riding it involved.

[Weighaton]

This pony does not look like a true mini. He really looks like a shetland. He is a pinto and looks really sweet. Now I said he "looks" sweet but we all know the pony thing. We had a shetland named Spanky that was a beast. I want my girls to be able to ride independently but our old saint of a mare passed away. And really she was just too big for me to feel comfortable. I give the girls "pony" rides on the percheron but they are not really learning anything. If they are going to fall I don't want it to be from 17 hands. So maybe 34" is the way to go.

[rabicon]

If its a good pony and will take care of them I don't see why not. If they are small enough. Just realize that they will grow out of it quickly and you'll be on the search again and sometimes these little ones can be hard to rehome unless you plan on keeping him forever.

[Vitriolic]

I adore mine and plan to keep him forever. He was never meant to be a riding pony when bought as a two yr old, but just ended up getting broke. I don't let him off a lunge actually since he can run like stink, jump 3 ft at least, and turn like a cutting horse. I fear if he ever got spooked, he might really fly. He is the only equine we have that I am too big to ride. My daughter does have a suitable Welsh "couch" who is a towering 10.2, but for the moment wants to ride the little guy. The finer minis have such teeny legs that I wouldn't put any weight on them either. I suspect mine has more Shetland, though he thinks he is reining bred or race bred. ;)

[Hilary]

While there were other horses I rode in the barn, I really liked my pony because first, she was MY pony, not someone else's horse, and also I could reach most of her for grooming, leading her wasn't intimidating etc. I could give tacking up a good go most of the time if I had a little help.

Not much fun when the only part you can brush is the leg, and you aren't strong enough to lift a hoof to clean it out.

Also, falling off (which happens) hurts less from the pony.

[Weighaton]

Thanks for all the help. If we get him I will post pictures.

[Alterrain]

My brother in law has a 33" mini. His kids (5 and 7) ride him all the time, although the 7 year old is a little big. I have ridden the pony many many times myself, to get him trotting into and out of the creek with confidence. (The 7 year old took him fox-hunting a couple times last year.) He is awkwardly too small for me :) but he doesn't seem to mind at all. I think an averaged sized 6 year-old is fine. :P

ETA: I am 4'11, 90 lbs. (I am an adult :) )

[2foals]

My kids ride a 34" mini. Right now my boys are three and almost five and the mini has worked great. The older will be able to ride him for two more years I am guessing.

Pluses: The kids can easily lead him, groom him, comb his tail, feed him, pick his feet, etc. and they love that--some days more than the actual riding! It is not very intimidating in terms of height when they are on his back either.

Minuses: Ponies this small have really quick, short strided trots which are hard to learn to post on. My boys have learned to post, but the trot issue--not size--is what is making me start to think about another slightly larger pony. Also, I think slightly larger ponies have a more stable feel.

For me, I really wanted a pony the boys could pet and groom as well as ride and so we went smaller to start.

The most important thing is temperament.

[pony89]

A friend has a mini for her little boy, but he was actually finding it difficult to learn to ride because of the awkward center of gravity. Kids have relatively big heads compared to adults, and with such a small pony, everything was just too tippy. He started taking lessons on a small horse and did great, and she just found him one of his own:D

ETA - I doubt that you could beat a mini for ease of handling on the ground, if you want a child to learn to do it by themselves

[goeslikestink]

sounds like you got a shetland,, they make great kids ponies and also driving ponies

olympiahorseshow.com

flickr.com

mirkwoodponies.co.uk

shetlandponystudbooksociety..

equineink.wordpress.com

shetlands are used in many things here in uk from lead rein to 1st ridden they take part in pony club activities to driving to herding sheep they are well know for there charactors of eat 1st and can be stroing willed ponies they are smart to as they are little air head lving on nothing and something they find food where horses dont ie under fencelines round post under bushes

[Weighaton]

Well I spent so much time debating about the pony that he was sold. Everything happens for a reason. Could anyone give some opinions on the attached pony? He is 38.5" and five years old. Pulls a cart and does leadline with kids. His face is adorable.

http://pets.webshots.com/album/574509588BjWGGM

[Vitriolic]

He looks darling and has a good neck to land on if he stops quick. ;) I love harness broke horses and find them more bombproof than others. I would ask to see him driven.

[Weighaton]

Well I made an appointment to go and see this little cutie tomorrow with my oldest daughter. He is about an hour from us and I told my daughter we could pack a picnic and make a day of it. What is so nice is that tomorrow maybe one of those memories that my daughter will have for the rest of her life.

The lady selling him has a children's program and doesn't need the extra pony. She only bought him to get the cart he came with. A driver trainer lives down the road and tested the pony and said that he knows what he is doing. Maybe we can talk to the neighbor about taking some driving lessons if everything works out.