Schoolmaster for daughter...need advice!

[SouthernComfortMax]

My daughter is 9 years old and has a great 24 year old Arab pony who is solid as a rock, she has never really had any dressage training and my daughter is having a hard time getting any impulsion or bend out of her, i mean she is 24 and has put in her time so I think she deserves a break! :) So that leads me to the fact that I received an email this morning that someone is looking to place an older Hanovarian who has been extensively trained and shown (2nd level +), laid back, solid and very VERY quiet. He needs some joint maintenance (Adequan). My daughter is a good rider, tall for her age (About 4'6 70 lbs. or so) but he is 16.1 so I am thinking he might be to big. My daughter is extremely passionate about dressage and has really show alot of dedication and hardwork so I would love for her to have something to learn on...Do you think this is a wise investment?? Any thoughts??

[exvet]

I can't comment on whether or not it's a wise investment. I can only share what we did. My daughter is now 16 but at the age of nine I bought a been there done that Arab for her to gain her confidence with. He was a challenge to put together but he was safe and at 16 did have a few years left (actually now at 22 he's being leased by another beginner). As my daughter became more serious and once I earned my bronze I gave her my Arab. He again was a been there done that type with real dressage training. His wins/scores were at open shows as well as the big ole Arab shows. Unfortunately he died unexpectedly and long before she/we were ready. As a result a friend gave us a 17 hand swedish warmblood who was 21 years old. Again another been there done that type. By this time my daughter was around 13 years old, 5'3" and madly in love with "the real deal". He was actually an ex-eventer, had been a stallion and stood at stud in Europe until he was 12 and then competed in dressage through third level. By the time we acquired him, he no longer could compete above first level though with maintenance I was able to keep him sound for my daughter to compete at training and first level and go to regionals. All 3 of these guys suited our needs at the right time. All 3 of these guys gave my daughter confidence and allowed her to enjoy herself. I never really enjoyed riding the big guy though he never gave me any trouble and no challenge to ride (he was sweet and easy for training level but I prefer the smaller models) but he wasn't acquired for me.

The point is that I think you're going to have to let your daughter try him out and see how well they click, if she's intimidated at all, if you're worried at all, and how well he responds to her aids. His size may suit her just fine especially if he's small barreled. Now having said that I'm in the business of breeding smaller mounts for adults and kids and feel strongly that one shouldn't be riding anything they cannot handle. We got lucky and my daughter is longer legged and feels way more comfortable on the big guys instead of my little guys who are quick and less than forgiving. The only way we found that out though was to allow her to lease and then later as I said she was given the tall old gent. He had to be put down this summer. It was a sad day but I knew when he originally came here on lease that he would end up living out his days at my place. The trade off was worth it even though she only could ride him competitively for not quite 2 years before I could no longer keep him sound enough for competition. She is now waiting for me to pass on my PSG guy to her which should be in another month or two.

[Elegante E]

I think it depends on how much the school master is and where in her riding your daughter is. If she can post well and has developed enough seat to understand a bit of how her body effects the horse, then a better horse is in order. As Exvet said, then try out this older guy and see how they click and how light he is. Second level is a nice amount of training to learn the basics of dressage.

What does your daughter's trainer say?

[Pony Fixer]

.Do you think this is a wise investment?? Any thoughts??

I think "wise" and "investment" do not belong in any sentence with the word "horse". As long as you realize you will never make money on this horse, he is safe, and she likes riding him, and you have the means to take care of older horses, I don't see a downside.

[Maya01]

I think "wise" and "investment" do not belong in any sentence with the word "horse". As long as you realize you will never make money on this horse, he is safe, and she likes riding him, and you have the means to take care of older horses, I don't see a downside.

:lol: I second this.

I'm sixteen and have been riding for 10 years. Here's how my mum and I did it:
I took lessons at a school barn until I was 8 and then we bought a greener [cheaper] pony for me to bomb around on and basically just have fun on, about a month of having this pony, I started riding an older pony whose little girl had fallen out of love with riding. We eventually sold pony #1 and acquired pony #2. I started in eventing with this pony and gained confidence. I then moved onto a horse of which I rode during the winter when her main rider went away. I gained dressage experience up to 2nd level [confirmed] and then the horse went lame from a prior injury. We then bought a young horse and are now working to bring it into eventing. So basically, I have acquired the fundamentals and then some to be able to ride my young horse and bring her along which will only enhance my education even more. I am lucky to have come across so many opportunities in my riding endeavors :lol:

Basically, find something that your daughter will only gain from, whether it is that Hanoverian or not. At this point in her life, she can stand to work with a pony and just do schooling shows to gain experience. But remember to make her work for the horse too ;) I have seen many young riders give up because they had no dedication to horses because everything was simply given to them. Best of luck with your endeavors :D

[SouthernComfortMax]

She is a currently riding at schooling shows in intro level and getting some good scores. She have a very steady seat at all 3 gaits and a pretty good understanding of rider self awareness. She has done hunters for sometime and we bought her pony she has now because she wanted to do Pony Club at one point. She took a dressage lesson with a trainer out our way and her jumping saddle has not left the rack since! I don't think there is any harm in going to look at him. I'll let you guys know how it goes! :) Thanks!!