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Member:
gwen

Posted on Thursday, Feb 1, 2007 - 7:26 pm:

I am looking to get your thoughts on my LATEST dilemma. I was given a pony about three years ago, by a friend who knew he would have a good home. He has sat in my backyard for most of that time and he is so cute to look at and low maintenance.
However, I just started boarding my boys out and had an understanding with the BO that they would use him for lessons. It was going fine until he tossed a student last week. Now they won't use him and I am worried to have him continuing to sit without training. I had hopes to have my daughter use him in a few years when she is big enough, but now I am worried that a) he will continue to get even rustier sitting around and b) he is too much pony for her even in a few years. Help! I am thinking of trying to do a free lease for him with a good little rider. I also thought of a therapeutic place that may be interested in "schooling" him toward better behavior so that they could use him. He is DEAD quiet, so cute and knows a ton. He is just very willful I guess. THANKS!
Member:
jessiew

Posted on Thursday, Feb 1, 2007 - 8:19 pm:

Gwen,
I have a 18 year old Welsh Pony who is quite the gentleman but occasionally he does a little buck.
If I am riding him, (which I still do about twice a year)I make him work, and I also can tell when he is going to buck, and I slow him down. But I think the problem is mostly he isn't used enough.
You bring a pony out only occassionally and they are going to act like a pony.. when they feel good they are going to buck, like they do in the pasture. If you could find one of those tougher kind of kids, with the right experience, that would not be afraid and would get after him, would be the best for a lease. My pony is now being ridden by three homeschooler, that have more time.They have worked out beautifully, so check with the local home schoolers group in your area. Also most any horses I have owned that I sold or loaned out seems to go though a bad period. Especially if the person isn't instructed how to handle them like the way you have. You could teach him to drive and then you could use him yourself. That way when your daughter gets to the age to use him he will be good and broke. From my experience with raising two children around horses do everything as slowly as possible, build they skills and confidence up. Lead her on the pony for a while, always with a helmet. I have found it a good way for me to get exercise taking a walk with my pony and a youngster on his back. I am keeping my pony for my grandchildren might have to wait a few more years (I hope) but I have had him since he was five so I am not letting him go now.
Member:
freshman

Posted on Thursday, Feb 1, 2007 - 9:37 pm:

I'd want to know the circumstances before making any decisions.

Lots of possibilities. He could have spooked violently, bucked, or run away, etc. Any horse will do so under certain circumstances, so this may or may not reflect the pony in an accurate way.

He may be green or just plain untrustworthy under saddle with young riders. But perhaps the rider was very inexperienced and overfaced with the pony in this situation. It could be a case in which a rank beginner was placed in a group situation where the other horses were trotting and cantering around the pony, encouraging him to follow them some extent. Who knows, maybe the rider did not belong on ANY horse that was not a longeline or private session.

It may also be worth consider that the instructor or barn owner felt pressured to "fire" the pony in order to please a parent or group of parents that were overreacting to what could have/would have happened on another horse. Also, some parents are rather quick to say "not my kid" when it is their child's turn to ride the offending pony, whether it was the pony's problem or not.

Just some ideas. I'd really do some asking/observing before coming to any conclusions. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. But the pony can't speak for his position, so there has to be a careful consideration of the situation before he gets labeled an bad or unsafe mount.

Good luck with this one. Sounds like you really like and care for the pony, so I hope for the best.
Member:
gwen

Posted on Friday, Feb 2, 2007 - 7:18 am:

Good questions Kristin. He was in a group lesson and started out with a beginner. He was doing little bucks going to the left when trotting, and the instructor told the little girl to reprimand him but she couldn't. So the instructor put a bigger girl on him (she is very skinny but probably 5'8") and he was going great with her. But suddenly he stopped and sent her flying. The instructor said that he had big plans to get her off. It sounds like it was pretty dirty. He has displayed antics like this in the past, but it is fairly infrequent. When he is a good boy, he is a star. I would school him myself, but I think I am too big. I do like the idea of possibly training to pull a cart.
Member:
jmarie

Posted on Friday, Feb 2, 2007 - 10:33 am:

Gwen, I speak from experience when I say that if you're going to train a bucker to pull a cart, you might want to get a professional to do the job.
Member:
gwen

Posted on Friday, Feb 2, 2007 - 11:22 am:

Oh yeah, the people who own the barn where I board are very experienced so I would ask them.
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