Your First Horse Part 2

A Comprehensive Series On Buying Your First Horse
By April Reeves

Part 2 - A Horse or a Pony?

The Child’s First Horse

So you’ve gone through the process of lessons and leasing. Your child is certain they will keep up their riding, and you are happy that your child has a hobby and a responsibility that they are assuming without hassle or argument.

There’s a ‘magic’ place where you know your child is at that point where they are not just horse crazy. If they:
-    hang out at the barn more than home,
-    talk about the horses more than school friends,
-    spend countless hours trying to braid a forelock,
-    have picked out colors for blankets, saddle pads and boots,
-    and they jump on their mounts bareback and wander off into the sunset,

then you can be sure that this is the life for them at this juncture.

That was the easy part.

Finding a pony or horse that gives your child hours of fond memories and experiences can be a daunting task. Let’s look at the difference between pony ownership and horse ownership.

Ponies

Ponies have had a bad reputation ever since we domesticated them. While many people believe it’s just pony breeds in general, there are many good ponies of all breeds that have no vices and pack their little riders around like an old schoolmaster. Those who breed ponies will also tell you  that ponies’ vices are a product of humans misunderstanding.

There are sound reasons why ponies misbehave and get vices. Pony owners tend to treat them and train and discipline them differently than horses. They get pampered more, and fed by hand more often. Because they are cute and cuddly, it is often overlooked that they are in the horse family, and have all the same abilities to become aggressive and dangerous, the same as horses.

Because they are small, it is difficult to retrain them if they need it. Most riders competent enough to retrain are too big for ponies. Unless you can find someone small and skilled, the pony usually gets a very long vacation, or the auction mart. Therefore little children are often left to deal with the pony’s vices, which only leads to more problems and more mistakes made.

Ponies are also subject to abuse from their small riders. They are often mishandled, kicked around and suffer mouth damage, eventually turning the pony ‘sour’ and evasive to catch and work.

As for personalities, most breeders will tell you that ponies are actually one of the quieter and better mannered mounts for children, and I have to agree. When you find a good pony, they are worth their weight in gold. Bad ponies are the fault of mishandling and spoiling, more so than breeding.

Is a Pony Right For Your Child?

Before you go looking for a pony check with your child to make sure THEY want a pony. Does their instructor recommend a pony or is the child able to handle a small horse?

When deciding on a pony, always remember that it will be outgrown before a horse would, in size and performance abilities. If keeping the pony for life will not be possible, just remember that one day your child and pony will likely have to split up.

Ponies should be bought to fit the child right away, as larger ponies may become too difficult for the child to handle, and the child/horse relationship will be lost. Never buy a pony a child can grow into.

What is The Right Pony?

Pretty is in the eye of the beholder, so before you start looking at show ponies and fall for the fancy, clipped and groomed one, there are many backyard ponies who may give you years of serviceability.

The pony should have ample experience to deal with a fairly new rider. Ponies under the age of 10 may not always have the time in to be able to handle their new responsibilities. Often the best pony is older and has had more experience with life. Ponies can spook, shy and bolt just as easily as a big horse. They’re just a little closer to the ground.

Show Ponies

Many ponies have moved from home to home, babysitting and teaching young students the basics of horsemanship. Show ponies tend to fit that description. They are bought to bridge the time of deciding whether a horse is in the future for your child. Show ponies have the training for at least one discipline, and most are able to pin a ribbon at the local shows. The majority of show ponies are registered purebreds, are better disciplined, and have been exposed to travel, bathing, clipping and being fussed over. Because of their reliability and scarcity, they will cost more, but may be easier to sell in the future.

Is The Pony A Backyard Or Boarded Pony?

Backyard ponies tend to have more freedoms and often mingle with other animals and horses. If this is the case, make sure that one of the virtues your new pony has, is the ability to be caught easily. Ponies that can’t be caught can’t be ridden, and children often give up on animals they can’t get near.

Boarded ponies can often live in isolation. Because they are small, they are often left in stalls, with the false belief that they do not need the outside turn out as a big horse would. Being small has nothing to do with tossing aside the need of movement or herd instincts. Keeping ponies in a stall can be a cruel form of loving. They are often too short to see over the stall walls, and their movement is limited to circling. Remember; they have the same instincts as horses, and can get depressed and aggressive when treated improperly. Ponies (as well as horses), need the ability to run and move forward every day. Forward movement allows the stretching of muscles and keeps joints working. Circling does not do this as well.

If you have to board your pony, ensure it is treated with the same dignity as any large animal. Movement and the company of the herd are necessary for a pony’s physical and mental well being.

Choosing a Horse

Horses come in all sizes, and that’s good news for beginners. Any horse over 14.2 hands high is considered a horse. Let’s go over the pros and cons of horse ownership.

Pros
1. Horses have greater flexibility to learn new disciplines, as they are larger and can be ridden and retrained by a professional.
2. A child can outgrow a pony faster than a horse.
3. Finding a good horse can be easier than finding a good pony. There are simply more to choose from.
4. Parents can ride the horse.

Cons
1. They are larger. This can be intimidating at first, if the child has a bad experience early in the relationship.
2. They eat more.
3. They require larger trailers, saddles, blankets, bridles…

As for vet costs, horses and ponies are pretty much equal. When it comes time to resell them, you may make or lose money on either, depending upon age and abilities of horse or pony during time of sale.

(On that sidenote: it has been my experience that a good pony will retain it's value throughout most of it's lifetime, even as it gets older. Horses seem to peak in their mid teens and then drop in value. A 17 year old pony with show capabilities is likely going to sell for the same price as when it was 8. A 17 year old horse may drop each year. This may be because it's harder to find a good pony (market demand) and that ponies are often bought with short term use in mind.)

I’ll be saying this a lot throughout this series: “It costs the same to feed a good horse as it does a bad horse.” Keep that mantra in your head when looking at ponies and horses.

Your First Horse Part 1: What you should really know before horse ownership
Your First Horse Part 3: The real costs of equine ownership