Is a non-forward pony always a good idea as a first pony?

[happyhacker]

Dcs pony arrives next week. He seems absolutely lovely and has been recommended by a couple of people i know. The only negative comments I have had from people that know him is that he is not very forward going. Originally I thought this would be a good thing, but now I am a bit worried that he might be a really lazy plod and that d1 might get bored - she does want to jump and compete although she is in fact quite a nervous rider. I am probably just having last minute nerves but it is worrying me a bit. The woman that said it is very competitive and her daughter is a superb competitive rider so I am hoping that her definition of non forward going and mine might be different!!

Has your DC tried the pony? How was he with her? Different ponies react differently to different riders so you never know and of course as you say each person's definition of forward going can be different.

In an ideal world you'd want a pony that was active from a light leg but responded nicely to a soft hand as that teaches the child good habits, but if you had to compromise I think a lazy pony is much better especially for a nervous child than a wizzy one.

Your DD could always try to get the pony into really good habits from day 1, i.e. light aid, if pony does not respond strong aid and allow with the hands so the pony can move forwards.

Better ploddy than too forward going. A perfect push button pony would obviously be ideal, but they are hard to find, not so forward going will be fine, and doesn't mean they can't jump and compete.

DD's pony is a plodder. We've had him for nearly 2 years and DD (6.5yo) has learnt absolutely loads from him. He is only young (year younger than DD) and as DD progresses I can see them becoming a brilliant and competative team (he has a huge jump when needed and loves jumping). Right now though, he is a great confidence giver.

I would never put a novice rider of any age on a forward going pony or horse, especially is the rider is nervous anyway.

We all went to ride him this morning and now we are all in love with him :-)
He is absolutely lovely, very friendly and affectionate and as solid as a rock. I can see d1 getting a bit frustrated with him after a year or so when she has full confidence, but actually he will be very good for her as she will have to learn to be more assertive and boss him around - not to make him behave but to get him to speed up! He would much rather trot than canter, clearly. I think he is probably not the sharpest tool in the box ;-) I know that at least I will never have to worry about him chucking her or being too strong which is perfect for a first family pony. D2 and d3 both adored him.

d1 isn't a novice really, she is 12 and has been riding for 6 years, but her confidence is easily shaken - eg we took a friends pony out on a hack a couple of weeks ago and although the pony was not in the slightest bit nasty, she was frisky and restless, wouldn't stand still, neighed a lot, and I could tell d1 wasn't enjoying it very much. I think you could take the pony we are loaning anywhere and he would just stand there happily :-)

Dpony isn't forward going and she has given my girls sooo much confidence.My 6 year old can ride her in a 40 acre field without me worrying about her bombing off.However,when a more experienced rider rides her,she really goes like a rocket if asked,so she tailors her response to the experience of her rider.I think it is a good thing to learn on a slightly stubborn pony,as they really have to think if they are using the right aids,plus when they move onto a whizzier pony,it is going to seem that much easier.

We've had a couple of too sharp ponies on trial and they can really knock a child's confidence if they are at all nervous.

Yes I agree it will do her good to have to learn to be more assertive. He's a poppet. I hope we do him justice!

He sounds lovely happyhacker :o

In my experience new ponies have often been outgrown and lacked a regular rider so aren't always that fit when you get them and as you get them fitter they get more forward, but because it happens gradually the rider gets a chance to build their confidence. You can also adjust feed for extra energy when required. I think it's easier to whizz up a pony than slow one down!

They also adjust theselves to the rider so pony will probably get more forward as your dd gets more confident. Gd's first pony was a 'slow steady confidence giver' when we got him 3 years ago, which was just what she needed. He's now fast against the clock, good cross country and a cracking hunting pony. (and, saddly, outgrown). New pony is very forward, but gd wouldn't have managed her without Ben first.

Just make sure that dd rides him forward from her seat with a light leg (use a whip rather than nagging with the leg) and avoid the temptation to kick if he's a bit lazy so he doesn't get dead to the leg.

Thank you, that is excellent advice. She is very reluctant to use the whip but I can absolutely see that constant kicking would make them dead to the leg. Ours is a Ben too :-)