Who would like to tell me about New Forest ponies?

[Mirage]

I know nothing about them and am collecting one on Friday.

congratulations!

I think, if it's definitely native looking but not obviously any of the more recognisable natives, then it is a New Forest - whether it is chunky or spindly and regardless of colour/markings

I think that's how it works?

You make it sound as if you are just going to pull up in a lay-by in the New Forest and chuck one into the boot of the car.

Never had one myself but I've known loads over the years and they've all been nice easy ponies, good jumpers etc. I've only met one horrid one (bit me on the boob - ouch) and his owner puts up with his bad temper because she has such fun riding him and he'll have a go at anything. Even I have to admit he's very pretty! (think rocking horse). Her other pony is a New Forest too and has no problems switching from being a speedy jumper to teaching disabled children so I think they are very versatile.

Have you bought a new one or is it on loan? I think we need more details!

Come on, tell us all about the pony

Sorry.didn't mean to post and run,but my laptop has broken and I'm using DH's.Honestly,it would be quicker to send messages via carrier pigeon than DH'd laptop.

I've had an ad on preloved for months,but only been offered 4 year olds or ponies with problems,so got very fed up and changed the ad completely,taking a lot of detail out.Within an hour I had an email from lady who is about 3 miles away,with a NF pony that she is too big to ride much any more and her son.who learnt on her,has lost interest in.We went to see her yesterday and she is very sweet,20 years old,hunted,done PC,x country.shows,jumping,everything.Her owner said that she can't afford to keep her any more,but was willing to give her away on permanent loan to the right home [but wants to stay in touch which is fine by me] or sell her with all tack,rugs,new grooming kit,for £300.Both dds rode her,but there were other horses in the field,so we daren't get up any speed in case we caused a riot.So we have agreed to have her on trial and see how we get on at home with her.

She is a very kind pony,but I have a couple of reservations,one is that the owner is giving up her field in the future,so if we have the pony on loan,we can't give her back in future-however due to her size she could last the dds 10 years or more,and at £300,if we end up buying her,she is very very cheap-her rugs are probably worth that alone..Another is her size,13.2,DD1 on her looks like she did last summer when we first got dpony and she has just grown into dpony now.The new pony's owner has warned us that despite her age,she can be strong if you let her get her head down,so am a bit concerned about DD1 not coping with that.But there is only one way to find out and we don't lose anything by trying if we take things slowly.

Bizarrely enough,we were talking to the owner about the rodeo pony that we had on trial last Oct,and it turns out that she'd owned him years ago and sold him to the people we trialled him from,on the other side of the county.She said that he didn't buck while they had him,but didn't like blue barrels and used to get disqualified in gymkhanas because he would run away from them.It is a very small world.

We have a Newfie. She came from the forest as a wild yearling. She is a bit weird, but then she spent her first few years on a tether, and didnt socialise much. The others that we know are much more well balanced. They seem to be nice, middle range ponies, that dont have any nastiness about them. Even at her age, she is a steal at £300, Take it steady, and if she seems nice, snap her up.

I have 3 of them.....and don't refer to them as newfie's the purist owners get very upset!!

What breeding?

I live near the forest so am learning a lot about the various stallions & blood lines and character traits.

They are very versatile pony, can carry a stone per hand and are generally quite wide so take up leg well. Farriers fingerprint , Olympia winner is ridden regularly by a 6ft chap and he doesn't look under horsed.

...when you say strong with getting head down, do you mean to eat or get behind the bit and go?

Sorry im sure!
Ours is 13hh and carried me at 12 stone without any problem at all.
Oh, and she was born on a golf course apparently!

Not me... I'm on a few new forest owners/riders forums, and they get very upset at newfies. :)

My 3 are 13 to 14 hand and ridden for everything from polo to games to show jumping by both me & my kids. They are true all rounders and I love the breed.

Im into welshies, I worked at an A stud for a while, and as a greenhorn, I was nearly murdered, for saying that sec As are very Arab like. They are incredibly arab like at times, but it is a cardinal sin to say it!

Her owner said that in canter,if she gets her head down,she can get a bit strong.I noticed her bits are gags and pelhams,but don't know if she might be trying to get away from a strong bit or really need it.I'm a bit questioning about why ponies 'have' to have a certain bit.Dpony apparently couldn't be ridden in anything but a Happymouth snaffle,but I changed her to a sweet iron french link and we no longer have problems trying to get her to accept the bit and she has stopped head tossing and snatching when ridden.

Oh well,who knows,only one way to find out I suppose.Luckily we have a lot of small fields and the menage to try her in,so if she goes,she can't get far.

Over bitting is one of my hobby horses. We get the PC rejects, in the Gags and pelhams. The are usually totally switched off, and just tend to charge around, noses in the air, in a trance. We take them off, switch to snaffles or french links, or even bitless, temporarily, and the difference is amazing. Its when you hack them out, and realise that they are actually aware of their surroundings, or when they stop stargazing and tuck their noses in naturally that you notice the difference!
You could try a Waterford bit, she wont be able to lean on it.

We put old pony in a pelham for hunting and he put his head down to evade it (as you saw at the meet Mirage)He wasn't trying to eat, it was the effect of the pelham, so if you lose the strong bit you may well solve that problem.

My favourite for when he needs a bit more braking is a french link hanging cheek snaffle(filet baucher, nothing for him to object to and just a bit more control than the standard french link snaffle (all of ours are in french links, it's my starting point)

Ooh,useful stuff,thankyou both.I'm keeping my options open,and will see how we go.I'll ask Julie to come and give a lesson whilst new pony is here and ask her opinion too.Both girls are under no illusions that if the pony isn't right,back she goes and we keep on looking.

I nipped off and saw a little Section A yesterday whilst the dds were at school,poor thing had been through two families who bought it for 4 year old children who promptly lost interest.He was very sweet,like a little rocking horse and only 8.I said that if she could lunge him or get a rider for him,then to ring me and we'd go back and try him,but not until.I think he is quite green for his age and have a feeling that if we had him,we'd take him to PC ect,and once we'd got to grips with him and put in the work,she'd want him back.

That's the trouble with loaning. I'd much rather buy any day!

Me too, Saggy,but I daren't even mention it to DH after he worked out that dpony + trailer + car has cost us about £12000 so far,and that is without shoes,field rent hay ect.However,he did say he has a couple of hundred squirrelled away [for a new tv,or that is what he thinks] if the NF works out and we want to buy her.

My new forests are all in neule schule bits, the loose ring starter , hanging cheek & veriband (sp).

They tend to have thick tongues and small mouths, so these bits suit...quite a few others that I know are in theses as well.

My new forests are all in neule schule bits, the loose ring starter , hanging cheek & veriband (sp).

They tend to have thick tongues and small mouths, so these bits suit...quite a few others that I know are in theses as well.

Oops

That is very interesting about the bits. Our NF has a plain snaffle but it looks too short for him, there's just something WRONG about it although other people have said its fine, but does sit a bit high. I might try the Neule schule - are they gentle?

Argh! Isn't it always the sodding way? Since we agreed to trial the NF,I have been offered 3 other ponies.Typical-months of nothing then 4 in less than a week.2 are non starters,but one may suit DD2 down to the ground.We are going to see him tomorrow and see what we think.His plus points are,I know his owner,he is 12hh,so just right for DD2 size wise,he is great out hacking,doesn't get silly in open fields [very important to us],has done lots of shows and doesn't get silly,handled by children,very friendly.The only bad point is that the owner's daughter can't get him to jump-her friend can though.His owner says it is probably her own fault as she used him for lead rein and showing so never really expected or taught him to jump,and her daughter had a kind of mental block about jumping him and gets apprehensive before they've even got near a jump,which transmits to the pony,who gets worried and refuses.They have other ponies which they use for PC and her children have outgrown him now,so he is wasted now.

His owner thinks that with a confident child and being ridden regularly,he'll get over it,he is only 10 so still fairly young and we know he can jump,just her daughter and him aren't the best combination.

My head is spinning now.

Always the way! Get both!

The ns bits are gentle, I get mine from the bit bank, who are incredibly helpful and will talk you through what's best, it's a 4 week trial & you only pay full price after that.