when are you no longer a novice

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Hi. I am not asking for any particular reason but when it says a pony is not a novice ride or it is a second pony. What do they mean?

What would you consider a non novice would be able to do, and does a second pony mean you should be a confident rider or have previously owned a pony.

I think "not a novice" means you can reasonably expect to get on almost any horse and get it working fairly well - being able to deal with bad behaviour and get the best performance the horse can manage. So, being experienced enough to deal with most quirks (perhaps with the exception of genuinely dangerous ones like bolting) and know how to tailor your riding to work with the individual horse. I think it boils down to being able to improve the horse's way of going rather than just being a passenger.

Second pony, I would read as "will take the piss out of a nervous novice". That doesn't necessarily mean you have to have owned a pony before though, just that you have to be confident and competent to a degree that first-time owners sometimes might not be.

I would consider a non novice someone who can walk trot and canter safeley and competently, jump small fences, confident to ride a pony in a range of environments and ridden a range of ponies, confident tacking up, turning out and general horse care.

A second or non novice pony is one that is usually a good pony club sort, can jump well etc. May have some vices or be strong (not snaffle mouthed etc) or just a bit spirited. Or just a pony that is happier competing or fun rides etc than plodding round on a lead rein. Iv seen the term used to describe everything from a good all rounder for a confident child to a wild horse that reared at every opportunity and eventually could no longer be ridden. But usually it's the closer to the former!!! Fortunately!!

I have a fab lead rein pony, bombproof and utterly reliable on a lead rein. However he is definitely a 2nd pony, not a first (ie for someone coming off a lead rein) as he is too independent minded, strong and feisty for a newcomer to going solo. He's not nasty or dangerous but just needs someone with enough confidence to boss him around - as soon as he realises that he's a star, but he always tries it on first time round with people.

I don't think second pony actually means you should have had a pony before, but that it needs a rider that knows what they are doing.

A Novice pony is a pony that is well behaved, is not going to nap, run off, may take a bit of pushing to get going, but will suit someone who doesn't know a lot and is safe to learn on.

Not a Novice is a pony that is more forward going, can 'try it on' perhaps and needs a rider that is strong enough, confident and determined enough to show him who is in charge.

However, I have known ponies that will bomb off, or be very very naughty, be classsed as not a novice ride!

I'm with fairtomiddling on this:
I think a rider who's no longer a novice is someone who can bring on and properly handle different horses. There are lots of riders who can canter, jump etc. as long as the horse is reliably easy going (i.e. schooled, managed, manners kept in check by someone else). I think riders at this stage are still novices (as fair said, still 'passengers'). If you're on generous, quiet and well schooled horse, it's dead easy to feel you've 'achieved' quite a lot when really the lovely horse and whoever's got it to that stage have really done all the work!

'Second pony' could refer to piss-take potential. Could also mean a pony who needs a rider who's learnt the subtleties of riding sensitively so won't harden its mouth etc. and pony and rider will be able to improve together beyond absolute basics.