Right. Where do I get one of these from?

[CalamityKate]

Very quick Q as on phone.

I want a small young pony that I can teach circus tricks to.

Where do I go?

Back later!

Cleverest you a circus or just for fun?

Not sure where ' cleverest' came from. Should say:

Are you ......!!!!!

No not a circus, just for fun :D

I think this is your best bet.

Hmm. Not quite that small :D

I'll elaborate a bit.

I was involved with horses for years. Worked at a breaking/schooling/competition yard after leaving school. Enjoyed the comp side but LOVED working with the youngsters, particularly the breaking/starting process.

Later on trained and worked as an instructor but don't work now.

Have 2 dogs that I love training, particularly tricks. Me and the younger dog have done a couple of obedience shows.

I just love training, more specifically clicker training.

My mate recently got a horse and I've realised I miss not the riding, but the mucking out/grooming etc.

So I've got a yearning to get a smallish pony, a youngster, that I can do stuff with. I came to the clicker too late to use it in my pre-child horsey days and am really interested in seeing what I can do with it.

I've got a friend with a yard, the time and the inclination so if anyone knows where I can pick up a little youngster give me a holler :D

I don't mind if its unhandled; my first pony was 7 years old and totally untouched ( we had to keep the top door shut for a while because she just used to jump out) and I got a huge kick out of gaining her trust and in time hacking out for hours.

Whereabouts are you, and how knowledgeable/confident are you? The reason I ask is that you might find your pony at the sales - there are loads of little ponies going for meat money, and if you want one to work from the ground with rather than be ridden by a precious child it might be worth thinking about. I have never bought from a sale, but have been to a few and it's heartbreaking how little money some of them go for.

Have a look at Brightwells Leominster sales - go through back catalogues and match up with the sale results..... www.brightwells.com/Equine/HorsesAndPonies/LeominsterAndMalvern/LeominsterHorsePonyAndSaddlery/Default.aspx

There are of course other sales places, but this is the place I'm familiar with.

When my lovely old companion pony goes to heaven I have sworn to get one from here.

Ooh I'd never thought of that! I'm in Essex. At the yard I worked at on leaving school we used to get horses from the sales from time to time. Admittedly they sometimes had ishoos but generally they were sortable with time and patience. In fact one of my boss's show jumpers was bought as a 4 year old from a sale in Ireland; once the money had changed hands the former owner gleefully announced "You'll have fun trying to break that one!!" :D Hmm... We did...

Off to see if local sale still running. Thanks!

If you are up for a journey the next new forest sale is on the 24th October, I wasn't there in the spring but apparently ponies were being sold for as little as a tenner. I dare not go as I would end up buying in multiples and this would not be a good time.

Not circus tricks but if you google or search on youtube for the Fonzie pony he's a well cute example of what you can train a tiny to do, I saw him years ago at the Gothenburg horse show and was so impressed with him!

Would be really interested to hear how you get on and what you end up with as I'm considering buying and bringing on a tiny on long reins and the lunge with someone small to back it as option for my horsey fix over the next few years while sproglet (which I am currently still cooking) is tiny. The rationale is that if she's interested we'll have something small to play with and hopefully have quite a nice 7/8 yr old by the time she's ready to have a go.........I like the theory....... Good luck!

Thanks JRs! Yes that's what I had in mind too; long reining round the fields and lanes etc. Have you seen Panda the seeing eye pony? Worth a google and a look. I think he/she is clicker trained in fact I think I came across the story via Karen Pryor's site. Cute little coloured pony basically being a guide dog!

If you do go to a sale, make sure you don't take too much cash with you - I so nearly put my hand up almost every time a pony went in the ring as sitting opposite were the known "meat men" and it broke my heart to see what they went for and where they went. Mind you it's not the meat men's fault - it's the irresponsible breeders who keep them supplied.

Id be really careful at the sales! They can be really upsetting. There are also regulations about travelling ponies, The NF and Welsh ones are a long way from Essex, and you could end up in trouble over the transport rules.
There is a horse auction monthly in Chelmsford through the summer which may still be running, and which isnt too bad. Ill see if I can find the website.
Alternatively, you could try DragonDriving. Its a site that has a lot of ponies on, and a lot of coloreds, some of which can be in pretty bad shape and could really do with a new start. If you are happy to buy from a sale, and possibly encourage an unscrupulous NF/welsh breeder, then definitely consider a gypsy pony. We bought a gorgeous colored youngster from DD last year, who actually came from a nice home, but many arent so lucky.

Saggy, I'd heard that the sources of some of the ponies on Dragon Driving were pretty ropey (hearsay, no known fact) - and were quite often ponies bought at sales, marked up and sold on...... No idea if that's true though.

It's true that you have to be pretty hard hearted at the sales and try not to get too emotionally involved, so many times I've nearly put my hand up and come home with some ragamuffin of a pony needing love. It's very hard to walk away from some of them.

Dragon driving is probably just that. With a large percentage of gypsy ponies straight off of the commons. I suppose, as long as its still cheap, and you are giving it a fresh start, then the markup is just enterprise. Also, you'll be seeing only one pony at a time, as opposed to several dozen, with the potential to bring home more than one, out of pity!