We've loaned for the past three years. I bought him from an old school friend of dds - she was a nervous rider and hadn't done much with him for the last couple of years, hunting and hacking and two pc senior camps (where he was very well behaved). When her parents asked us if we wanted to buy him we went to see hiim and really liked him - asking around afterwards people were definitely not particularly complimentary as he wasn't 'proven'.
Our ponies are at livery atm and the YO told us not to buy him that he 'wasn't good enough' for dd. DD is a good rider but hasn't really done much - never been to PC camp, only a few rallies as her old pony hated SJ and anything in the school really. We needed a pony that would live out, hack happily, hunt sensibly and be able to take part in PC rallies without disgracing himself.
First rally today and he was very good, dd enjoys riding him, he's very 'looky' but extremely cheerful and quite bouncy, but he listens to dd and did what he was told. He rushes his fences a bit but seems very willing and genuine. He's a welsh x - 14.2 - pretty head, big feet, needs to build up a bit of muscle but I think he is nice looking. He seems a nice chap.
Was very sad to see that the YO had trimmed his feet and - I was cross - chopped off his forelock which was very pretty. She (YO) really doesn't seem to like him and hadn't even told the yard assistant his name :-(
Dd and I seem to be the only ones who like him and I am wondering if I have missed something!
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Can I just go on about dd's pony as he's the first one we've ever bought and people don't seem to be very complimentary about him.
TackedOff · 02/04/2013 17:48
He sounds fantasticd 
Still hoping for a picture so I can drool (as we are a long way off buying a pony for dd)
Oh well done! He sounds a real star and I'm sure he'll be just as good at SJ,he sounds so willing.Have fun at the cross country and let us know how it goes.Which course are you going to?
Thanks Callisto and Saggy,Brandy is now living permanently on my dads farm,along with dpony..There are tractors there,but not near enough their paddock for him to notice so I've asked if I can move him temporarily to a field next to the road.Dad is thinking about it and you can't push him otherwise he'll dig his heels in.
..As he isn't charging me for the field or hay,I don't want to upset him.[I'm not a total freeloader as I am 'paying' by working on the farm,and we are in the throes of lambing,so very busy.]
Quick update : he was brilliant at the hunt ride, very fast and jumped everything much to dds delight well behaved too, he seems a good mix of chilled when you need him to be and forward going and willing when ridden - a friend said more like a horse than a pony?! His clip still needs to fall out but he's not shedding at all yet. He has very big feet and does look a bit like a camel cross country rally tomorrow at a very demanding course so we'll see... Dd still anxious about sj as her old pony refused so often, but I think he'll be fine as he does that lovely ears pricked forward thing when he jumps in the school - sorry not a very technical description
He does poke his nose a bit and also stretches his neck out long and low when he's stopped working.
We had my mum's old horse on loan before he was ours and his owner always used to cut his forelock straight across. She called it his 'Beatle Cut' .
Dd1 is at the yard today - YO gave her a mini lesson (she shows at HOYS so is pretty knowledgeable I guess) and said he worked on a fab outline and would do a lovely dressage test airpunch
He's doing well,thankyou Saggy.We took him to the PC Bunny Hunt at the weekend,and he behaved perfectly [pics on profile].Afterwards his owners told me it was the first time he'd been out for nearly 2 years.
I'm glad I didn't know that before we went.
We had a bit of an eventful hack on Tuesday,when he took fright at a tractor coming up behind him,and took off down the road at a gallop,dragging me along after him.I had to let go in the end and ended up with skinned knees and hands.He didn't go far though,and mercifully DD2 stayed on,despite being terrified.Luckily,they were both fine and we carried on with our hack as I didn't want him to get the idea he could go home.DD2 recovered her composure pretty fast,but we are going to have to do some serious traffic proofing.I'm thinking of building a pen next to the road and leaving him there for a week or so until he gets used to big vehicles.What do you think? It has got to be sorted as he can't go on like that,once he knows something won't hurt him,he is fine,he isn't a spooky sort in general.
We have his first PC rally tomorrow,it is also the first time he'll have been in an indoor school,fingers crossed it goes well.
We were told by someone that dpony should be off loaded at the first opportunity,she wasn't pure bred,wasn't forward going enough [they'd never seen her hunting or cross country],was too grumpy,wouldn't jump high enough,not competative enough,wouldn't stable so couldn't be kept spotless.It just went on and on.
She is a hairy,opinionated Welsh cross and safe as houses,once you know how to ride her,she'll do anything for you.Strangely enough,after a year,the above person said to me how lucky we were to own her and he'd always said what a good pony she was.
I hope you have a lot of fun and prove all those doubters wrong.
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