Shetland advice

[Littlegreyauditor]

Hello

I'm a fairly experienced horse owner, with plenty of miles under my belt (until my horse died of extreme old age in 2015). I am planning a replacement horse for riding in the near to medium future. In the mean time my horses stable and small winter 'wandering about' area has been standing empty. The grass got a bit high and we normally bung a few of my ILs sheep on it, but not this year so far...

Anyway. DH has taken a headstagger and bought me a 4 year old Shetland mare to act as a kind of lawnmower, and eventual companion to whatever future horse I get. No problem, I've done this before...only now I'm over thinking it.

I've never had a really little pony and I'm not totally convinced I know what I'm doing. Obviously I'm worming her tomorrow as soon as I get my hands on some paste, will book the vet to microchip and check her, the farrier to trim her feet and Gemma the wonder dentist to sort her mouth out. But I suppose I really want to know is: What am I missing? Is there anything I need to know about shetlands specifically or are they just short, hairy, very typical horses?

I mean I just found out I should avoid haylage to decrease the apparently astronomical risk of laminitis, so now I'm in hyperthought about whether they are a completely different proposition to what I'm used to. This may be because she was a complete and total surprise (as an anniversary present-I bought him a circular saw) and I know nothing about her or her history at all or may be because I am a Shetland novice.

Any advice for me? Please

[Beerwench]

I hate Shetlands.
No I don't really, I adore my little fur ball but he's far more hard work than my ISH.
Things you will need -
A sense of humour and stamina!
Shetland proof fences - don't assume electric fences will keep her in, my lads mane is that thick he knows he can get under the bottom strip of tape with minimal effect. We have boards around the bottom and then post & rail and then electric tape between rails. He's not escaped- yet!
A grazing muzzle - Shetlands are 'designed' to roam miles eating scrub of poor nutritional value, they are very good 'doers' and this makes them prone to obesity and laminitis when they are grazed on 'normal' grass. Exercise is your friend, as much as possible, and I never rug my lad, it's never much below freezing and he is designed to live on a Scottish Island without a rug so he's using a bit more energy to keep himself toasty which helps with the weight too.

My Shetland keeps my cocky ISH in check, as well as teen DD. Jack Russell is spot on, you need to respect and train/work exactly as you would with a big horse, they don't make great 'pets' as they're intelligent, inquisitive and independent. They make great little horses to have in your life as long as they're kept active - mind and body.
Mine loves a treat ball or a jolly ball to play with and I've taught him all sorts of things from the floor.
She's a lovely looking little one, well done your DH for rescuing her I hope you have many years of wonderful fun with her!

[Littlegreyauditor]

Reining. Sorry. Rain has been a feature here for the last few weeks.

[Littlegreyauditor]

Not broken yet! That's on my list once it stops raining. Her teeth were a disaster due to a previous high sugar diet, and very sharp so now they are sorted I'm going to try her with a bit and maybe get long raining. At the minute we are trying to lunge with a minimum of bucking and we go for a lot of walks to threaten our neighbours

[IheartCaptainHolt]

She's adorable!

[OVienna]

Gorgeous flowing mane. Been ridden yet?

[Littlegreyauditor]

Is it possible to do videos? I tried a couple of times and they would not load.
Instead have some blurry action shots of her asserting her racing superiority

[OVienna]

Brillant update. We need a video!

[Littlegreyauditor]

Wee Stevie update: she has settled in well now, is getting on grand and is terrifyingly intelligent. I'm lunging her a fair bit and the farrier is getting on top of her feet. She has apparently had laminitis "more than once" in the past, and has evidence of a very high sugar diet according to the dentist.

Most entertaining thing she does? She races me to her feed bucket. She will wait at the bottom of the field until I get level with her, I say "Ready, steady, GO" and we both run to the top of the field where her trough is. Honestly she is delighted with herself when she wins, and bounces round me squealing.
So, yeah. My neighbour thinks I'm insane.

Love her. She is such a wee dote.

Thanks for all your advice, brilliant people.

[Sparrowlegs248]

I got a mini Shetland to keep my old pony company after my horse was pts. Pony is laminitis prone so thought we'd be OK, to keep the two fatties together. Turns out mini Shetland is so mini that it takes MUCH less grass to trigger laminitis. I've managed the other pony for nearly 20 yrs but this Shetland is something else

The only thing that really helps is a grazing muzzle. He has it on every day, 7am -5/6pm. Then confined with other pony to a smaller more bare paddock overnight.

Without the muzzle I have to keep him stabled overnight and out on a very small (think 2 stables sized) bare patch.

[BarchesterFlowers]

The reputation of a Shetland often comes from people not treating them like equines.

Weight is key. When I bought mine it looked like the first photo, much fatter than yours, 9 ½ hands. Had never done anything other than live in a herd. I took her out every time I walked the dog to begin with. Introduced everything the same way I did with my TB X. She was lunged or long reined every other day.

I didn't have a rider but when I found one she went to a show three days later.

You need to buy a muzzle.

[MimsyBorogroves]

I have vivid memories of the shitland at the stables where I rode as a child.

If shitland decided she didn't want riding, she would buck off whichever child was on her back and chase them round the ménage with her teeth bared. She also used to roam freely around the yard like a dog, and if you happened to be mucking out she would wander into whichever stable you were in and corner you.

Fabulous little mare

[RandomMess]

Aww she is stunning (if rotund), perhaps she likes the children because she has been ridden in the past????

I have no clue about horses but even I know that shetlands are stubborn and can be naughty!

How about a goat for your DH as a belated anniversary gift?

[Pixel]

She is very pretty . My part clydesdale was terrified of our shetland for a long time, she could keep him trapped in the shelter or away from the trough for hours at a time just by casually swinging her bottom round, yet she wasn't in the least spiteful and was sweetness and light to everyone else, horse or human! He eventually came round and fell madly in love with her. When she collapsed in the field a few months ago we found him standing guard over her. Shetlands have a way of getting everyone to love them!
Agree with everyone else, vigilance is the key, be very determined to keep the weight off. See if you can get hold of some last year's hay (as long as it has been stored properly and is dust and mould free of course) as it won't be as rich. Even in the summer it's as well to have some in as you might have to get her off the grass and she will still need something to keep her gut moving.
The weight really is the main thing, apart from that they are easy, as long as your fencing is like Fort Knox promise!

[Littlegreyauditor]

She is called Stevie, because she has 70's, Fleetwood Mac hair.

[Frouby]

Aww she is lovely OP.

Definetly needs a bit of weight off. I would get some gear and get her lunging. And be prepared to walk her too. Obviously restricted grazing but I find with my section a it's not enough to restrict food, he needs exercise too. Have just spent half an hour lunging and walking him. He is currently in the process of changing from dds first pony to ds lead rein pony. Although dd isn't too heavy for him she is too tall to ride and he just isn't quite ready for much more than a tootle round on the lr so I have to exercise from the ground. Long reining is good too.

They are also pretty good at climbing through, under and over fencing.

[OVienna]

What is her NAME?

[villainousbroodmare]

Very pretty indeed and appealing, but quite overweight already. They are guaranteed metabolic syndrome/ laminitis on anything resembling a good do.

[Ollivander84]

They're known as shitlands for a reason
Poor postie!

[Littlegreyauditor]

Well, she certainly seems delighted with my kids. They got the full on snorty whinnies today and some pleasant ears-pricked study of them scooting about. The postman got soundly threatened; she charged at the fence with a waspy face on her and he dropped my letters in shock.

A guard pony. Not what I expected at all. Jack Russell is right

Thanks again everyone.

[BarchesterFlowers]

My friend had a retired Cleveland bay x TB that turned into an absolute killer demon when I first led my shetland through my big field one day . This v big, soft, unfit creature had an arched neck, bared teeth, ears pinned back and looked like something out of the Spanish riding school as it came at us.

My friend ran at her screaming and waving a leadrope around like a banshee. It was terrifying.

Let's hope they like her

[Littlegreyauditor]

My neighbour breeds clydesdales and they are all clustered at the fence gazing at her. She has glared at them and turned her back.

[sparechange]

Such fond memories of my shetlands (and some mildly traumatic ones as well!) but I don't think they are particularly happy on their own

My last one was bullied by the rest of the herd (like the Amazon advert) but was miserable as sin on his own so we got him a goat for a friend, and he was happy as anything
The goat was a very good lawnmower as well, where as the Shetland really wasn't!
Had him for 15 years without laminitis though so it isn't inevitable if you manage the grazing properly

Would you consider breaking her to harness? They are such intelligent animals and driving might stop her getting bored?

[SingaSong12]

No experience with ownership just wanted to say she is gorgeous.

[Bufferingkisses]

As she's beautiful :-)

[Littlegreyauditor]

Yep, she was just off the trailer there, had untied the rope and the head collar half off...