First pony for a 2yr old - advice and tips

[Doublechocolatetiffin]

I’m looking to get a pony for my 2 yr old daughter (3 in Oct). For the last year I have been able to loan a pony for her, but that can’t continue. She is walking and trotting on the lead but obviously still very unbalanced and will need a pony with an excellent temperament.

How do I go about finding one of these ponies? I tend to keep the horses I buy so ideally I’d like something that will last her for a while.

It’s been such a long time since I last bought a horse and everything has changed! Plus I’ve never looked at the pony market so I have no idea about what to look for in a lead rein and hopefully first ridden pony. Can anyone give me some advice as to where to start looking? Also what would your top prorities be?

Ooo how exciting. I am very impressed that your daughter is trotting already at 2, very advanced!

Word of mouth is how good ponies are found in my area, the best are never advertised but are swapped around families acquainted with one another, mainly through pony club contacts. Obviously your daughter is a bit little to join yet but maybe worth contacting your local PC branch to see if anyone has a suitable pony that is outgrown and looking for a new home?

In terms of what to look for, for me I would want a pony proven to do the job, i.e. that has already been regularly ridden by very little ones, in a family situation, not a riding school or at a dealers or similar. On a viewing I would want to see it handled as much as possible by their child rider (obviously not as young as your DD!) through all normal activities, bringing in, grooming, tacking up, getting on and off, ridden (on a lead) in a school, on the road and in an open space. Ideally I would like to see it at a show or PC rally or other group situation too (and this gives you a chance to verify that the pony has been around on the local scene and is not a known nightmare too!).

I wouldn't be too hung up on breed, looks or sex (although for something small enough you'd likely be looking at a shetland or welsh A I guess?). I also wouldn't mind too much if it isn't very good off the lead rein as your DD is presumably a way away from needing a first ridden yet.

Age is important to me in kids ponies, I won't look at anything younger than 8. That's not to say that younger ponies can't be brilliant too, some of my friends have bought 5 or 6 year olds for their kids, I just prefer something more proven as they can change so much through their 'teenager' years and I don't like to take the risk. Tiny lead rein ponies can go on well into their 20s and your DD is not exactly going to be doing strenous work with him/her so I wouldn't rule out a golden oldie who will appreciate a quiet life and lots of fuss!

Good luck, keep us updated!

Our DD started on a welsh section A schoolmistress which her Godmother loaned us for her 2nd birthday. By the time she was 3 1/2 she wanted to compete so we bought her first LR Welsh Section A which we kept for a few years. Unfortunately many LRs don't make good FRs so you often have to trade them on. I would suggest it is rare to keep all your tiny ponies as the children soon outgrown them in terms of size and ability. They need to do the job they are best suited for ie starting off little people.

When she's 3 think about joining the PC and ask the instructors there for advice. They will know of the right type of pony for you and will know if the current jockeys are looking to move on.

@maxelly maybe trotting is an exaggeration, she can hold on while a miniature Shetland does a bit of trotting. She certainly can’t rise to it and is usually a two person job so there is someone to catch if needs be 😂

I know I’m going to have to get better at letting them go aren’t I? I have bought two horses, one 20 years ago and one 7 years ago. Both still in my field and unlikely to go anywhere.

Thank you both for your excellent advice. Can I ask why lead reins don’t make good first riddens? Looks like I’ll have to explore what the local pony club options are!

Well I have known a handful of saints be able to do both LR and first ridden but essentially IMO it's two different jobs you're asking them to do. Your good lead rein pony, esp for a tiny tot, is pretty much trained to ignore 90% of what the rider does (screech, bounce, wobble, yank the reins, do impromtu round the worlds etc ) and follow the leader/adult, whatever happens. They are usually a pretty lazy type who is unlikely to ever shoot forwards or turn suddenly etc, even if given confusing aids!

Whereas for a first ridden they need to be responsive to the aids (not too responsive of course!), and more focused on their rider than what's going on on the ground. They still need to be tolerant of less than ideal balance etc. and very placid/calm, but for the child to be (mainly!) in control and able to ride independently the pony does need to be that bit more schooled and naturally forward going (a very lazy/nappy pony that has to be dragged forwards is hard for a novice child to manage)...

The you get into the world of second riddens and first competition ponies which are arguably even tougher - you have all this to look forward to

If you have a good LR pony they are used to be led and are very respondent to the leader - either on foot or horseback. They will happily walk and trot besides them.

Once you ask them to be independent and steered and motivated by the tiny jockey they often don't really know what they are doing. I know dozens of people who have tried to make their LRs into FRs and it rarely really works.

The one thing I would suggest is that you need a different mindset to the one you have with horses. I agree with horses you usually keep them for a long period of time.

However ponies for small people are usually - kindly and with compassion - moved from home to suitable home because children outgrow them and it's sad if they are just going to be a field ornament for 15 plus years. They need to be out having fun with their new family.

And yes, it is horrendous having to let much-loved friends go (have been there and got the t-shirt myself) even to an excellent home, but I do think it's different with children's ponies, a pony even in its teens or twenties may have many years left of happy and useful work teaching children and being loved so it is not really fair to keep them standing in a field not doing much, I'd be doing that for me, not them.

Also I am always surprised by how accepting children are, there may be a few tears but they usually understand that if they want to keep riding/progressing/competing they need a bigger or different pony and that it's time for a new rider to learn on theirs... the adults are a different matter, if it was up to DH we'd have a field full by now!

Thank you, that is such a good explanation of why they are different. It make perfect sense! I feel like a complete novice (despite having owned for 20 years!) I’ve just never dipped a toe into the pony world.

This is good though, I’m already reshaping my opinion of what to look for.

Look on FB for pony club ponies. There is a page there.

We loaned our lead rein pony. We had her from 26 until she died at 32 last September. She had been through many loan homes but owned by the same person since she was bought off the moor at 3. Age has no bearing on lead rein ponies. Only temperament.

We bought ours by putting a wanted ad on Facebook and tagging all our horsey friends. Bought a lovely section a, only 5 years old but she's taught my daughter the ropes on the lead and is now learning her new job as a FR pony. So far she's taken to it really well. She dotes on my daughter though but will still try and follow me if I get too close! So whilst I agree older is generally better don't be put off by a younger pony it's all about temperament and the bond they get