Going to view ex trekking pony for sale - Advice please

[Blueskytoday]

I’m Going to view an ex trekking pony this Saturday , she is 17 years old, for sale only as the centre is closing down.
Trekking centre do pony treks, riding holidays, beach rides , pony club etc.
Lots of photos on the advert and Facebook page of her doing different things. All the comments on Facebook from people who have ridden her are very positive about what fab pony she is.
Mare, 14 h, looks like fell cross coloured type.
I’m looking for a straight forward , easy going pony for myself for hacking , fun rides, .
I’m a competent rider, and am confident when I’m on a pony / horse I feel happy and relaxed on.
I don’t like the feeling of being over horsed - on something too big/ powerful/ spooky.
Pony is descibed as safe, sound , good in traffic, box, farrier, but not novice ride as quite forward.
What do I need to look for / ask about,..?
Has anyone bought a pony from this kind of home.?
Thanks all

How tall are you and how much is she? Tack included? Chipped? Vaccination? History? Is she really that age? Teeth history? Ride her in a school on either rein if you can. Get someone to watch. Hack out 1at then last them alone. Any accidents, any insurance claims? Vet history? Passport? Get a vetting. Tell them you wil l be getting one see what they say

Definitely hack her out alone to check she copes okay, good luck she sounds lovely 😊

Thanks for your thoughts, I'm 5, 5 so height will be fine,
She's for sale for £1500ono ,tack available.
Will definitely check she's happy to hack alone as she will be used to being in a group,.
I will check about the health side, teeth etc

I would proceed with caution. If possible I would want a trial period to see how she is in a new environment. Horses that have been in trekking centres and riding schools are used to a very rigid routine and plenty of hard work. She will probably have been over the same routes over and over again for years as part a group and led by a confident instructor who the horses have a lot of trust and respect for (anything stepping out of line will usually be swiftly and firm corrected!). These places also have no reason to feed the horses for energy, not to say they starve them but they want them to be quiet so they will err on the side of less food than more! Under these circumstances she may well be foot perfect, but taken away from familiar surroundings, asked to do a different job and possibly given more/'better' feed and worked less hard generally she might go either way....

I would also question, if she is so good with beginners, why are they looking to get rid of her at the age of 17? Quiet 14.2 cobby types that can be trusted with complete novices are golddust for riding schools, the owner of my yard will occasionally sell hers but for ££££ only as these 100% proven reliable types that can carry a reasonable weight are so hard to get. If she's cheap (unless they are closing down and selling off all their stock or similar) I would be highly suspicious that some soundness issues have started to emerge and they want rid before the vets bills mount up. Of course if you only want her for light hacking then she could well be ok but I would definitely want the price to reflect that...

Oops sorry you did say they are closing down. Teach me mot to read properly! However I would still worry how she would cope in a private home after being in such a different environment long term and also carrying beginners is not always easy on the back and legs so I would wonder how many years more work she has in her (would you be getting her vetted?)

As above, be cautious.

Trekking ponies are notoriously institutionalized. They do the same routes all of the time, trot on the same spot, canter on the same stretch and follow the horse in front of them. They often have problems hacking alone or adjusting to different routes. She may also be quite insensitive in the mouth and to the leg from having been ridden badly by novice riders.

OP I think I know the trekking centre you are referring to as I’ve also seen the ad for the mare.
I’ve been to that trekking centre before for beach rides. Have you or your dc’s ridden there before ?
As pp’s say The ponies are very institutionalised . Safe out and about in heavy traffic etc, they know at what point on the beach they have to gallop (I was quite alarmed to go from a ploddy walk to a gallop in a second !) although safe and predictable once you know that ! but they are very green/undisciplined in the school despite their ages. Quite dead in the mouth and behind the girth , due to complete beginners riding them. But you purely want a happy hacker ? I think she’d be fine for that, but not school work

I’d be careful, they will be used to a serious work load and strict routine. They could quickly turn out to be not so safe/sane without this!

How did it go?

Pony is still for sale