Talk me through owning a pony

[hardknocklife123]

I'm not horsey at all but my daughter is absolutely obsessed. She has weekly riding lessons but she is desperate for a pony of her own. She's 12. Is she likely to grow out of this I wonder?

I've wanted a pony since I was 5-6, nearly 40 now and still no pony. I do share though and have shared as a kid as well. My mum now fully owns a horse, having only part owned previously but only started being an owner in her 60s!

If you can't afford a second mortgage, horse ownership may not be for you. It's SO pricey. Especially when they love to randomly injure themselves and need vet treatment.

If she's able to walk/trot/canter confidently on her own, maybe look at a share instead. That's what I did when I was a kid and it was great fun! I have now been sharing the same boy once a week for about 6 years and it works out so much cheaper than riding lessons.

Deffo look for a share at the riding school. The riding school near us does a thing where you can pay to 'loan' a pony, so you can go and see it and ride it twice a week and you always get the same one, this might be a good start.

People are being a bit negative, but its coming from a place of bitter experience. Having them at home and trying to do everything on a shoestring as I do is bloody hard physically, financially and emotionally!!

I had ponies growing up and competed at county level. We are currently hoping to buy a house (waiting for current owners to find something they want) with stables and buy the field next door. But not sure if ultimately want my kids (2 boys) to have ponies (or if I want to get a horse myself) due to the work involved. I told myself it would be much easier than when I was a kid given they’d be on site but reading this thread maybe that wouldn’t be the case!!! (I may have rose tinted memories of my childhood!)

That said, we’re not actually buying the house because of the stables, it ticks all our other boxes and DH can convert them to a gym/music room for him and our DC to play guitar and drums but the idea of ponies/horse is nice

I think it depends what you want to do with them. We have two event horses so they need lots of exercise and to be kept looking fairly decent so they can polish up well for training etc. When we started we had a little New Forest who only had shoes behind and lived out 24/7 and a cobby hack ditto. Both could go feral in the winter and it was fine.

Lots of negativity on this thread, but I’d agree with all of it. I grew up with horses and loved it, but wouldn’t go back to it as an adult unless it was on part livery with riding at weekends. It’s so expensive, and so relentless.

It’s lovely that you want to do this for your daughter, but I’d really recommend waiting until she’s older (15+) and able to do more of it independently.

See now I think it doesn't have to be as expensive as all that. I was 12 when my parents bought me my pony and he literally made my childhood.

Look hard for one that doesn't need to be kept in - a lovely hairy cob- and a field to rent or share. I was lucky that my local small riding school had stables if you nearly needed one (in the case of injury or colic) but my pony lived out with a rug for the majority of his life with us.

Obviously you have to budget for shoes, vet bills, insurance and field rent but a hardy type doesn't need loads of expensive food.

If your DD enjoys getting muddy, loves the pony so much she doesn't care about the cold and dark it will occupy her, comfort her and give her the MOST amount of enjoyment through the difficult teenage years. I had my pony until he was PTS when I was 25 and my happiest memories are ambling along on his comfy back.

That's true Glowing, if you own your own land or can rent some cheaply and buy a hardy native type, the ongoing keep costs can be quite minimal (I still think you need to budget at least £5k for the initial purchase of the pony, the way prices are now, plus tack, farrier, vet, insurance etc). It definitely doesn't have to cost the earth, for sure, especially outside the South East where costs are lower. And I 100% agree it gives kids huge huge pleasure and stress relief.

BUT the time and effort required to look after a horse kept on your own land is way way more than on a (pricey) livery package so it depends also on how much time the parent has available to dedicate to the care of the horse. Not just visiting the horse(s - you'd need to buy or acquire a 2nd companion pony unless you can find someone to field share with) twice a day, bringing up hay in the winter and refilling water troughs, poo picking etc., it's also quite hard (and skilled) work maintaining the land itself, fencing off parts and rotating to prevent churn and overgrazing, maintaining the boundary fence, weeding and removing ragwort or other poisonous plants, occasionally harrowing and re-seeding and so on. I work full time 9-5 and don't think I could manage to look after grass kept ponies through winter without at least some help, or wouldn't want to anyway.... Plus also OP is not particularly experienced or horsey so she might struggle with sole care of a horse kept in a isolated field - would she be able to cope with sudden injury, sickness, damage to the fencing or escape of the ponies (all these have happened in my horses herd in the last 6 months). And where would her DD ride - most fields you can't ride on in winter and it's dangerous to hack on dark country lanes after school so riding would be limited to weekends only for a large part of the year which is a shame. So I am not sure the 'rent a field' idea is very sensible really.

Overall I think the very best compromise set up if you are able to visit pony at least once a day and spend some time dong hay and poo-picking and so forth, is grass livery on a small, non fancy, private livery yard or riding school, with a floodlit arena and plenty of friendly kids and other liveries around, lessons available, good turnout so pony can live out year-round if possible but the heavy lifting of field maintenance is done for you. That can still be obtained (I'm reliably told) in parts of the country for £20-£25 a week or so without help with jobs. So £5k-£6k for initial set up and maybe £1500 a year thereafter for other costs (not including lessons) as a very minimum. Probably more like £2000-£2500 a year if you include a lesson a week and doing pony club or going to competitions a few times a year. Whether that's ludicrously expensive, way beyond your reach as a hobby for just one child, or perfectly do-able, depends of course on your household income?

Livery that does year round turnout is like hen's teeth.

@maxelly I see what you're saying but with a little cob I had no issues riding just at weekends during the dark nights and there were only a few months where it was so dark I couldn't do a quick half an hour after school. Walking up with a friend during some wild windy dark nights to feed the ponies was exciting, I remember.

Regarding land maintenance and keeping the field fenced and fit I was lucky that the owner of the yard we rented the field from did a lot of the daily work as part of the fee- doing water and hay, ragwort etc. A large piece of land too so poo picking not really a thing.

I would say I was lucky and it was an ideal set up but where I live now we could make a similar thing work for DD in the future, if she chose.

I'm not nostalgic enough to imagine it's as easy as 'Jill's Gymkhana' these days and more traffic on the road etc. But neither of my parents was remotely horsey or particularly wealthy - it all worked out fine with a local yard on hand with two old guys who had seen it all with horses.

Send her to Pony Club or another summer school for a week of DIY. Loan first. Part share 2nd (with the other party able to buy you out as necessary). Don't even think of owning until she's at least 16 - and with a plan about livery etc for if/when she goes away at 18.

Forgot to mention - no point having a pony if nowhere to ride, except its own field. Need to have access to hacking, arena for dressage/jumps, cross country course, competitions etc. Which may need a horse trailer too....

Thanks everyone - this has been really helpful. We'll stick to weekends for now!

you'd need to buy or acquire a 2nd companion pony

People say this, but we haven't and the pony is perfectly happy. She's crosser when on livery. We were all ready to buy companion Shetland/donkey/goat but she really is perfectly chilled and content with people. She thinks she is one.

I wouldn't delay owning a pony until the exam years. The time is when they actually have some time to enjoy it.

I don't think that this thread is being overly negative, I think it's being very truthful! Horse ownership is brilliant... but it is not a walk in the park. It's financially tough and takes up pretty much all of your time. It's definitely a way of life, and you have to be prepared for that.

OP - only you can judge whether this is what you and your family want, and can afford and whether your DD is committed.

Truthfully it costs a fortune, especially if you yourself aren’t horsey, but worth it.
I say if you’re not horsey because you will probably need a yard with livery services, and one that has helpful staff on it. I got my first aged 11. I had him at a riding school, cost a lot because of the amazing facilities BUT I made friends for life, learnt so much both in and out of the saddle (teamwork, never giving up, how to work out who means well and who doesn’t) I competed quite a bit which really helped my self confidence, honestly I look back on my teenage years so fondly. Pony sold to riding school when I went to uni, I gave up for a few years but funnily enough I came back to it aged 23 after uni and a bit of travel. My mare costs me a fortune still (and that’s on DIY livery) but again wouldn’t change her for the world.
It is expensive and time consuming though, but if she really wants to progress and you want her to as well, she might need more than a weekly lesson (though I know they are expensive as it is!!) Maybe a loan or share type situation, some riding schools even loan out their own ponies for 2/3 days a week. Just gives her that bit more experience before committing, and teaches her to think about what she’s doing when she’s riding as she’s not just being told what to do by an instructor!

I would consider a share as well.

I own two and it is hard work. I live in Scotland and have them on DIY so 90% of my time at the yard is spent turning out, bringing in and mucking out in the pitch back , pouring rain and only 10% is actually spent riding. I'd never sell the ones I have now but I would never get another.

I think part loan first also if you can. Would be a lot to get to grips with yourself re looking after horses so really it needs to be something you want to do also. Experience of other especially large animals would be useful and remember to be as safe as possible. Completely agree re “not a novice ride” being something to avoid. In my experience non horsey parents tend to choose more difficult horses and ponies and that can make things worse. Get to know some horsey people in area. Can be harder to find a suitable yard I think this in many ways is the hardest thing. Good hacking/ nearby/ suitable turnout and facilities/ no yard mini hitlers (these people can be absolutely terrible bullies). In terms of expense I have just bought a field for over £80k which will need probably around £10k more work. Horses are the reason I have a paired back job. Daughter has had a pony a year. Pony club membership is £80 camp at least £120 on top and then some lessons, they need £90 shoes every 6 weeks, etc. You have to really want it. But don’t let it stop you finding a part loan if you can. Especially one offered by a riding school

Should add that is one pony for the last year, pony is 24 and daughter 5. I want to be able to keep pony in retirement and have horse of my own. Was very intimidated by prospect of buying pony and I have had horses for decades. In the end it was because pony was perfect for her job and worth it. Had also meant the field needs to be bought as yard shutting and no where suitable nearby plus livery x 2/ possibly 3 in a few years too much and want to set up something that works for us more. So quite a commitment really

Frenchfancy you've got it exactly right!

I'm a qualified instructor and horse owner I strongly suggest you don't do it. The cost and commitment is huge. As others have said get a share first. Its by far the most sensible alternative.

What about looking for a share as a starting point? Then she can get a taste of horse ownership and build up her experience and knowledge, without the commitment and expense of ownership.

Owning a pony is a big expense- as well as the ongoing costs, the initial outlay is high. I've just bought- spent £4k on the pony including saddle (and he is lovely, but a bit green for a novice 12yo), then add on about £200 for the vetting, £500 on rugs and bits and pieces of grooming equipment, extra bits of tack etc. Add on £100 deposit to secure the stable, plus all the money I spent travelling to see ponies, and there's no change from £5000.

The ongoing costs can be managed more cheaply, depending on where you are. I have him on DIY livery which includes hay and bedding, which is very cheap (but I'm in a cheap area of the country) and my ongoing costs aren't that high- he only gets a tiny amount of feed, only gets fronts when he is shod and so on. I do have him insured though, which is expensive, but I couldn't face having to put him down because I couldn't afford a vet treatment.

I'd also add that on DIY, I am responsible for everything- and it only works because I'm experienced enough to know how to manage a pony having shared, loaned and worked with horses in the past. As a less experienced owner, paying for part/full livery is usually a good idea, and that does get very spendy.

Everyone has to start somewhere, though! If you have lots of money to throw at it, or lots of time to spend learning how to look after the pony, then it can work.

Do you have any other children? Would you be willing to commit to a similarly expensive and time consuming hobby for them?

I think most people who've had horses for years don't advise people to buy a horse because they have seen a good number of people struggle with the first pony they own and the heartache that follows.
Ive seen plenty overhorsed stuck with an expensive pet that they are too scared to ride or handle. Sadly unscrupulous dealers and sellers off load dangerous or lame horses onto first time buyers which is heartbreaking when your paying out for an animal that's obviously in pain and your spending thousands trying to get a diagnosis if not a cure.
DIY is very rewarding but can be brutal. Every day you are up sorting rugs to turn out then mucking out,hay feeds etc. At the end of the day your bringing in and finishing off. It's every day of every year whatever the weather and it still costs a fortune! You also fight a losing battle with more mud than you could imagine exists.

That can still be obtained (I'm reliably told) in parts of the country for £20-£25 a week or so without help with jobs. So £5k-£6k for initial set up and maybe £1500 a year thereafter for other costs (not including lessons) as a very minimum.

I pay just over £150 a month for my basic rate livery at a yard with stable, field and it includes all hay and straw. I'm in a cheap part of the country, and I'm very lucky with the yard and its facilities.

But that's nowhere near the total of my costs.

I do have insurance, which costs me £80 a month. I know that some people don't bother, but I don't have the savings to cover a huge vet bill. I do also have a credit card for emergency vet bills too!

My pony has fronts only, which costs me £40 every six weeks (ish). Obviously some can manage barefoot, but an inexperienced owner would still need to pay for trims, which aren't loads cheaper in my experience.

I do give a tiny amount of hard feed- this isn't essential, but all the horses on the yard get a feed in the evening, and he gets distressed if he gets nothing. This costs probably just under £10 a month (could possibly be done for less but I want him to get a good quality feed, and does include some treats).

There are other, more incidental costs- such as teeth/vaccinations/wormer etc. I try to save £30 a month towards these.

I reckon my very, very basic yearly costs are about £3500.

I agree with you that DIY livery is a pretty cost effective way of doing things, and it's great that you get facilities provided, and it probably does save me money in terms of maintenance and bills (e.g. providing water at the field etc).

I'm not sure grass livery is any cheaper these days as land is expensive and bringing them in at night means more horses can be kept on less land.

I'm in West Cornwall, so land etc is relatively cheap here. I would guess there's no way OP could get livery for this sort of price in e.g. the SE.

Mine loans a pony. Has done so for over a year. Going really well. I recommend it.

I was horse mad as a child and well into my teens. I obsessed over having my own all the time. I had quite a few friends at school who owned their own ponies. My parents never budged and in hindsight I am so glad they didn’t get me one. The cold weather, commitment and fact I wasn’t a very confident rider. But most of all I think I don’t know how I would have found the time to do my studies. I went to uni - what would happen to the pony then? And the inevitability of having to sell the pony when you outgrow it would have left me heartbroken.