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?

Don't get me wrong I adore my girl but there are extra costs all the time.it's the continual costs that can catch you out like extra for rugs destroyed in the field,fly spray at £15 a bottle hoof treatments shampoo vet wrap fly masks hay nets sun cream, over reach boots etc. Even bowls cost a crazy amount and don't last long. Clippers or clipping are another expense.

It will cost you loads. You'll either be up freezing to death mucking out or will need to pay somebody to do it. If you live on a farm ok give it a go if not it will be a nightmare.

I don't find it a nightmare well December and January are pretty rough but it is a huge commitment every single day and you will spend a good chunk of your life covered in mud wondering if your horse is ok or do you need a farrier or vet or box rest.oh and you will need to be ok with vermin

I would suggest taking a pony on loan first.

Everyone is being very negative but are spot on about the issues.
Things to do before considering buying;

1. Send her to a pony club centre and do all the badges, holiday courses etc on offer. She can even compete to represent her centre once good enough.
2. Send her on riding holidays, she’s old enough to go unaccompanied and will get to muck in with the jobs involved.
3. Do your best to find a share arrangement, some riding stables do them.

Only if still keen consider buying and remember she will still need weekly lessons and lots of private trainers are more expensive than riding school lessons. Also think about what she will want to do, just hack alone or school/lessons or will she want to compete? As a riding school pupil at this age I wouldn’t recommend pony club as the children that age in our pony club are mostly competing at affiliated level in their chosen discipline. She would be riding with much younger children which would be off putting.

I have a different perspective - I hasten to add, I haven’t had ponies as an adult! But I do think it depends entirely on whether you have land and can keep the pony at home.

I grew up in rural Scotland - many, many houses came with a few acres. Ours had 8 acres. We had different horses over the years - an Arab, a Shetland pony, a Hanoverian x Thoroughbred, a Hanoverian x TB x Irish Draught. They all lived outside with access to a shelter, and they were hacked around the local area on miles of dirt tracks. They had hay and pony nuts. We picked ragwort and skipped out the shelter, but it wasn’t terribly onerous. At times, DM loaned her horse to a local riding school where he was ridden in exchange for keep, and later on she had him in livery for a while, but I don’t know what the costs were. My sister and I rode the Shetland, taught him to jump, fetched him when he escaped from his field and generally treated him like a large dog. We didn’t compete at all (DM did). It was a lovely childhood experience! However, we had the advantage of a field of our own plus miles of tracks - I didn’t ride on a road until I was 14 and we moved house, despite having had the pony since the age of 9.

So yes, if you’re in London then I wouldn’t. If you’re somewhere rural with land/lots of off-road tracks then I would.

Best thing I ever did for my dd. Full livery and I researched buying and joined FB groups to identify dodgy dealers. She didn’t grow out of it and yes it’s expensive but it’s something that gives her a reason to live.

The worst thing is dealing with horsey types who have an opinion on everything you do, I nod and smile.

I wouldn’t bother at 12, you’ll only have a few tears before school takes over.

It’s such a money pit and it takes over the whole family. I love Dhorse but she costs the thick end of £7k a year and that’s excluding vet bills (she’s too old to insure now).
I’m on assisted livery now after lots of time on DIY but it’s still hard.

My parents weren’t horsey so I waited a long time to own. You will have to so a lot of the work as most yards require under 16/18 to be supervised these days.

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.

Some good points here but ultimately, very sad perspective.

Everything worth having involves some loss and sacrifice. There's more to a child's life than study. Happiness matters. Happy moments matter. Riders improve with the right pony. There is no wrong weather, only the wrong clothes. Children study better with regular exercise. Every pet will be here a shorter time than we will. That is part of growing up and letting go.

@Tulipshoots

Best thing I ever did for my dd. Full livery and I researched buying and joined FB groups to identify dodgy dealers. She didn’t grow out of it and yes it’s expensive but it’s something that gives her a reason to live.

The worst thing is dealing with horsey types who have an opinion on everything you do, I nod and smile.

Yep best thing my very generous grandparents did for me too. My mum was unsure at first as she didn’t want me to miss out on other teenage activities like extra curricular clubs etc but she says now she never had to worry about me and where I was because if I wasn’t at school I was with the pony! Like I said before, friends made for life and yep, I never really grew out of it either! Also agree with horse people, lots of people want to give ‘advice’ but in my opinion the only people worth listening to are the ones you pay or someone you ask yourself!

I know I sound negative about buying your own horse but I'm not saying don't do it just go into it knowing what to expect oh and buy yourself decent clothes for this time of the year. Invest in decent insulated waterproof boots a proper waterproof wind proof coat and warm waterproof gloves that aren't bulky as well as hats etc as that makes all the difference.

FWIW, I do think horse ownership can be great, and I wouldn't be put off by her age, but I do think it's important for OP to go in with both eyes open re the cost and commitment.

A horse share agreement maybe.

But buying your own? I wouldn't.

I'm from a very horse family (one of my aunts even owns her own center) and there really is no good reason to buy one unless you - the adult - are 100% committed.

Or have enough money to burn.

That's just my perspective tbh.

I started age 13 with a horse on loan (completely unsuitable really but I learnt a lot) he was kept on a riding school/livery yard and the experience/help was invaluable. He was on turnout livery so each morning was fed, rugged and turned out for me... Every tea time I got the bus to the yard, mucked out, hay, water, fed, groomed, rugged and then bus back home.
I loved it.

At 16 I loaned on a hunting yard, never hunted but I competed the horse all summer as he was basically my own out of hunt season and around hunting we also show jumped and dressaged so he was kept fit as a fiddle. He was my absolute life and I was there twice a day, every day even Christmas. This continued when I had my own horse and until we lost her approx three years back even when she was basically an expensive pet due to her ailments.

It's hard work, takes over your life and is expensive however... I was mature, sensible, responsible and dedicated. It taught me a lot about hard work and commitment.

For my parents it was an ongoing cycle of taxi service, handing money over and travelling to lessons etc but they preferred that to me hanging around the streets etc

Would I recommend it 100% but be prepared for early mornings in the dark, with shit weather and sometimes no elecrric if you go DIY route

there really is no good reason to buy one unless you - the adult - are 100% committed.

There are many good reasons to buy one. First ponies available to loan are like hen's teeth. She will probably never find one and end up loaning something unsuitable if she's determined to loan privately. It's also heartbreaking when the owner wants them back.

It's not quite like owning a dog because a horse has a clear job and children do grow, but in some ways the comparison holds - lots of reasons to buy, rather than borrow, a dog.

Loaning from a riding school is probably best - and being prepared to pay for private lessons for a while.

It's not quite like owning a dog because a horse has a clear job and children do grow, but in some ways the comparison holds - lots of reasons to buy, rather than borrow, a dog

Absolutely. If the adult is committed and knows what she actually agrees to (difficult for somebody that isn't "horsy"). Because that can't actually be the responsibility of the 12 yo.

And yes, the owner wanting it back does indeed happen. A neglected horses is worse. Or a hurt child.

Loaning from a riding school is probably best - and being prepared to pay for private lessons for a while.

This is a more sensible option imo.

(I may be too harsh. But I've seen this kind of thing go wrong more than once.)

No, I agree mispy, far more sensible option to begin with.