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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

Problem pony - how to sell and who to!

14 replies

Iamstuckhere · 30/10/2021 22:06

I did a rash thing in lockdown. I bought a project pony after our lovely but very elderly loan pony had to go back as she wasn’t sound enough with the level of work we were doing once off lead rein. I had a limited (but what would have been a generous budgets Pre Covid) and desperately needed a pony in a market where demand outstripped what was available.

I bought the pony on the understanding that it was a project, but that meant just some schooling to establish a canter. We tried it out 4 times and I saw nothing of concern. We took our instructor too.

Since we had him home we’ve had no end of issues with him. Initially he bonded with another pony and had horrific separation anxiety. We’ve dealt with that he’s been schooled by the staff at the yard we keep him at. But… in the meantime my husband has been diagnosed with a lifelong health condition and has been in and out of hospital and I have a toddler and a 9 year old and no childcare support and I just can’t put the time I to him he needs.

But, he has a couple of very bad faults. He gets very anxious doing anything new and especially on his own. And two, in the arena he naps if he’s with someone who is novice. Even on lead rein. To the extent he will even do a mini rear. The minute someone who rides gets on he’s absolutely brilliant. But he can spot a novice a mile off. So whilst I can get him shown nicely for sale. People will have problems as soon as they get him home.

I can’t sell him as a companion even because he he frets in his own…. What on earth do I do with him?

I might add he is absolutely perfect to hack in company. Off lead with a beginner and leads from another horse. 100% traffic and flappy plastic bags etc. Good in open spaces. All farm machinery and barking dogs. Comes to call in the field. Kids can climb all over him.

I’m just stuck. I don’t want to cause an accident with a child and I also don’t want him to come to a sticky end. He’s only 11.2hh so finding a capable jockey will be difficult

OP posts:

Megan2018 · 30/10/2021 22:21

Can’t you advertise honestly as a loan pony for a competent child (second ridden I guess?).
He doesn’t sound that bad, I wouldn’t view those as very bad faults especially if he hacks in company. If it’s genuinely only a mini rear (but then I have a demented Welsh that likes to wave her belly in your face so I’m no judge!)

If he was ok when you tried him it might just be a bad fit? He might not be as anxious everywhere.
I would advertise as a loan with view to buy so you can try and secure him a good home rather than being potentially sold on.

EmmaC78 · 30/10/2021 23:50

I don't think those faults are a huge problem if you advertise honestly. Most horses have some sort of quirk. If you advertise honestly as needing a competent rider and take you time to find the right buyer then there is no need for him to have a negative future, He sounds like he has a lot of positives.

Honeyroar · 30/10/2021 23:59

Just be honest - he’s not a beginner’s pony, but would suit as a lead rein/second pony. He actually sounds like he might suit a riding school, where there are plenty of other ponies around and he’s always supervised. I think a competent home will deal with this easily.

lastqueenofscotland · 31/10/2021 12:56

Yep he’s a pony for a competent child. Just make it clear. Some kids are nuts and won’t care!
Where abouts in the country are you I know someone who doesn’t really deal but very occasionally will buy and sell or take sales liveries- she’s an adult but weighs about as much as a bag of sugar wet through so does a lot of schooling. Based Oxford way.
Also I know of someone who usually has room for a few sales liveries and has a tiny woman who works for her who is excellent at schooling ponies.

Original poster

Iamstuckhere · 31/10/2021 14:44

@lastqueenofscotland I’ve sent you a pm
Thank you

OP posts:

maxelly · 01/11/2021 10:25

Agree with others, a very good and responsible sales livery (who will vet homes appropriately and advertise honestly) is probably your best bet, or perhaps if money isn't a concern, either send him off for a few months reschooling or long term loan (again to a very carefully chosen and vetted home) with a view to them eventually buying him for a notional price if they get along? Like others I don't view the faults you've mentioned as truly terrible (I don't put nappy hoppy rears which a lot of small ponies do into the same category as a 'true' rear), but they do mean he needs experience, patience and a careful management so whilst you are absolutely right in not passing him on to a novice home, if the price is right people definitely will take on a project, particularly if he's a nice type with potential. Sounds like some of the recommendations people are pm-ing you with may be the answer as sounds like you have enough on your plate right now so don't feel guilty about getting someone else to take over

hollyhocksarenotmessy · 01/11/2021 10:30

Can you put out feelers at the local pony club? Lots of experienced small riders who don't need to move on from their first pony. Would he be a good prospect for pony club games perhaps, it's older riders on whizzy little ponies?

lastqueenofscotland · 01/11/2021 11:26

It’s not come through but I’ll ping you my recommendations now

Colin56 · 02/11/2021 16:37

I think those are a lot of faults. Napping and mini rears indicate that he has learned this and thats really hard to unlearn. What will a small kid learn from being on an unpredictable pony like that? I'm not sure what to do though. Maybe games? Carraige driving? Games might be best as kids are light and good riders but might be too fast for younger games?

CaptainThe95thRifles · 03/11/2021 12:49

You don't put a rearer in harness

Those don't sound like insurmountable issues to me, and you do occasionally get very competent small riders looking for 11,2s. An honest advert / honest sales livery may well solve the issue.

Colin56 · 03/11/2021 13:03

Why not? Usually in the absence of pain getting a pony going forward is the objective.

maxelly · 03/11/2021 13:12

Yes agree Captain. I don't think anyone on here is saying the pony should be currently sold as a novice child's pony, but safe, well mannered schoolmasters for children to learn on are made not born in my experience, it's a 'job' for a horse like any other and someone needs to put the effort and time into training him to do it. To be honest even if the pony had never put a foot wrong, given his (presumably young?) age and lack of experience he still wouldn't really be suitable for a beginner child right now anyway, he needs time and careful handling to really 'qualify' IMO, so to some extent the problems he's had (which are not that uncommon in any young horse starting out) are a bit of a red herring. I don't think the pony needs a total change of job, what he needs is an experienced and patient owner with access to a small competent jockey who will put the time and schooling into him, as said elsewhere i do think these people are out there, once he's got proven experience under his belt and the issues ironed out, assuming he stays sound he'd be worth a lot of money, so someone probably would take him on as a project to eventually sell on or just to get their kid a nicer pony than they could otherwise afford so I don't see the need for despair just yet...

PinniGig · 02/12/2021 19:37

@Iamstuckhere

I can’t sell him as a companion even because he he frets in his own…. What on earth do I do with him?

I’m just stuck. I don’t want to cause an accident with a child and I also don’t want him to come to a sticky end. He’s only 11.2hh so finding a capable jockey will be difficult

Not sure where things are at and have only just seen this but just to echo what others already said i.e. I think honest, upfront advertisement saying all the things about this pony (good and bad) is likely to be the best solution but don't think he sounds bad at all. We bought a little Sec A as a non-ridden companion from a lady who advertised him as unsafe or suitable for riding under any circumstance. He had been on the receiving end of some nasty bastards that belted and walloped him the result being quite severe anxiety issues which despite her best efforts to help him with for two years, the owner hadn't been able to help him overcome or make any progress.

She was a lovely lady and thought the world of him / had done everything she thought possible but the final straw came after he apparently threw her eldest daughter clean off over his head. Spent a lot of time trying to find a new home for him where he'd be allowed to live out his days doing nothing but eat, sleep and get fatter than he was already.

I did think when we first met he didn't strike me as being quite the broken spirited little soul we'd been expecting and suspected she meant well but in her efforts to help him learn to trust her, she'd maybe done more harm than good and been overcautious / kept him away from anything and everything he didn't like and panicked, pulled him up and stopped riding at the first sign of a kick or buck. Vet had given him full MOT and service but found obvious reason or issue that would cause him pain or discomfort being ridden and she agreed it could be helpful to just restart him completely and see how things went.

Less than a year after he came to us, I signed him over permanently to the farmer's daughter. She's a great young girl, a good rider and saw me doing work with him and offered to help as a small, lightweight rider. He stopped doing the grumpy old man routine whenever she asked him to just pick up a trot, never did give her the Buckaroo treatment and actually ended up going out on hacks and even popping a few small jumps with picked ears and having a blast.

If he'd been at least 15.2hh I'd still have him today but sadly, he's only a teeny 11.2hh and given his second chance at being a happy ridden pony I couldn't justify keeping him on.

I don't think your pony sounds too bad at all or imagine you're going to struggle finding the right person for him. He wants to live with a herd and just needs a smaller rider with confidence to keep him playing silly arses that's all.

Sounded so similar to our old little Welshie

Chickenfarmer4 · 30/12/2021 22:18

I usually have the attitude “it’s your problem, fix him before sale to insure his future” but your situation is not your fault and you’ve done everything right. Be honest in the add, please, and he’ll find a good home hopefully!

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