Young Pony - yes or no?

[Silver2002]

Just tried to post but it's gone! So had to rewrite..

Would you buy a 4yr old pony for a child (9)? I've got horsey experience and both kids have/have had loans, however not experienced with youngsters so am torn between thinking it's a great idea - they can learn and develop together, or it's going to be a disaster and she'll lose faith/confidence if things go wrong.

What can I expect with taking on a very quiet, backed, and ridden (3 paces & jump) but green pony?

She's a sympathetic, but determined rider but lacks physicality (short little legs) and some discipline, ie she doesn't always ride with purpose and could happily pootle around. I'm hopeful new pony could show her that she needs to up her riding game but I don't know if I'm living in a dreamland because aside from being young, seems an absolute gem, and I'm worried I could search for months and have to spend big £ to get something established with potentially the odd bad habit as none are truly perfect.

We've had a viewing and it went well, she had instant love for this one that we've never experienced before - I'm trying to think rationally but this aspect is making it harder!

Any wisdom from people who have brought on youngsters?

I did it. Well I didn't actually intend to - I bought a 5 year old who turned out to be 3.5. Its worked out for us but I do have experience with youngsters and I think that's needed. You'll need someone else available to ride to school the pony unless you simply want a happy hacker and it's very very quiet. I've an older dd (she has just turned 13 when we got pony) so she does more of the training side. I've had to get on myself at times to iron out little problems too

In a word no, sorry. It’s never a good plan to have a green horse and an inexperienced rider.

Thanks. I would involve an instructor and have an elder child who is more experienced and can help with schooling.

I guess the question I'm asking myself is how much experience do we need and of what? And whether a team of 2 kids and an instructor would be enough, or whether I just need to swerve this one and keep looking?

Worst case - would sending it away to be professionally re-started be an option? (It's been broken by a child)

I can't get on it myself, I'm too big/it's too small. But long reining, extra groundwork I can do.

What are your end goals with the pony? With a yo stet it's all about nipping things in the mud, recognising when they need a break. We've made plans with ours and had to change them, I'd planned to just give ours the winter of his 4 year old year off but I picked up on him being tired, needing a rest in the July so he had a 2 month break then which meant dc didn't get all the summer holiday riding they'd expected but you have to be led by the pony's needs (and be able to know what they are) he then had his winter m holiday and each time it's like going back a stage with schooling. If you sent away you may have to do that more than once. It's also not cheap and if you have the money for that I'd assume you could just spend more on a more established pony instead. I had to buy the only pony I could afford 😅

End goals are a safe, fun little friend, who could make it through an intro A without embarrassment, jump the odd clear round, and otherwise hacking, farm rides. Nothing fancy
No idea on cost of sending away but yeh, budget already stretched as it is. There is literally nothing available for loan, which was the original plan!

I know this is a super annoying answer but the the truth I think is it depends, on the pony, the child and you need a dash of luck in there as well. I've seen it work well but equally I've seen some disasters. The important factors in making it work well IMO are it needs an adaptable, confident pony, not one that's overly bold or bolshy, but one that can cope without being worked super hard every day, and that doesn't get anxious or start pushing boundaries if there's a bit of inconsistency in the rider - with the best will in the world no 9 year old is going to ride at the absolute top of their game 100% of the time, they'll have distracted or forgetful moments which can massively stress some horses out whereas others aren't bothered. And it the child needs to have a nice balance of confidence with humility and persistence, if they're going to get frightened or frustrated or riddled with self doubt if it not only doesn't go great first time of asking but perhaps not the second or third times either, then they're going to get fed up with either the pony or riding altogether quite quickly. Plus I think the parent needs a good sense of when to push more and when to back off and let them find their own way, when to involve the instructor but also how to make sure what the instructor teaches gets put into practice. The trouble is I think if the pony has only been in a professional or very experienced private home, and the child has only ridden schoolmaster or riding school ponies, it's hard to tell these things really. And while being able to send the pony off for re-schooling if needed is a help, if you aren't able to implement/maintain what the pros have installed it won't really be a long term solution.

On the whole I'd say it's not worth the risk, I always chose experienced ponies for my own kids even if it meant paying a premium or waiting longer for the right pony to come available. But like I say I have seen it work so if you and she really do like the pony (and won't be too devastated if it doesn't work out) it can be worth a chance.

Would your instructor also school the pony regularly for you? That's the only way I'd consider it, and even then it would have to be a very specific special temperament.

Unless your daughter is a super rider, I think it's really important to properly school youngsters (in an age appropriate way) so they don't become stiff and sore and to turn them into a useful sort. Even basic stuff like teaching turn on the forehead so your daughter can open gates out hacking

On having an older/more experienced sibling to help with the riding, again this can be super helpful (so long as the sibling stays small and light enough to ride the smaller pony, one big growth spurt and you can be cooked). But again depending on your child's personality and the sibling dynamic, it can be a hindrance too. I used to put my very lightweight and keen older DD up from time to time to try and remind our very cheeky little first ridden welshie of his manners, after he'd been officially passed on to my younger DD who was generally less confident and more ambivalent about riding in general than her sister. More often than not while DD1 could get the pony going nicely again, it wasn't great for DD2's motivation to see DD1 flying around some jumps or whatever when she was struggling to get the pony to go at all. Plus time-wise most days I only had time for one child to ride one pony, DD2 gradually gave up altogether and so DD1 ended up having both to ride and keep fit over winter until we eventually bit the bullet and rehomed the littler pony to a PC home...

Thanks all. I appreciate all the responses - lots to think about!
And yes I understand the sibling "rivalry" element of the elder child being able to get more out of the pony that the other. We have that already although so far it's not been a problem, but yes I can foresee how it could become one with this particular pony.

I wouldn't.
While it absolutely could work with the right pony and right child for me it's too risky. Confidence is easily lost and hard to win back and I'd always prefer to stack the odds in my child's favour and go for a more experienced pony.

I actually think a young pony with no bad habits is a bit of a gift. I would consider it if you have a good old fashioned trainer who will tell you what you are doing wrong. By old fashioned I mean classically trained who understands the importance of getting the basics in place. I know you say happy hacker and low level competition but you would still need a very good instructor. My dc has 1 hour private tuition every week.

My girls have to share our pony as I can't afford 2. There the odd bit of sibling rivalry but it's usually over headcollars and sticks rather than the actual riding. I bought him unseen from the opposite end of the Uk so it was partly luck as a pp said but I'd got a good feeling from the very brief ridden video I saw despite him being incredibly green. I believe that was actually the one and only time he'd been sat on given how babyish he was when he arrived. This was a year and a half ago and my dd2 who was 9 at the time and dd1 take him to pony club, local shows, have done XC training and a stay away camp. The dressage is still an embarrassment though 🙈. It's a long road for the flat work, especially when it's kids doing the majority- the last test saw him tank out the ring at canter when he didn't fancy the turn and just a lot wipe another child and their pony out in the warm up Dd2 is going to start pony racing next month though which may be more his thins. Dd1 hacks him out on her own sometimes for 2 hours. None of the older horses on our yard hack out alone without a fuss. A pp has a good point that getting them before bad habits are formed can be a bonus. I knew dd1 had the patience and dd2 has really learned patience and empathy from it and what she lacks in style she makes up for with bottle and determination. It can work but only you know of your dc are suited.

I’ve seen very often lovely quiet 4 year olds that aren’t actually quiet horses but too weak and unsure to do otherwise, turn into absolute Kevin’s at 5/6.
In a word. No.

This. 4 year olds are often very easy, then they hit that teenaged phase. Confidence is so easily lost I would keep looking for something a bit older and more established.

I think it depends completely on your daughter's patience and ability and the pony's temperament. There may be times when what she wants to do takes a back seat to what she can do because the pony needs more time or schooling. I bought an unhandled 5 yo when my children were younger, but I am an instructor and was the primary rider.
All ponies can devellop issues in a new home, but this is far more likely in a youngster. There is also the saying that green on green makes black and blue, It's your daughter's safety at the end of the day.
On the cost front, by the time you've paid for additional schooling and lessons, plus regular saddle checks/replacement due to changing shape, then you may be better off paying up front for an established pony anyway.

I'd keep looking. Quiet at 4 doesn't mean quiet at 5.

I've had so many ponies in to sort that were labelled as demons, all because their early years wasn't done be experienced riders/handlers.

No, I wouldn’t. A 4 year old has so much to learn, you cannot expect them to know any of it, and it will take them years to learn and be confident. In the meantime, you will have to keep on at your child to be correct all the time. Not some of the time, or most of the time, but ALL the time, as a young pony will spot opportunities to experiment with their own ideas and some of those ideas will need a very quick, fair and firm ‘not like that, like this please’ if they are not to stick.

We bought my daughter a 5 year old when she was 7. This pony was the offspring of one of our other well-loved ponies, and we hoped it would have the same personality traits as the parent. It did, but it was still clueless and needed a firm hand. We had the pony until my DD grew out of it a couple of years later, and having heard how it is getting on in its current home (it would be 15 now) it has indeed turned into the saint we had hoped for, but needed guidance to get there.

It can be hugely frustrating for a child to see their friends galloping and jumping around on their older, more experienced ponies and know they can’t do that yet with their own pony because it is still learning and you don’t want it ruined or getting the wrong ideas. For this reason I would buy a more experienced pony for a child if you just want to have fun and do PC and low level competition.

It takes time and dedication to turn a green youngster into a solid dependable mount. While it is a very rewarding process, there are frustrations along the way. I competed my own 6 year old yesterday, who is being produced to be a top level competition horse, and it was very rewarding to see how much she had improved since her last competition, it was also hard to keep a lid on the ‘my older horse would have aced this’ thoughts. I know if I do things right I will have the horse I want in a couple of years time. A child doesn’t always have this amount of foresight and will understandably want things sooner. The other issue is that by the time your child has got to grips with the pony and it is performing the way you want, the child will inevitably grow out of it. If you are suggesting buying a bigger pony that your child can ‘grow and learn’ with, that is an instant recipe for overhorsing. I’ve seen far too many children put off riding in such circumstances.

Have to say I wouldn't either, I've seen it go wrong too many times and I also know, from experience, how valuable an experienced pony can be to a child.
The wrong pony can literally put kids off for life and the right one is worth it's weight in gold.
However, I did buy a 5 year old for my then 12 year old son, so it can work but he was a very good rider for his age and the pony came from a reliable source of ponies with all buttons programmed correctly.

Depends on the horse and rider. If its a quiet cob with a confident rider then okay, a hot welsh who rears and naps will have your daughter in tears and you wont know which you've got til you get home and theyre settled. Confidence is a fragile thing especially as a child

Edit - my 4 yo isnt doing much other than hacking an a odd 20 mins in the school before they lose concentration.. not looking to do more serious work til they are older

Thanks for all the replies. I think there is some glimmer of hope in there amongst the wise words of caution!
It's a little coblet, from what I've seen super quiet on the ground, very amenable, no evidence of any bucking/rearing etc yet but I do know they can be completely different once moved (have experienced that with others!) and of course they can have a rebellious stage as a pp mentioned.

Overall I can't help feeling positive we could get a good outcome but I know I may still be over romanticising the situation! Mulling it all over and keeping options open for now.

Up to you. You’ve asked a question, I see mostly ‘I wouldn’t’ answers here from the regular, experienced posters, but if you think you can produce a decent, safe, amenable child’s pony from a youngster despite not having any experience doing so, good luck, crack on! I’ve produced each of my own horses from being 3 or 4, and it takes years of hard work before you get to the ‘comfortable’ stage. For my current horse I bought a 6 year old, and despite having 3 years of work put into her by professionals I’m still thinking ‘omg, she knows nothing!’ when I take her out places. She simply hasn’t had enough outings experience in her life yet.

This

Teaching a youngster correctly is WORLDS away from loans and riding school types. infact, cobs can be the most difficult, often bought because they are quiet and safe but get them fit? They are quite hot sometimes!

My mum used me as a crash test dummy with all the youngsters, All my ponies were bought unbroken. But she was incredibly experienced, very small and could get on and school them too between me riding so that they went correctly in an outline as my legs werent always long enough. Did i fall off? Sometimes. but i never hesitated to get back on, but that's my character too, i had/have zero fear and love to crack a challenge even as a young child.

I'm the other end of the spectrum form your daughter, closer to 60 than 50 and I bought a 3 year old Connemara 18 months ago. Its been a rollercoaster ride! He's an angel on the ground and sweet natured, but he's young. I'm not an inexperienced rider but had a lot of time off between my 20's and 50's with children / work etc. So I'm not the best rider either. we do hacking, some low level unaffiliated jumping and x country.

I would on balance say no for a child. My pony is fab 99% of the time, but when he's not, he's really not. Recently after a great session with show jumps, he lost it at some planks, I lost my balance which frightened the bejezus out of him. I ended up with broken ribs ... I have him schooled by a professional twice a week and have a lesson once a week with an instructor. I'm on a livery yard with a ton of experience and support. Honestly, I think I would pass..

I have to say that's an interesting conclusion based on all the comments 😬

My daughter is often brought in to fix problems caused by parents buying a youngster for their child ‘so they can learn together’. Her current youngster is 4 and was just backed and ridden away when we got her. She’s going to be an absolute star but you can see how easily things could go wrong very quickly. In your position and for a child I’d keep looking.