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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Sell pony now or keep and search for new all rounder?

39 replies

Hghlandlooo · 17/03/2026 11:10

Help me with my dd13 pony buying/ selling quandary. Dd has a 12.1hh. cob and a 14hh Welsh. Cob is just an amazing all rounder, lots of fun. Welsh is very sweet lovely to hack, RC activities, farm ride but just isn’t really a competitive at SJ or dressage, lovely mover but flings her head around a bit. Dd wants to sell the Welsh and get a complete all rounder. I don’t know whether to sell the Welsh and have the cob as an interim until we find an other (though not sure how easily she will sell and she’s pretty close to outgrowing the cob) or make her stick with the Welsh who will undoubtedly improve a bit but not be what she wants. Budget for a new one might be around 10k so I’m not hugely optimistic that we’ll get something that isn’t young and green anyway. Cob will go out on loan. I don’t want any of them to go and hate pony shopping but also feel like it’s a short window for dd to be having PC fun that I don’t want her to miss.

OP posts:
Kalimeras · 20/03/2026 06:57

Lesina · 20/03/2026 06:53

Two horses & one retired elderly pony. One now adult child who is terrified of horses, hence the retirement for the now elderly pony :-) How about you?

So you’ve no experience of having children who ride and needing to replace outgrown or unsuitable ponies.

I have a young cob who I have no plans to sell but I also live in the real world. If nobody ever sold their horses I wouldn’t have one after all.

maxelly · 20/03/2026 11:34

Yes I don't think this thread is the right place to debate whether or not it's ever right to sell a pony. It's a fair and interesting question that I could give my own answer to but if you want to hear or give your opinion on that could I respectfully ask you to start a different thread.

The question OP actually asked was whether this pony can reasonably/fairly do the job of being her DD's all rounder and competition horse. Whether or not the pony is retired to be a field ornament, sold, loaned, kept as a hack, whatever, doesn't really change the answer to that question.

In addition to what I've already said on that, I would add that I think whoever said the head-shaking behaviour could be a response to competition nerves in the rider has a good point. Not to blame the DD or say she isn't a good rider or even is consciously anxious or doing anything different at all - but if the mare goes well and doesn't headshake with all other variables being the same i.e. over the same jumps at the same venue, in the same conditions i.e. without other horses or warming up with others then going away from them into the arena alone (which can be a really big anxiety trigger for lots of horses) then you have to look at the variable that is changing, which is that the rider has the pressure of knowing it's a competition which always will change something, even if totally imperceptible and subconscious. Sadly if it is that, my experience is it can be hard to fix once the pattern sets in, as if the rider is expecting the pony to not go well in the competition that makes them more nervous and tense, which makes the pony more nervous, in turn making the rider even more nervous and so on. And of course even if the rider is 100% totally relaxed and confident there is still the inherant / intangible competition atmosphere, other nervy horses and rider around, bad behaviour in the warm-up etc which it's impossible to totally avoid. Lots and lots of very low key outings can help, sometimes not even getting on or just warming up and not actually going in to the arena, or doing clear round SJ where you just go in, pop some easy fences then pat the pony and go home, as of course does addressing any physical problems. But comes a point where if the pony just is sensitive to the competition atmosphere it may never be something comfortable for them - is it fair then to either pony or rider to keep going and pushing them to compete? I think not personally.

As I say what you then do with the pony is a seperate question and I don't think questioning the OP's morals and accusing her of cruelty for even thinking of selling is helpful...

tinyspiny · 20/03/2026 19:15

Whilst I agree this is not a thread to discuss whether you sell on ponies or not it has to be said that there are plenty of us about that do not sell on any horse or pony that we buy and I’ve had a few so I don’t know why people are picking on @Lesina for having an opinion or suggesting that she / he knows nothing about horses/ ponies .

YearoftheFirePony · 20/03/2026 21:42

It’s one thing to express an opinion, quite another to ram it down everyone’s throats.

Pleasedontdothat · 21/03/2026 08:00

@tinyspiny I think it might have something to do with this:
People like you are dreadful vomit inducing primates. Grim.

I’m not surprised the OP felt a bit under attack…

TalulahJP · 21/03/2026 08:30

have you tried a hackamore or other bitless bridle? it might be that there’s a lack of brakes with this right enough, but i found a big difference with my pony. my hands are light but his mouth was a funny shape apparently! i got his teeth done too and a treeless saddle.

and to those basically saying the op is a terrible person, she said in her initial post that one pony would go out on loan. shes not putting it down or somethimg!!

ponies are not dogs and it’s normal to have them move on to different ‘jobs’ (ie teaching a child to ride) just like people do. the majority of horsey people love the animals in their care. you wouldnt just loan a pony to a rando. you’d check carefully and probably keep on own yard wherever possible to be able to keep an eye in them.

it’s better to get a new home for a much loved pony once the child is too big to ride it as another child will then get the opportunity to smother it in love and learn to ride it. they dont like being left in a field with other horses all the time, they get bored, they like to get out and about with other horses and riders and then return to their field with equine pals.

if it makes you feel better think of guide dogs. they get born in one home, fostered to at least one home, taken to another home for respite while fosterer a go on holiday etc, get taken to the guide dog centre, finally find a new home. it’s just how it is. they are much loved and no expense spared.

tinyspiny · 21/03/2026 10:25

@Pleasedontdothat I’m very anti selling but I wouldn’t have gone quite that far

Moonflower12 · 21/03/2026 10:28

Welshies very often throw their heads about. Sassy mares!
Ive had a few.

feelingalittlehorse · 21/03/2026 11:09

Horses are very expensive and time consuming, and if your daughter isn’t enjoying or gelling with the Welshie then it may be better to sell on and get something she can do more pony club activities with. I appreciate that you can’t always guarantee where they end up, however, apart from the head tossing, there’s nothing in your post that suggests she isn’t safe and pleasant if your DD is handling her. Ponies like that generally end up in nice family homes, and she’s a good size and type for a mother daughter share.
The market is still a bit difficult but safe family all rounders remain in very high demand!
What you would be looking for is what everyone wants! - so if you see a pony you are interested in that’s in your budget, you need to be on the ball.

PinkPonyy · 28/03/2026 14:21

Hi all, we are trying to sell our pony (based in South East) not having any real interest! He is a 13HH whizzy competition pony suitable for a confident novice. I have him on all the main sites and FB pages, anyone recommend anywhere else to advertise that I may not have thought of? Thank you 🤩

New home very important to us ♥️

Pleasedontdothat · 29/03/2026 17:32

Is your dc in the Pony Club @PinkPonyy? it would be worth having a chat to the DCs of all the local branches to see if they know of a family looking for a 138 pony. Or Natalia Thorpe at NT Equine in Surrey has a lot of contacts in the local pony clubs and riding schools so it might be an idea to have a chat to her.

NT Equine - Connemara's - Irish Horses - Showjumpers - Ponies - Connemara - Mountain & Moorland - WHP - Irish Horse Sales - Registered Connemara

https://www.ntequine.co.uk/

Bedroomdilemmas113 · 07/04/2026 11:29

It’s so hard to know what to do for the best. We have an almost opposite problem - my daughter is very bonded to her 13.2 Welsh but wants a more ploddy pony to hack. Pony only really wants to have a single speed, and has a fantastic jump. But my daughter doesn’t want either of those things. But also can’t bear the thought of parting with her.

We have sort of landed on ‘you need to make the best of what you have or give up ponies’ because I feel like there is never a perfect solution.

Justmemyselfandi999 · 07/04/2026 14:29

Have you tried salt therapy for the head shaking?

PinkPonyy · 07/04/2026 14:41

Bedroomdilemmas113 · 07/04/2026 11:29

It’s so hard to know what to do for the best. We have an almost opposite problem - my daughter is very bonded to her 13.2 Welsh but wants a more ploddy pony to hack. Pony only really wants to have a single speed, and has a fantastic jump. But my daughter doesn’t want either of those things. But also can’t bear the thought of parting with her.

We have sort of landed on ‘you need to make the best of what you have or give up ponies’ because I feel like there is never a perfect solution.

I could have written this myself. You are not alone - not an easy journey especially the bond. If I had my own land, I’d keep mine forever and buy another 😢 lots of love to you

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