Bigger pony?

[WaryQuoter]

Bit of a dilemma and interested to hear what other horsey mums would do.
My daughter is 17 and has had her 12.2hh pony since she was 6. He's been part of the family for years and they've grown up together, so obviously there's quite an attachment there.
She's only 5"2 however, she's put on a bit of weight over the last few months and I'm starting to wonder whether he's really the right pony for her anymore. He's getting older now too and has a bit of a dodgy back, so I don't want to be putting unnecessary strain on him.
Part of me thinks perhaps it's time to find him a smaller, lighter rider and look for something more suitable for her. The other part of me wonders whether I should be encouraging her to get a bit fitter, perhaps get back into riding regularly and work on her fitness rather than immediately looking at selling him.
I know ponies aren't weight-bearing machines and his age and back issues obviously need to come first. Equally, I don't want to sell a pony unnecessarily if there's a sensible way forward.
What would you do? Would you draw a line and say it's time to move on, or give her the opportunity to improve her fitness and see how things go?
And has anyone else been in a similar situation with a child who's grown up alongside a much-loved pony?

I gues the key questions are, 1. how much does she weigh, and how much does he weigh? Would she be over 20% of his weight, in which case she is definitely too big for him. 2. Does she actually still enjoy riding, and want to get back into it, or is she just attached to the pony because of their history? 3. If she is too big for him, is loaning him out an option, so you can control where he ends up.

How old is he because if he’s got any health issues , which you indicate he has with the dodgy back you shouldn’t be selling him as god knows where he will end up . At 17 , unless your daughter is ultra keen , which it doesn’t sound like she is , I wouldn’t be buying anymore ponies for her .

Yes, at 17 and 5"2 she almost certainly is too tall for him if not too heavy also (the latter hard to say without knowing his and her weights but unless she's an unusually slim girl and he's very chunky it's unlikely to be within the 20% range). So she probably does need to stop riding him regularly/for anything strenuous. But as others have said, the pony must be in his teens at least if you've had him 11 years so I would be cautious about selling especially with a bad back (? Cause? Have you had that investigated/treated?). If he's sound and up to work a loan or share rider wouldn't be a bad idea but he's earned a comfortable retirement somewhere, so unless you are lucky enough to find a buyer able to provide that then I would want to retain that control personally. And equally 17 not a great age to be looking to buy a new horse especially for a girl whose energy/time/interest in riding seems to be waning (understandably given her time of life) - is your DD not likely to be wanting to go off to uni or college or a job in a year or so, what will you do with the new horse then? Unless you're wanting something that's really for you to inherit sooner rather than later, I'd sort the pony's back out as a first priority, then all being well find him a loaner to relieve you of some of the costs and time, with the 'profit' DD can maybe enjoy some lessons or a hack from time to time on an appropriately sized horse but without any ongoing commitment...

There's more to owning & loving a pony than riding?

Is riding that important to her? If not there's lots more she can do without riding - agility, liberty, horsemanship etc etc.

I think if she wants to do the right thing by the pony she loves & give him a home for life then she will learn more from that decision than from buying a bigger pony.

Is there a possibility of DD getting share/part loan so she can continue riding, especially she will go off to college or uni soon & develop other interests that might be a good solution.

A sharer or part loaner for your pony might work too.

I kept my childhood pony until she was almost 40. I never regretted it. It meant I didn't do much riding wise but gave me so much more.

why wouldn't you be buying her another one? x

I think even a native pony would struggle but particularly if there are issues with his back. This would be a conversation to be having about a 14.2hh pony with back issues. The pony in question is so tiny I don't think there can be any room for doubt, really.

My very slim 9 yo is starting to look a little too leggy on her 12.2 native pony (and she’s not particularly tall) and I’m working on the basis that she’ll have outgrown him properly by this time next year, so I’m staggered you and your daughter haven’t had this conversation wayyy before now tbh. Not sure it would be ethical to sell on a pony in these circumstances, but could you find a loaner or sharer for him to keep him in a bit of work and then your daughter shares of loans a bigger one to see what suits her? It’ll be an enormous jump from a 12.2 pony to a horse if that’s all she’s ever known so I would be cautious about jumping straight into buying a new horse for her (especially at her age).

how tall is your 9yo??

If she's not really into riding why would you buy another pony?

You could get a light weight sharer for him and DD can have him as a pet.

@WaryQuoter you said in your post about ‘getting her back into riding regularly’ , that is why I wouldn’t buy another because at 17 she will be going to uni or getting a job soon presumably and it’s really not worth it unless she is ultra keen , which it doesn’t sound like she is .

Not particularly tall for a 9yo, which was my point! She had plenty of school friends who are much taller than her who I wouldn’t let ride our pony. Most people I know in pony club etc. are transitioning their 9/10/11 year olds onto 13.2 (or above) ponies. At a show we were at recently an older sibling - I’d say about 13 or 14 wanted to do a round on her younger sister’s pony who was about 12.2 and the organisers wouldn’t let her compete as she was clearly too big, despite being a v slim build and probably not actually too heavy for the pony. I’m only 5”2 and wouldn’t dream of getting on a 12.2!

I think the issue here is nothing to do with the pony and more to do with you thinking your daughter is fat.

5ft2 is perfectly tiny enough for a 12.2, I hop on our chunky 12.2 and I’m 5ft8 (16% of pony’s body weight) and yes I am too tall but for the odd ride it’s fine and sometimes it’s easier to school the pony than the child 😂 I rode my own 12.2 until I was nearly 17 but had to stop jumping as my feet were too low. I was only about 6 stone weight not an issue.

Does your daughter want a new horse?

Does she want to lose weight?

Also, do you know how much they cost these days 😅 we are looking at a pretty average 14.2 and struggling to get change from £10k which is quite a lot for someone who isn’t mad keen!

the organisers wouldn't let her?!

everyone else seems to disagree about 5"2 being ok for 12.2h...

It's about weight, not height. How much does your daughter weigh?

I wouldn’t get on a 12.2 with a bad back at 5”2 I’d feel way too tall for it. It does sound like the pony needs a new job - driving maybe? Does your dd have any ambitions are far as uni is concerned? Does she actually want a new horse if she can’t ride this one?

How old is the pony?

I'm uncomfortable that you're thinking about putting a 17 year old who isn't slight on a 12.2hh pony with back issues who isn't a spring chicken.

But also concerned that you're thinking of selling him with back issues to go goodness knows where after he has served your family so faithfully for over a decade.

Fortunately oversized riders on small ponies is something that the horse world is starting to take seriously and is clamping down on at all levels of shows .

I don't think a 13/14yo on a 12.2hh counts as 'oversized'?!

I would guess about 10/11st x

She is too heavy for the pony.

I just wanted to comment on the 20% of body weight being a maximum for rider weight.
Although its good that there is discussion around max weights, new scientific evidence suggests that 15% is more appropriate asxa starting point and that this should be reduced further if advancing age and/ or health issues are brought into the mix.
So a rough calculation suggests that at an average maximum weight for a 12.2 pony being around 310kg, taking 15% of this is max rider weight of 46.5kg. Its probably fairer to use 12.5% which would take max rider weight down to 38.75kg. This value would be reduced again if the pony is less than 310kg.
so OP if your daughter is no more than 46.5kg in weight but ideally less given age and back issues of pony, then yes he may still be suitable.

Oh OP thats what I weigh and I would not dream of riding a 12.2!!!! I politely declined to ride a chunky 14.2 the other day as I felt too fat for him!!!

I was 5’8” at 12/13 , I was very light but would have looked ridiculous on a pony that size.

He's getting on and has a dodgy back and you want to find him a different rider? Can you not just let him have a well earned retirement?