Looking for a pony for my dd to help excerscise, how should I go about it, what do I contribute?

[LittleB]

Hello, dd is 4.4 and started riding a few months ago, she's enjoying it alot and loves ponies (well all animals - dogs and chickens at home but particularly ponies!)
I used to have my own New Forest mare as a teenager so understand the time and money needed to own a pony and I haven't got that spare at the moment. What I wondered about was looking into finding a small pony locally that might need excercise, maybe an outgrown pony thats now a companion, or one that owners need help excercising during the week, or while children are at boarding school etc. This way dd could ride the same pony regularly, bond with it, maybe pop along twice a week, ride around lanes or fields for half an hour and learn to groom, tack up etc. She'd still have lessons at the local stables, probably fortnightly. Has anybody else done this, presumably I'd need to contribute financially towards the ponies upkeep,although I'm thnking more of a native type pony that lives out and is pretty low maintenance. Whats a reasonable contribution? I can ask around the horsey people I know, perhaps put an add in the local animals feeds place - any other avenues I should try? Should I wait until dd is older - I'm as excited about this as she would be, can't wait to be involved with horses again - even if I won't be riding!

What about talking to pony club? They might know of someone.

Thanks, Pony club might be a good idea, although I'm not sure I want to get involved in PC. Please let me know if its changed, but when I was a child I found PC v. intimidating, lots of immaculately turned out children on v. expensive perfect ponies with v. ambitious parents. That may have just been my local PC, but I couldn't compete on my v.novice mare with our second hand kit! We went and had fun at the local stables gymkahnas instead. It may be more accesible now, but whatever we do is likely to be on a fairly constrained budget.

You could keep an eye open on horsemart, they have adverts for loans or shares, or you could place your own wanted ad.
Or Friday-ad might be better if it's more local to you.

Definitely ask at your Pony Club - I'm sure you'll view things differently as an adult now and most are very welcoming.

They will know about all the local ponies and their parents.

DD started seriously on her own pony at 2 and by 5 she had 2 ponies so another little girl from school sometimes comes and rides with her. Ask around at school as well to see if other mums want help exercising their ponies - maybe when their kids are busy with after school clubs etc.

A lady in our village comes and rides my cob twice a week to help get him fit for hunting. She doesn't pay but is mutually beneficial because she helps him get fit and is around to help when we are on holiday (in theory!) and she gets a hassle free ride.

Try asking a vet, or put an ad up in local horsey place, or a farrier.....

butkin, that sounds like a good arrangement, perhaps I'll come across someone who wants me to help ride their horse too! I know lots of the mums at my daughters preschool, and there are others interested in ponies and other children riding but none with their own, but as dd has just started school I now have a whole heap of new people to get to know and chat too so I will ask around.
Thanks for the horsemart link pixel, I'll go and have a look at it now.

My daughters Welshie pony is a companion to a TB, and was advertised in a local tack shop. We pay £50 a month field rent and for her back shoes (£25), we don't have to do any chores. Be very wary of decriptions of these little ponies, take an experienced rider to try it out as your daughter is only young: although advertised as a first ridden we had to spend a fortune on lessons with an instructor as she was not very well schooled as having not had a regular rider for a few years was prone to ditching rider in favour of heading off for the grass! Is now (a year later) as described.

Hi I would ask at the riding school, are they all owned by riding school or do some people keep their own ponies there? As you have some experience yourself they might let you supervise her grooming, tacking up etc the ponies she already rides? and she might get the odd ride if there is a pony free? We did this on yard where I used to work.

Thanks ohnelly, the only thing is the stables where I take her riding are almost an hours drive away so it'd be tricky to get there several times a week, there are closer ones but I've heard that they aren't very good, so I take her to the one that I used to go to. I will chat to the owner though about dd helping with grooming and tacking up.
I was chatting to a friend in the local bridleways association the other day and she said she could ask around and thought there might be someone. I did come across someone with a couple of arabs that they'd like help riding - bit tricky for dd but I'd love it, only they want someone who can ride them several times a week, and they are too far away for me to manage to fit that around work!
I'll keep asking around and will get the local pony club contact, saw a lovely welsh sec A pony for sale the other day - would be perfect for dd, but don't have the money to afford to keep our own!