I grew up with horses since my daughters age (7), but have been out of the horsey world since I met my husband 11 years ago. I know that once I start doing it again it'll all fall into place (well, I'm hoping!!), but any thoughts would be gratefully recieved.
I'd like to get a pony that both me (5ft7 and 11st) and my daughter (135cm and ?weight) can both ride without her being over-horsed and without me squashing the pony.
I'm thinking that a sturdy pony of about 14hh would suit. Any ideas? Also, as a teenager I backed a number of ponies, 2 of which were Haflingers. These ponies were good weight carriers-does anybody know of any other breeds that may suit our purpose. The main issue for me is that I don't want my daughter to ride anything that is "too big" for her.......I don't want to put her off. Also, a "ready made" family pony tends to cost a lot-would anybody recommend buying a youngish (3/4 yr old) pony that's been backed but needs bringing on-I'd ride the pony during the week and my daughter would ride on a lead rein at weekends-could that work?
Finally.....any rough ideas of running costs per week? We don't have any land, so would need to pay for grass keep/livery.
I know I've ranted on a bit, but I want to cover all questions before we go any further.
Any input appreciated