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[matthewschickens]

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My pizza delivery gal has one. I've wanted one since I read about them in the 4th grade.

My family used to go see those wild ponies every summer when we'd go back to visit my relatives. I loved that part of our summer vacation.



I'm back. Sore and tired but ok, in a way. Old blockages the same, stent ok, new blockage will be treated with meds for now and see the doc in a month and we'll see how i feel then.



have fun with that baby Tanicha.

So have I

Let me guess... Misty of Chincoteague?

 

[ibpboo]

Ranger is pretty!! Ha ha, Little Man is the same way, loves to be dirty as possible. And his coat is so thick, he's a pony, tht it is very hard to get all the dirt out. When I first got him, I actually thought his main was tri colored. But then I scrubbed and scrubbed, and all that brown came off! He's getting better at letting me bathe him. I know he has had plenty of baths in the past (he's 10 years), but he seems to be worried about what is going to happen to him. I am really working on gaining his trust. He is just starting to get better at letting me catch him. And since I have been off work for a couple weeks, he is even letting me walk up to him in corral and touch his nose. I've even been able to work my way about being able to touch all over him without him running off!!
I like my horses to be calm, so there may be a lot of things that other people may overlook, but I work on correcting if I can. Your horse should be able to trust you, and not worry that you are going to do something to it. I think Little Man has been abused in the past. He is very shy and you can just see the worry in him. Worry like, what are you going to do to me. Poor thing. But he's been ridden alot, and been around a lot, that he isn't explosive or anything when he spooks. But he is just so darn cute!! He is 13 hands. At tiems I feel a little silly being on a pony, but 13 hands isn't too bad, and I can almost just step off of him. It was so funny when I first got off of him, I expected to slide down to the ground, but no, the ground was right there, it felt so weird. But he's good for me, because since i am so much older now, and not wanting to get hurt or anything, I have a lot of fear, and he is giving me confidence again.
I only trail ride and beach ride. No competition.

 

[MaggieRae]

I used to love ponies, but quit riding them when my heels started dragging on the ground.

They're so little, but have such big personalities!!!
You're so right on having the horses trust you. I'm lucky both of my horses are very calm. Dakota is just very clever... He's calculating. Which is why no one else rides him anymore. It was nice having someone exercise him when I couldn't, but I don't want anyone getting hurt.
Ranger has been getting his first baths with us, too. Absolutely loves them, because afterward, when he rolls, the dirt sticks better!

I shouldn't even try.
He used to get beat on (not abused) by the trainer the previous owner sent him too (this trainer also let his hooves get pretty awful! Gr...

). Nothing too serious, but now he's very unresponsive to the whip when we're on the ground. I don't hit him, only his lead or the ground. Something to get his attention. Dakota, on the other hand, doesn't like the whip at all. He's very responsive.

I'm so glad that you're getting your confidence. Horses who can do that for riders are absolutely perfect.

 

[AK Michelle]

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Just a point of clarification.... Not all ponies are little. Some are 14' 2" and so are some horses.

 

[Sassymygirl]

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Just a point of clarification.... Not all ponies are little. Some are 14' 2" and so are some horses.

Yes, I rode an Arabian that was short, 13.3

 

[MaggieRae]

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Just a point of clarification.... Not all ponies are little. Some are 14' 2" and so are some horses.

I know.

All my horses are 16 hands or bigger. I just can't get used to being so close to the ground like you are on ponies. My legs hang way below their bellies... It's weird. I learned to ride on ponies though.

 

[ibpboo]

Maggie, do you think I look too big on my pony? He is short, but you will notice, my feet do not go down to his knees or anything, But if I ride bareback, thats a different story.

Sorry its raining sassy. have fun matthew!

 

[MaggieRae]

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Nah. I'm about 5 foot 10 inches now (possibly taller, haven't measured in a year), and the barrel racer I used to ride was a pony. I keep my stirrups really long (western) and although he was a great horse, it was difficult for me to support him with my legs when a third of my leg was hanging below him. I need that support racing around a barrel as fast as I can go.
I learned to ride on a tiny pony, rode a hunter/jumper pony (June was tiny! She was for little kids but didn't behave well, so my previous instructor had me hop on. I "fell" more like jumped off, nearly 100 times that ride.), trained a little green pony, showed/jumped Cody who was a pony, learned on Maggie and Magic (my favorite pony by far. She died of cancer and I named my cat after her) who are both ponies, leased Buck (technically not a pony, he was 14'3 and at the time, I was only 5 foot 2) for a year and a half. My point is that I've ridden many ponies and just can't get over having my feet that close to their legs... It's not a problem for most people. I'm physically different because I have really long legs. The guy (taller than 6'3") who made my saddle new stirrups made stirrups to fit his legs and they barely fit me.

I'm just different. (The horses I choose tend to have really deep chests, as you can easily see in Ranger

)

 

[ibpboo]

Oh yea, you are tall. I am 5'6". The day I was getting the pony, the other people there were like, you're not getting taht pony for yourself. yes I am I said. They thought I was nuts. I was trading my registered QH for a pony. But he is 13 hands, so he is a big pony. Little Big Man! An 8 year old boy had been riding him for the previous year. And his parents wanted tog et him a horse, and since I felt like I was not doing very well at training my horse, and they had trained several, we traded. I needed something I could ride and get confidence again. But I also have grandchildren, so when the pony gets a little more calm, I may be able to teach them to ride. My GD is only one year, so I have plenty of time, and my GS, well he isn't really interested in riding, so all is well. So that's what I ended up telling the other people there, that the pony was for my grandchildren. It ended up they had trouble training my QH, too, and traded her for a different horse. Its sad, but it made me feel a little better that she was being difficult, it wasn't just me. As long as you were light with her, and gave her tons of respect and plenty of time, not push her, she was doing well. But she would spook easily, and she started her rearing thing with them, she overcame it right away with me, and she bucked the boy off one day when he was riding her around the arena and other crazy stuff started happening and he wasn't noticing she was getting nervous and kept asking her to do what he wanted, not let her clam down, so she bucked him off, and he didn't like her anymore.

 

[MaggieRae]

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Like I said, ponies have big personalities.

Sounds like you have the perfect situation going for you! Most people think size= experience, but that's not true at all.


Baby crocodiles are so cute! Big ones... Not so much...