hat DHTooo Many Newbie's

[dieselgrl48]

Well I just learned yesterday that DH took it upon himself to take in a Young newly weaned Pony.He got a saddle and stuff to go with it.We had talked about getting one for the grandson's before.This is a young baby and by no mean's broke.I have NO clue about a horse or Ponie's.I left for the day and then came home daughter has brought 2 kitten's home toooo.

. The pony baby has not had a lot of human contact but he is cute.He is a bit shaggy looking but...Will put some pic's up when he get's here.If anyone has raised any for riding any tip's or help would be great.My neighbor has a few he just free ranges around but they are not riding ponie's.We have 2 grandson's and DH thought this was a way to start I Dunno.Someone better be getting the pooper scooper out cause My bird's are already working me here and the duck's.

 

[TwistedSerpent]

A young and untrained pony is probably one of the worst ways to start for many reason. If not trained correctly you will have an animal unsafe to have anyone near it, and in order to train something right you need to already know how to do it. The best thing to do is to have a professional work with it and with all of you so you know how to be safe around it.

Or else you can sell it and find an older beastie wisened and well learned for a beginner horse or pony, there are plenty of them out there and are much much better and safer.

 

[Tala]

......So why did your husband think it was a good idea to bring in a horse without consulting you first????


I know I took a lot of ..... for getting a yellow Lab when DH and I had agreed on a white one, now there's not much difference in the color of two dogs......but a greenbroke horse????????? WTH was he thinking??????

 

[RiverOtter]

Quote:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you LIKE your grandkids DONT put that saddle on a weanling pony and start them riding.

Honey, I am not trying to flame you. I very much appreciate that you asked for advice.

Even a very small pony is still a rather large animal. Someone is getting hurt. Since that pony is just weaned, he may LOOK big enough to put your grandkids on, but is the equivalent of a 2 year old child in both mental and physical maturity. You will HURT him if you let him be ridden before 4 or 5.
Please don't say it, I know they race thoroughbreds at 2. I have worked with thoroughbreds. Most of them are retired by 3 or 4, usually with joint injuries. Also, ponies are built differently and take longer to mature. It's part of the reason a pony will live longer then a horse.

One of the first things I taught my DD was that ponies are probably dangerous. The reason is this; Because to someone the size of an indulgent Grandpa, a pony is small, so they don't train, they muscle. You COULD put the saddle and a halter on, toss up a grandbaby and drag the pony around in a circle. Sooner then later, especially since you will be causing the pony Physical Pain, they will realize that they weigh 400 pounds, have strong teeth, hard hooves and lightening reflexes and you don't.

At this point, your DH may be able to continue to muscle the pony around for a couple of years, but your grandsons are getting hurt. As the pony gets older and wiser, he will become nastier and nastier because once the thought is in his head that having kids around, being caught or having his halter put on led to pain, that thought it there for LIFE.

If that pony isn't at your house yet, Tell your DH "Thanks for the thought" and don't let it come home. It is a bad deal even if it's free. Please understand, even if someone is giving you this pony for free it is not worth it. Not if your grandkids get hurt. Not if the pony gets hurt. Would you let them play on your roof? Even if they had really good balance? Even if you were watching them? Even if you knew someone who did it when they were a kid and they didn't get killed?
Of course not. I am telling you they are MORE likely to get hurt then if you let them play on the roof.

I have worked with kids and horses for YEARS. I can not even count the number of kids I've given riding lessons too, the Scouts I've tested for their Horsemanship badges. I'm currently a leader in the 4H horse club. Getting a baby horse for a child to "let them grow up together" I have NEVER seen have a happy ending. The best I've seen is that no-one gets hurt badly and the horse ends up a pasture ornament.
My DD's little friend, age 12, was just in the hospital after getting kicked in the head by her 4 yo pony. Even though they got it as a 3 yo who had already been saddled, even THAT was too young and By Far not trained enough for a child. This little girl was so, insanely lucky that all that happened was a mild concussion and having her scalp split open. I knew another girl, a teenager who had a couple of years worth of experience, way too overconfident, messing around with a young horse, she needed 7 reconstructive surgeries to her face.
Read that again.
Seven reconstructive surgeries to put her face back together.

Get an older horse.
A been there, done that horse.
Pay money if you need too, it will be worth it.
Go see the horse at least twice before you buy. Bring an experienced horse person. Someone who can tell you if the horse has been drugged.
If you are in AR I will help you find a good kids pony.

 

[muddyhorse]

I absolutely agree with the other posters.

However if you find and experienced person do guide you this may not end up a total disaster. many times the problems start when animals do something cute that gets dangerous later on. chewing on clothes is not cute, I'm talking to whoever owned Cookie Monster before us,

thanks he is 1200 lbs now and it is not cute, sorry side rant there.

since it is going to be an only child, it is going to be miserable for a while they really need another horse when they are young to learn how to be a horse from. If they bond to close with you they loose respect for you.

OK back to the pony, a pony that age has about the same attention span as your grand son, five ten minutes. you need to start halter training, everyday put the halter on and lead it around for a bit, while it is doing this IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO GRAZE it is supposed to be paying attention to YOU not snacking. also have an EXPERIENCED person show you how to safely tie the pony. it needs to learn to stand quietly. once it learn this you can brush it a few minutes a day. as he gets older you can add obstacles to his walks to keep them interesting, Ie tarp on the ground, walk by the lawn mower all the things he could spook at later, he needs to be desensitized to now.

Good Luck

 

[kfchickenlady]

Babies teaching babies is the situation you have here. Unfortunately, there is the potential for real physical harm to your grandchildren. My advice to you is to sell the pony, or give it away, still cheaper than the emergency room visit which is enevitable....sorry, Ive seen too many people buy 2 yr old unbroke horses or even younger for the kids to grow up with and disaster always results.

Ive been through a few small horses and ponies for my own kids, and the peace of mind you have with a wise old mare or gelding who wants nothing more from life than to babysit your child/grandchild is priceless. While our starter horses and ponies may not have been tiny, pretty or athletic, they were SAFE, and have fostered a life long love of horses and given confidence to our kids who have moved on to the sport of Eventing.

Above posters have great advice.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Ive gotten so many replie's about the pony issue from here and family and a good friend who worked at a vet office who is a close friend.DH has gotten worried now about the whole issue.I know that I can place the pony to my neighbor almost readily if it doesnt work out and he just free ranges a few in the feild and like's them.They are pettable but never ridden.DH says I got a bee in my bonnet now and Im determined to get this lil thing.No Im not.I got trown from a trick pony once when I was 18 and It wasn't funny. I had a friend who got a HUGE chunk taken from her hip once from of her best racking horses.I wouldn't put either of of my grandson's on anything unless I had been around the animal a good while.We just put a roo down last week due to flogging so..Every horse or pony has to have a starting point I guess of being broke to riding.It's not like Im getting the pony tomm. and saddle it up for riding.I realize it takes at least a year of work to get them settled.Everyone thought I was insane with all the other critter's I have had to learn about I have raised.The other guy can have the pony if he want's no skinn off my nose maybe he knows more than I do.

 

[RiverOtter]

Please don't be defensive.
We want to help. You've had experienced horse people respond, and if we're all a little worried it's because we've seen this exact situation go horribly wrong.

A weanling is anything from 4 months (too early, but people wean then) to a year. It is going to take longer then a year to have him saddle trained. You can teach him to halter, lead and handle (be brushed, have his ears stroked, pick up his feet, etc), but he should not have any weight on his back AT ALL until he is at least three, if you want to avoid damage to his back and legs. Ponies mature later then horses.
If he is a year old, he will not need any grain, just good quality hay. Too much grain can be bad for him.
You will need to find a farrier to trim his feet every 6 to 8 weeks.
He will need to be wormed every 8 weeks, or at your vets recommended schedule for your area.
Once he's old enough to begin to ride, a good trainer will cost at least 300 a month. It is worth every penny.

It is cheaper and safer to get the kids riding lessons at a reputable stable. If you want to PM me, I'm sure I can get in touch with a good stable in your area. Even if you decide to keep him, lessons would be an excellent idea.

Horses are not like the other animals that we keep in a barnyard. They are faster, smarter, more reactive. And a young horse is a totally different creature then an older, even semi-trained horse. If you want to keep him and learn, please find someone who can teach you. It's really not the sort of thing a person can figure out on their own. Even if you could, why reinvent the wheel? Find a teacher.

 

[Bunnylady]

I saw from your other thread that the colt is now at your place. I feel like a real meanie asking this, but I also feel I would be remiss not to give you at least a heads-up.

Has your pony bitten anyone yet?

Baby horses are often very mouthy, colts particularly so (a colt is a young male horse, a filly is a young female). They aren't being mean, they are just playing, but it isn't something that can be allowed. You need to be very careful about how you go about teaching him to keep his mouth to himself, because you will need to get hold of his head to lead and control him in the future. If you go about it the wrong way, you can wind up with a horse that won't let you near his head (head shy) you certainly don't want that.

You will probably see a lot of unacceptable behavior from this little guy during the next few weeks. Most horses act a bit crazy when they first come to a new home, they are trying to settle in and find their place in the new pecking order. Good luck with him, I'm sure we are all anxiously waiting for pictures!