I also need help on the breed of this horse please

[bufforp89]

Wow he is really pretty...he would look great as a driving pony! Wish I had room for one more little horse...but the next horse I get has to be able to tote adults around too...Good luck placing him!

 

[misfitfarm]

I am half tempted to pay to have him broke and keep him.

We just don't know what to do! And then that poses another problem where to take him to be broke! I was thinking since there are alot of amish around here maybe I could have them do it since that is all they know are horses but I am just unsure.

 

[misfitfarm]

Quote:
Do you think he is too small for a grown person to ride?

 

[bufforp89]

Maybe a small adult/teen....... he is a little smaller then what I would feel comfortable riding personally, my mares are 14-14.2..Hopefully someone more experienced on the subject will chime in, Im really not even totally sure what a pony his size could handle.

 

[hennyannie]

I had a pony growing up that was built like this one, her mother was quarter horse and the father was a large shetland. She was bomb proof on trails and we drove her to carts and wagons double and single.

 

[bufforp89]

Also isnt he not gelded? I would think seriously about having him gelded for a better chance at getting him adopted out. There are not many people who are willing to take in a ungelded, unbroke horse no matter how cute he is. He is cute though

 

[welsummerchicks]

Please be very careful not to leave any loose ropes near any horse or pony.

I would urge you to be cautious in putting this pony out on lush grass. Small ponies like this are very prone to laminitis (fever in the feet) if they are let out on grass and allowed to gain a lot of weight - and laminitis can cripple or kill them, cause chronic pain...or just make it so no one decent wants them.

If I was in your situation, I'd have him gelded and give him to a trainer that taught combined driving and the kind of pleasure driving that is similar to combined driving - in other words, no fixed rein holding the horse's head up.

I don't think he's a good candidate for any other type of driving - fine harness or the like.

In a month or two of work with a good driving trainer, he'd be a very good driving pony, and that would guarantee some more stability in his life. He'd be wanted and valued.

Combined/pleasure driving is really growing right now. There's a huge interested in driving for fun and enjoyment and going on driving club outings.

If he is 12 hands, his weight limit for a rider will be about 75-80 lbs. He could pull more than that in a cart, though.

Since he's only 12 hands and very well proportioned, that pretty much disqualifies a lot of animals as LIKELY parents.

When you cross breed horses you can get all sorts of odd results, but I'm going to focus on what's likely.

I would not guess this horse to have much or even any Halflinger blood. For one thing, he's rather small to have had even one Halflinger parent.

He is not the blond Halflinger color. Very few Halflingers are any other color than the blond. Despite having many around here, I haven't seen one that is not the blond color. It can be a little lighter, or a little darker, but the 'Halflinger Blond' does not have any of the dark silver effect on the mane and tail, nor the chocolatey color in the body.

Instead, his color is actually a chocolate sort of color, with a darker silver mane.

The color is most likely what is called 'Silver Dapple', not that it is silver or grey at all, but that it tends to put some silver into the mane and tail. It's essentially a chocolately or brownish, sepia color, with a lighter mane and tail. It is not yellowish-red like a chestnut or reddish-brown like a bay, it's a very different chocolately color.

Sometimes, if the coat is in very good condition, especially in summer, the brown coat will have light and dark areas, called 'dapples', but even so, all of the body color is still tthat same basic chocolate color. Dappled areas (light and dark areas) on the body can also be absent from the 'Silver Dapple' color, but the body still is that peculiar chocolate color.

Without papers, you'll never know for sure. Any guess is just a guess. I'm just going to say what's likely.

Among pony breeds, the most likely contributor of this color is actually the Shetland Pony breed.

There are two types of Shetland Ponies - a very small, thickset, short legged type, and a much more modern, slimmer, longer legged type.

The Silver dapple color does occur in Icelandics, but there simply aren't a lot of Icelandics in the USA - making that less likely.

My guess would be that he is a Shetland cross. Second guess, an Icelandic cross.

Too, sometimes ponies this small have one 'Mini' parent and one pony breed parent.

The silver dapple color also pops up in grade ponies that have a lot of different ancestors - the silver dapple gene does occur in other breeds, but the most often noted is in the Shetland and Icelandic.

 

[misfitfarm]

Well then since so many agree I will make the phone call this afternoon and have him gelded

Does anyone want to explain what is the big difference short of the very obvious. I have no plans on breeding or allowing anyone to breed just curious about the emphasis on gelding.
If I go through with having him taught to ride kids, drive a cart or whatever then I will keep him. He is pretty whatever the breed and he is a stinker with a funny personality!

 

[misfitfarm]

Quote:
I shall remove the rope! Thanks for the advice! We put it out there because he had such fear of ropes and leads so we put it up to show him that it won't hurt him. He now doesn't care if you have a rope

 

[welsummerchicks]

When a male horse is gelded, the testicles are removed. This prevents them from constantly being distracted by other horses. Horses left 'entire' have a very strong desire to breed and that tends to distract them and make them annoying to deal with - or even - occasionally, dangerous. Dangerous in that they would be perfectly happy to knock down mommy, daddy or their children, to get to that mare (or gelding, or other stallion, they don't care).

Horses are normally gelded at a young age before they become 'mature' (interested in breeding).

When they are gelded a little bit older, like yours, it takes more time for the breeding behavior to fade away. How long is individual. But usually a few weeks. Occasionally, much longer especially if they have already been used for breeding.

I would urge you very strongly to get an experienced horse person to help you train and advise you on how to care for the pony. be especially careful of leaving any loose ropes laying about. Lead lines should be carefully coiled and hung up high on the outside of the fence - rope barriers should be replaced with sturdy fence - anything and everything that in your wildest imagination an animal could possibly get tangled up in, even if you think it couldn't in a million years hurt itself on something - remove it from the pasture. Check the area for any buried or broken off fence posts or other hazards too. "Even if you think it could NEVER happen...it will...because it's a horse".

It's a gorgeous pony. Really elegant.

Too, resist the temptation to fatten him up so he has that 'roly poly pony look'. It's very unhealthy for them to be at that sort of weight. A pony should look like a little horse - the last 3 ribs just barely showing when they breathe, and the spine and hips comfortably padded with fat, but no more fat than that.