Pets For Children - Horses And Ponies

Ever since I can remember I have been horse mad.

Each year on my birthday I would blow out my candles and wish for a horse, it never happened. Then every year I would enter the W.H. Smith win a pony competition. I never won.

As I grew a little older I came up with the solution; if I married a rich farmer then I could have my horse – I am married to a Geordie painter and decorator!

The best breeds for children, in my opinion are the native breeds: Dartmoor, Exmoor and New Forest, who are usually easy to handle. I have however met a few Shetland ponies with ‘little man syndrome’ so be aware of that possibility.

I once knew a girl who had an amazing Welsh mountain pony that she entered into gymkhanas, they won virtually everything, sadly when she out grew this first pony and her parents replaced him with a larger one, she was disappointed as this pony didn’t win her as many rosettes.

A child’s first pony should be at least 10 years old meaning that it will be well mannered enough to be handled both in and out of the saddle.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that a pony can be put in a field (of at least an acre in size) and forgotten about, a pony takes a lot of time and money, there are vets bills which can be extremely expense, get insurance would be my advice, plus there is the cost of hay, hard feed, tack, bedding, rugs and the farrier’s bill to shoe your horse every 6-8 weeks.

A good pony will be worth it’s weight in gold . Think about what your child will use their new pet for before purchasing; will they just want to hack out (ride along roads and bridle paths)  or enter gymkhanas  and pony club events , or take part in dressage tests?

If possible take a knowledgeable friend along when going to view horses and ponies because your child may well want the first one they see.

Other things to consider before buying  are the cost of livery if you haven’t got your own land and stabling and transport costs – if your child wants to attend local competitions, how are you going to get the animal there?

I used to ride once a week as a child with my sisters which we all loved. As an adult I was lucky enough to find a few people who wanted help with exercising their equines, which I did for many happy years until ill health stopped that I now ride at the Calvert trust every few months.

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If your children are fortunate enough to own their own horses and ponies please make sure that they are looked after properly.

Read more of my horsey adventures in my e book title Equestrian Dreams available to download from Amazon.

HAPPY RIDING.

As always questions/comments are welcome and please share on social media.

If anyone has topic suggestions or requests please say.

until next time

Karen

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WRITTEN BY KAREN DENNIS FOR HER BLOG, THE NEXT BEST THING TO MUMMY.

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