Schooling dinky ponies?

[vikki85]

This sounds like a bit of a daft question, but I've never really thought about it before. How do people school small ponies to go correctly in showing clases when the children are too small to do the correct kind of schooling themselves? Do you work on the lunge/long reining or find a small competent jockey or both?

I ask because my 9 year old niece has a lovely section B and would like to do some M&M first ridden classes. She's been mostly used as a broodmare in the past, and though she is now backed and is a really safe pony, she has had no proper schooling. She's actually an overheight A, and is only just overheight so is a bit small for me to pop on I think (I'm 9 stone and about 5'5").

[Sasha]

It's a bit of both really! A lot of long reining and lunging etc but a good small jockey is needed really I'm afraid! There are some people out there who advertise that take FR and lr ponies to school on but I would really do your homework first to make sure they are the right person for your pony and you

[sarahp]

Find a small capable jockey.

Now they go away for breaking, but if I was to do them myself I'd most likely do more on the lunge with two reins/long reining than with a bigger one when I'd do more from on top.

[Deleted]

Glad someone has raised this i have a 11hh darty that im breaking and bringing on this summer and at 5ft6 have been wondering. i will now go on the hunt for a small person, done quite a bit of ground work already and hes happy with a jocky on just needs a bit more work from on top.

[owston]

I'm lucky as my friend who rides my Sec A stallion, is only 7stone and under 5ft and so looks fine on him. Her own horse is 16.2hh and she looks like a pea on a drum on him!!! She does take small ponies in for breaking and schooling but I think she is full at the mo, but if anyone is interested please pm me and I will find out for def.

[vikki85]

Thanks for all the replies, you've pretty much confirmed what I thought. It's shame I'm not that bit smaller as I could have got on her myself, but I'm really too big I think. I think she's 124cm. I have a friend who knows her stuff and is 5'3" and 7.5 - 8 stone, do you think she would be ok on her?

[sageandonion]

Ask your vet what he thinks as every pony is different. You might want to work on the lunge with pony to begin to build up fitness and muscle before ridden work commences.

[nia2311]

Mar 19, 2012 10:41:16 GMT vikki85 said:

Thanks for all the replies, you've pretty much confirmed what I thought. It's shame I'm not that bit smaller as I could have got on her myself, but I'm really too big I think. I think she's 124cm. I have a friend who knows her stuff and is 5'3" and 7.5 - 8 stone, do you think she would be ok on her?

You didn't say height of pony? I would say a small, lightweight adult like your friend should be ok on something 12.2 or over so long as she is quiet and light on his back. Trouble with them getting used to a bigger jockey is that they then may not respond to the miniscule jockey when they get back on. I have seen small ponies who are fine with a bigger teenager or small adult, but put the tiny child back on, and the pony just thinks a small flea is annoying them and won't do anything.

[sarahp]

If it's a native of 11.2 - 12hh it would probably take more weight than a 12.2hh SP! I would have thought your friend would be fine, and S & O has a good point about building up fitness first.

Yes, they can be crafty, it just depends on the individual pony but I think it can depend too on if a bigger rider is riding them regularly, or just getting on to remind them of their schooling and manners when they are normally ridden by small children.

[network]

Mar 19, 2012 11:04:15 GMT nia2311 said:

Mar 19, 2012 10:41:16 GMT vikki85 said:

Thanks for all the replies, you've pretty much confirmed what I thought. It's shame I'm not that bit smaller as I could have got on her myself, but I'm really too big I think. I think she's 124cm. I have a friend who knows her stuff and is 5'3" and 7.5 - 8 stone, do you think she would be ok on her?

You didn't say height of pony? I would say a small, lightweight adult like your friend should be ok on something 12.2 or over so long as she is quiet and light on his back. Trouble with them getting used to a bigger jockey is that they then may not respond to the miniscule jockey when they get back on. I have seen small ponies who are fine with a bigger teenager or small adult, but put the tiny child back on, and the pony just thinks a small flea is annoying them and won't do anything.

She does, she says 124cm

[nia2311]

Missed that in a subsequent post Desktop, thank you! I only read the first one, where she said it was a little overheight for an A. I have not entered metric measurements. Is 124cm 12.2hh then? If so, I'd say you may just get away with the adult mentioned, but wouldn't do too much with her on board, in case pony becomes unresponsive to small, weaker jockeys.

[LucyHebditch]

I school dinky ponies for people
I am 7 stone and 5ft2"
I school them properly, get them working over their back and make them supple and easy to ride
I'm based in Somerset if anyone has anything they would like bringing on

[vikki85]

Sadly too far away for us lrh123 as we are based in Chester, which is North West

The pony (Bluebell) is quite responsive to my niece (she's a very leggy nine-year-old!) it's just that she is not schooled to go correctly in an outline. She's not a willowy B (possibly due to her A breeding) so think my friend would be ok on her, will take on board the advice about lunging etc to fitten her up though

[Horse and More Ltd]

Little ponies can carry more weight than people think dont forget they are hardly little things! I ride 11-12hh and im 5ft 3 and about 8.5 stone and they carry me no problem. I would think you will be fine on her yourself!
If you dont want to your friend will for sure xx

[wilbs]

Nat Greasley schools shetlands and competes on an exmoor. And she is quite tall.
www.coppiceshetlands.co.uk/training.htm Am sure your friend would be fine if she knows her stuff.

[tbmare]

We did most of the ground work.. then got a smaller jockey to start him off.. our duaghter has been having lessons since she was 4 yr on the l r and come off in lesson about age 6/7.. she has done most of the schooling herself from the lessons.
i only pop on if he being silly.. or having difficulty ie striking of into canter.. etc

the thing that i find.. yes i can get hime easy into an outline working correctly and balanced.. but she cant.. he will hold most of what i teach him.. i might do15 mins twice a week... might not do any for mths as i feel she needs to learn herself how to ask.. she is nearly 9 now and rides off the lead rein and jumps goes out hacking cantering round the country park.. they understand each other in ther own way.
He might not have the best of head carriage.. but he is responsive to her and always does well at the shows.. judges have often commented on how good he is .. a genuine pony
she did beginners equitation last season .and she learnt to recognise when cantering on the wrond lead.. and corrected this.she many times won first for the fact that she knew he was on the wrong lead.. where as some of the others looked brill with their ponies but han't a clue if the yere on the wrong lead or not.

Personally i would get someone to start her off then do something similar.. the rewards are just as satisfying.and she knows how how to ride her pony rather than look pretty.

[Deleted]

I do a lot of long reining and voice commands, my daughter rides our Dartmoors, she weighs 9 stone and is 5' 4" - so I think you should be ok for 15 mins schooling; any more and they get bored, I can have 3 sessions a day with mine when I'm breaking, short and intense seems to work well.

[rubydoo]

we are breaking my daughters leadrein pony atm, i think if the pony only needs schooling on maybe get a good intructor to teach the child whilst on the pony ,and and have a small adult school once a week.

[nici]

We have an ever growing collection of dinky jockeys for our dinky ponies ;D

[catkin]

I am 5'1 and 8.5 stone (or so I think!) and have happily broken and ridden everything from a Shetland upwards. There was one exception, a lovely Polaris mare we had who would accept a larger rider bur really didn't like it, so after the basics, my brothers and sisters 'did' her. However, there are loads of us so there was usually a very capable small 13 yr old around! She went on to achieve great things and is sadly missed. I am a great believer in 'reminders' for small ponies. Because I no longer have my own animals to ride, this means that when I ride out with the chldren etc I am riding one of theirs so this works well. I am a great believer in good ponies making good riders, so its important to me that the pony undertands what is required so that I can teach the child to ask for this. That said, my daughter is now 11 and has been helping us with a 'breaker' and I think she has learned a great deal from riding the very green pony. I love doing young ponies, they are all so different and I learn so much from every one of them. A truly proud moment is your own child achieving things on a pony you've broken! Good luck