I bought the pony; the adventures of Triss aka half-pint

[Baysn_Blondes]

Tl;dr: tell me all the reasons why buying an early teen pony mare as a project is a terrible idea.

With my gelding retiring I have been keeping an eye out for a potential new project horse. I don’t have the budget right now for what I want long-term so I’ve been looking for a I horse I can put about 6 months on and then sell for more than I paid to supplement what I’m saving up to by my next long term partner.

Last week I found a cute pony mare in my budget that I can’t get out of my head. She 13 years old, 14 hands, was broke but has been a broodmare for a few years. Nothing heinous in her conformation or movement, nothing to write home about but I think some developing some good muscle will help. She definitely has the cute factor and the Barbie dream horse mane and tail, but I don’t have any gauge on her personality or rideability. Even though she was supposedly broke at some point I’m assuming I would treat her as unstarted.

I’m trying to tell myself that there’s no market to sell a grade pony in the mid 4s, but then I look at her pictures again and I my heart goes “but she’d look so cute as a little dressage pony, or all braided up as a hunter pony (even though she’d probably never do anything bigger than local schooling shows). DH is totally supportive so I need someone (or even better, several someones) to be my voice of reason.

[Alterwho]

@Baysn_Blondes

I need someone (or even better, several someones) to be my voice of reason.

On COTH?

[Bristol_Bay]

Debbie Downer, here.

There is no such thing as an investment horse. Or pony.

Ponies are for children and they are generally looking for dead broke, which is not feasible in six months.

[Jenerationx]

Right? You might be on the wrong forum to be talked out of getting a pony. Don’t look at the Henry the Handyman thread or you’ll be getting the trailer ready.

[fivestrideline]

Are you pony sized? Would she be useful to you if she didn’t sell right away?

I’m not in the pony dressage scene but local pony hunters need to be kid friendly - wtc jump and swap with your average kid. The less fancy the pony the more broke it needs to be. Are you in a spot where you have juniors in the barn that could put miles on her?

13 isn’t a bad age, but I think she’s likely to be one heck of a project. Convincing a mare that she suddenly needs to work for a living, yes even with a kid calling the shots, can be iffy for a while .

If you’re pony sized yourself, would use her if she didn’t sell right away, and have good restart skills and access to a trainer with a program of suitably sized kids, I’d say go for it! That’s part of why the Henry thread worked so well, his owner has some good riding kiddos and the time and skills to help make a good citizen out of him.

Post pics if you get her !

[cilla1]

I was about to write the same! This is not the right place to be talken out

[cilla1]

Is horseball a thing in your area? Here such a sized pony would be very sellable as horseball pony plus horseball kiddos are crazy and can manage pony quirks pretty well

[SharonA1]

Go buy the pony and have so much fun bringing her along. What else ya gonna do, sit on the couch eating chips and watching reality TV while your butt takes on the shape of the couch cushions? The universe has sent you a sign; you must listen to it or Forever be Stranded in the Wasteland of Regret.

And if you don’t buy this cutie pie, she will sell to an uneducated, uncaring, flipper who will misunderstand her from Day 1 and she will never recover physically or emotionally, and a lovely pony, who could have brought joy to many petite riders, will become a casualty of ignorance. DO YOU WANT THAT ON YOUR CONSCIENCE???

(Is that what you meant when you asked COTH to talk you out of buying an equine?)

[Heinz_57]

@Bristol_Bay

Ponies are for children and they are generally looking for dead broke, which is not feasible in six months.

Usually I’m an enabler, but since we’re talking about something you don’t intend to keep - this. This is what various sources have told me as I’ve started trying to figure out how to price my own barbie pony, who is only 3 and just getting started under saddle. There’s no money in it until they are proven.

Most people who will look at ponies are looking for a very reliable packer, regardless of discipline. Something they (or their kid) can go anywhere on and that will be the same as it is at home, something that is safe and sound. The market for grade ponies that need experienced, confident riders is pretty limited.

You have no way to know which kind of pony this will be. Or even if she is actually sound enough to hold up to a serious workload. If you were buying for yourself, I’d say go for it because who doesn’t love a cute pony in their pasture. But as a resale investment, this one is going to have a pretty narrow pool of buyers and a lot of risk.

[exvet]

I bred welsh cobs for a few decades and brought along more than a few who were large pony/hony sized. One of my welsh cobs who was a section C and 13 hands on his tippy toes made it successfully through PSG. The point is I’m addicted to ponies. Do you know why she was used for breeding if she’s a grade? What did her offspring go on and do? Who was she bred too? Getting some of those answers may give you more information to know if she’s worth taking a chance on. When she was used for riding what did the owners do with her? Is she easy to load/haul/work in hand?

I’ve taken on more than a few who had ‘difficult’ backgrounds and those who were a blank slate. I always started back at the beginning. Some advanced faster than others if their basics were good. I will venture to say that’s it’s not just the hunter ring that will require she be safe for kids but she’ll need to be safe and sensible for just about anyone at that age (and height).

[trubandloki]

At that size, if you are talking dressage or eventing, there is even an adult market if the pony is built big enough to carry adults.

Mid fours should be doable for anything sound and ridable by the average person.

[endlessclimb]

If she were smaller, I’d say don’t do it.

But at 14hh, I’m with @trubandloki - the market is more than just kids. People, myself included, are tired of the giants and are looking for something smaller to go have fun with. My current mare will be the last thing I own over 16hh. It’s just not for me - I know there are lots out there that are catty and such, but I just do better with something more my size (I’m 5’1", and there are lots like me!), and my experience is the bigger they are the bigger their soundness problems will be.

I vote do it. Start marketing her for exactly what she is in 6 months, and price increases with additional training/miles/proven.

[FjordBCRF]

I’m 5’6 and 135 lbs. I have a 13.2 fjord and rode section c welsh cobs 16 years prior. As a kid, I had a 14.2 AQHA.

Get yourself the pony! Maybe don’t expect it to be an investment, but enjoy the ride! (har har).

[MunchingonHay]

Are you new here???

You all forget or don’t know how much fun driving is. Ponies are great for driving.

I say get the pony, post pictures of her progress and let us cheer you on.

[OverandOnward]

@Baysn_Blondes

I’m trying to tell myself that there’s no market to sell a grade pony in the mid 4s, but then I look at her pictures again and I my heart goes “but she’d look so cute as a little dressage pony, or all braided up as a hunter pony (even though she’d probably never do anything bigger than local schooling shows). DH is totally supportive so I need someone (or even better, several someones) to be my voice of reason.

First, let’s dispense with “the market”. That’s just fishing for justification to follow your heart and buy the pony. You don’t need a “market” to justify buying this pony. You need the $$ and a trailer to take her home.

You aren’t buying and riding this pony for someone else. You are buying her lovely precious self for you. And that’s a good thing! It’s time to do something like this just for you.

Enjoy your new pony! And take “project to sell” out of your mind, and make it “project for me”. You don’t have to keep her once she is going well. But hang on to this pony at least long enough to really enjoy the results of the work you are going to put into her. And then it’s perfectly ok to keep her forever.

[OverandOnward]

A slightly tipsy alcoholic walks into a bar filled with committed alcoholics who enjoy every minute of their “problem”. Slightly-Tipsy says to the group “help me understand why I need to be sober”. Roaring laughter ensues. A new round of drinks for everyone, with two for Slightly-Tipsy.

[Spudsmyguy]

Life is short. Buy the pony.

[findeight]

If you want the Pony and can keep the Pony whether it sells or not, get the Pony.

If you want to get the Pony specifically for resale with a 6 month timeline and must have a decent profit?…maybe not. If you board out and can only comfortably support one horse? No.

Henry is not a fair comparison. He’s obviously much younger, seller was known to her and he had a little bit of training. And there is a substantial amount of luck involved in how he turned out and how quickly and trouble free that journey turned out to be…access to suitable kid riders helped.

This is a grade Pony with no proof of breeding, age or history from an unknown seller. Remember Bo? Use that as a comparison. Auction find represented as 14ish. Best guess by horse care professionals is early to mid 20 and the supposed recent history turned out to be…puffery. What were the present owners breeding the grade Pony mare to? Where did they get her and how long have they had her? I fear that often told story is simply adspeak.

This maybe early teen Pony is an unknown. Not unfamiliar with Ponies and 14h is an undesirable height as far as value goes on the Pony world. Great performance and/or temperament can overcome that but will take substantially longer then 6 months to develop if it is even there.

Sure, small adult would enjoy her IF shes sound and suitable but, again, 6 months is tight.

Again, if you can keep her regardless. Go get her.

Oh…remember most sellers do not post ugly pictures, everything they post is teddy bear cute. When you get there to see them, they look like a bear coming out of hibernation with manners to match.

[clanter]

@trubandloki

there is even an adult market if the pony is built big enough to carry adults.

daughter’s 14h Morgan mare who has won many Dressage competitions, this horse was never saddled until it was five, the horse’s owner did not have the time to work the mare into his training program as he was a trainer in high demand whose clients came first, After my daughter had her then three year old break a leg in a pasture accident the trainer (and others) offered her a horse to fill in the gap in her heart. The mare is of great blood lines, very smart and has an opinion on everything, but easy to work. Within three months of first being saddled she won all four of her intro division dressage classes at a Class A Dressage competition (four total two each session A and B, she was entered into multiple sessions to insure her qualification for the Morgan Nationals later that year.

at age six National and World Champ for her division at Morgan Nationals 2023 against a division of well trained competitive horses

daughter is 5ft10inch

[NancyM]

If you’ve got it firmly in your head that “this is what you need”, it’s best to go with that. It may or may not work out like you are currently hoping, but either way, the decision is actually made, you just haven’t accepted that yet. Good luck with her!