Hi there! I’m about to bring home a 3yr old untouched 1/2 welsh stud (LOL). He’ll likely mature to around 14.2h. I’m curious - what is the market like for ponies in the dressage world? I’ve usually sold my prospects to eventers, but I’m curious about this market, as this guy looks like he could have some potential in the discipline. Of course we won’t know until he’s broke and going, but I have limited experience in the pure dressage discipline/ market, so would love some input! Pics of the little dude that’s coming home with me:
The market for ponies is larger than it used to be, but still quite small overall. There’s a limited number of people small enough, and they are (generally speaking) older amateurs. Some pony lines can be quite hot.
I know we have some people here who show welsh cobs, they might have more to say about it. As resale prospects, though, the market is small.
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Ponies can show at every level at national shows (intro to GP). There is also a separate division called FEI Pony which is offered at some national shows, and at CDIs which is for children age 12-16 riding ponies age 6+ at 2nd level. Ponies are also eligible to compete in the FEI Children division, which is for children ages 12-14 showing horses or ponies age 6+ at 1st level. Ponies aren’t eligible to compete in other divisions at a CDI.
The pony market is small but real. Besides kids that want to do the FEI pony division (which there aren’t too many of), there are an increasing number of small amateurs who recognize that dressage is easier on a mount that is proportionate.
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If he does look like he can be a good dressage pony, you may want to give him some basics in driving to see if he would make a nice CDE pony. That will expand your market considerably…
(assuming he stays under 148 cm)
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Thanks so much for your input!
Super informative! Thanks so much
Thanks DMK! I start all my guys with ground driving, so they have those basics. How can you tell if a pony would make a good driving/CDE pony?
a lot of the same things that make a good event horse, ability to do dressage well, be bold, have endurance, be able to turn it on for marathon, relax for dressage and have enough left in the tank for cones (like show jumping, requires a pony to be balanced, soft and react promptly to the aids). But just like any discipline, you never really know of they are going to be good at it until you try it, and just like everything else, lower levels are easy but a lot don’t cut it as you move up. But then again, there are a lot more drivers - just like riders - who aren’t going to move up as well.
But mostly they have to want to pull a carriage (and do all of the above while pulling), and there definitely are some that do not want to do that, so in addition to ground driving, checking them for acceptance of things behind them making noise (I work up to dragging milk jugs with stones), stuff bumping their sides, back legs and hips, accepting breaching, crupper, & blinkers… followed by the experience of having shafts bump into their sides (turning against a rigid pole is definitely a serious step in driving training) and pulling weight are all steps we take before hitching them up. That first part can usually be done by an experienced horseman, but when it comes to testing shafts and pulling weight it’s best to seek the help of someone used to starting driving horses. Even if you have no plans to break him to a cart/carriage, just having a sale horse pass those basics with flying colors should be enough to interest drivers.
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This is all SO interesting! Thank you so much for taking the time to break this down for me! It sounds like such a cool discipline. Where do you generally go to market these ponies?
Some of the answers surprise me. The dressage pony market is hot. I just sold one for five figures and I could have sold her a few times over. She wasn’t even registered. A good Welsh cob (section D) or larger section B pony is very desirable. I know because I was shopping for one and the prices were very high and the good ones sold fast. Those I was interested in were in the 25-35k range, which was out of my budget. As someone pointed out, ponies are popular with petite adult riders. I am one.
Some Welsh cobs are more suitable as driving prospects. It really depends on the conformation, movement, and breeding. I sold a gorgeous section D gelding a few years ago who had movement I felt was more appropriate for a carriage pony. He didn’t want to be a dressage pony.
My pony was marketed on Warmbloods for Sale and on Facebook. She did have a show record and was schooling third level. Since my trainer acted as an agent, that really helped because she had lots of connections on the west coast.
The pony you are buying may take a while to be ready for training. Be patient. You will find out if he is a “hot” pony once you start to work with him. Don’t be fooled because he is a Welsh cob, they can be very sensitive. If he gets the right start and proper training, you should be able to sell him for a very good price. He looks like a great prospect, so have fun with him and post updates!
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I think the market for good horses overall is hot right now. That said, I know a nice pony that has a PSG record that has been chilling unsold all year because his price is too high. What would be a fair price for a nice 16.1 3yo is astronomical for a pony of any age simply because the market for them is so much smaller.
I agree that those that are looking are ready to pay. The question becomes how many are looking. I’ve never had trouble selling my ponies even as 4yos but the prices are not mind blowing the way they are with “big” horses.
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I agree that prices between ponies and “big” horses is not comparable. The market for ponies is there, and yes, it is smaller. (I keep an eye on the European market too, and if I were younger, I’d shop there because prices can be more reasonable in Europe compared to the US for young ponies.) The young Sections D’s from reputable breeders in the U.S. (weanling and yearlings) I have seen for sale are priced 8-15k.
A fancy moving cob with a good temperament and correct training can sell for 20K plus.
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Thanks so much for all your input sparkygrace! looking forward to bringing this lil guy along 
Re where to market this boy as a driving pony…Post on the Driving forum and ask there. I’m sure you will get some good suggestions for marketing. And maybe some inquiries, lol. I drove for a number of years, and what is interesting in the early stages is making the horse pull into the restraint of a breast collar or neck collar. Also getting them to understand that the the breeching tapping them on the hind end is NOT a signal to go forward but to slow or halt. I did most of the ground work myself with the help of a non-horse friend who did what I told him. Your ground driving experience will be helpful for sure.
Edited to add: in the dressage world you still have options if he should get above the 14.2 hand size. Check this out and note the popularity of the show: https://www.psdressage.com/2020-national-dressage-pony-cup-small-horse-championships-canceled-due-covid-19-concerns/
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As 2tempe said, the driving forum, although it’s quiet there these days, not too many actively competing drivers s best as I can tell… A good search on Facebook for people selling carriages and equipment is usually a good place to advertise horses. Also ADS regional club websites are a good way to connect with local drivers (you can find the club named on the ADS website).
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Facebook has some active driving groups. You might also look at USEF in your region. I only have experience selling one driving prospect, but my impression was the combined driving people wanted to pay less than a dressage rider for my pony. I could be wrong since my experience is limited.
There are a number of dressage pony and Welsh groups on Facebook with ponies for sale. You can get a good idea of prices by checking out some of the ads.
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Obviously I’ve sold a few over the years in terms of welsh cobs and their crosses. Some made pony height and some were over 14.2. Those over height went for dressage or eventing mostly, especially my welsh cob x Tb crosses (eventing). While I agree that the CDE crowd seem to want to pay less for their ponies than the dressage crowd, I’ve actually received higher offers from the CDE crowd for mine which honestly surprised me. I was lucky enough to have those that based on full siblings and lineage were very, very likely going to stay pony so the CDE people who were willing to buy youngsters didn’t dicker on price. I also had a few closely related to those doing very well in the CDE world. That being said, I found more dressage and eventing people willing to buy unstarted, young stock (weanling through 2 years of age) than the driving folks. I started all of mine ground driving and if they stayed here long enough they were shown in some discipline in order to get show miles (even if it was schooling shows which is where all mine start out), started over fences (even though I no longer show over fences unless it’s a prix caprilli or hunter pace), trail ridden (a few competed in competitive trail events) and a few worked cows. In other words, my trailer was typically heading out to a show or event at least twice if not four times a month. Every slot on the trailer was filled with those actually competing and youngsters getting exposure even if it was just to hang out at the trailer. My youngsters were very conditioned to a variety of situations including loading and hauling and all the ground work. I also found that if I had hauling contacts/suggestions ready/available that helped get mine who were for sale to those who were interested in them much quicker.
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Super cool 
thanks so much for this insight!!
Sounds like you gave your ponies such a great foundation! Thanks so much for all your insight 
I have been shopping for a 2nd/3rd level pony for about a year with zero luck. If I could find one, I would buy it. They just are not out there.
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