Thought I would ask as I am looking

[Amiblue]

I don’t know if this will get me anywhere, but hoping someone might have or know of someone who wouldn’t mind helping. I am looking for a solid child’s pony. My oldest is special needs (6 years old) and loves hippotherapy and it helps him a lot. My other two ages 4 and 2 years love riding to, but the cost as it is not covered by insurance far out does the cost of owning. So I am looking for someone with lots of miles. Still healthy (am nursing a big rescue mare so I would like to avoid additional vet bills due to needing nursing at the moment) who wouldn’t mind popping over some teeny tiny cross rails some time into the future for my middle who wants to learn to ride and jump like Mommy does. We are in NE Florida and open to free leases or really low (yes, I know) asking price. So if anyone has one hanging around that their children, grandchildren, lesson kids have out grown or is no longer needed for a lesson program, please let me know. Can ship a shorter distance if someone has a perfect match for us. Thank you!

Also, where would you look when searching for a pony you really need to be able to trust? I have a tough time with people going “yes, would be perfect for you. Totally solid!” only to get out there and find a bucking bronco.

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=Amiblue;8046736]
I don’t know if this will get me anywhere, but hoping someone might have or know of someone who wouldn’t mind helping. I am looking for a solid child’s pony. My oldest is special needs (6 years old) and loves hippotherapy and it helps him a lot. My other two ages 4 and 2 years love riding to, but the cost as it is not covered by insurance far out does the cost of owning. So I am looking for someone with lots of miles. Still healthy (am nursing a big rescue mare so I would like to avoid additional vet bills due to needing nursing at the moment) who wouldn’t mind popping over some teeny tiny cross rails some time into the future for my middle who wants to learn to ride and jump like Mommy does. We are in NE Florida and open to free leases or really low (yes, I know) asking price. So if anyone has one hanging around that their children, grandchildren, lesson kids have out grown or is no longer needed for a lesson program, please let me know. Can ship a shorter distance if someone has a perfect match for us. Thank you!

Also, where would you look when searching for a pony you really need to be able to trust? I have a tough time with people going “yes, would be perfect for you. Totally solid!” only to get out there and find a bucking bronco.[/QUOTE]

Look at the thread on Off Course about how to sell a funny looking horse. He sounds like what you are looking for.

[Sansena]

It truly is the rare creature that’ll be ‘totally solid’ for a 2 or 4 yr old child. No/ low budget makes it even more daunting.

Do you have a trainer to help you network? Sounds like you may want a retired schoolie. Can you afford routine maintenance on an oldster to keep them comfortable?

[SMF11]

I bought a saint of a pony for my kids and I paid a LOT for him! And, he was never advertised for sale, and I had to beat out three other people who wanted to buy him.

You could join Pony Club, as that’s a pool of horsepeople and kids with good values, and saints of ponies tend to be kept in the Pony Club “family”. I would think your best bet would be to find a free lease as some owners don’t want to risk selling their saint, but are happy to have the pony teach other kids. Word of mouth is the best way to find this kind of situation, and Pony Club will put you in a really good network for this.

[x]

I have a small horse that is a packer and has taken kids as young as five on their first solo rides. But he’s still able to pack around a 3’ course if needed. But he is not free or very low priced. It takes time to make up such a horse…and no budget makes it nearly impossible to find. I had a pony that was really, really good quite a number of years ago…something like 10 or 15 years ago. I was offered alot of money for said pony, and sold it. I have spent this entire time looking to replace said pony, and I have been willing to pay the price, and I have not found one as good. I currently have two that are o.k., but not quite right just the same. Very difficult to find.

[Laurierace]

It is my experience that these types are rarely sold but instead passed around via trusted friends when outgrown. Try asking your facebook friends for leads. I did this when my friend was looking for a nanny pony for her three three year olds that her older daughter could also ride some. They had the pony in their barn by the weekend.

[Amiblue]

Your right that funny looking horse would probably be a good fit. The only problem is he is in Canada! The mare I have now I shipped down from North corner of Maryland so I can guess at the cost to ship him and he would have to be a gift for me to do it which I don’t think is her goal. Course if she is open to it…

I know they are very hard to find. That’s why I am hoping someone has one hanging out in their backyard who wouldn’t mind letting us even just use him or her for several years. I can maintain an older one needing maintenance and they would have a fantastic home with us. If ours, they would most likely retire with us after my children have outgrown him or her as I go expect an older pony to begin with who has been around the block a time or two and who will be ready to relax and just be groomed once my youngest is to big and needs to move up. My Facebook friends who have horses either have children the same age so their pony is in use or they don’t have any connections. I tried actually in hopes that someone would know of someone. I will look into the pony clubs, but I will guess they will be more than what I have at this moment. They only way I could gather more is to stop his therapies but he really needs to continue with them.

Hoping just maybe someone on here may stubble across this and think of a good little pony needing three children to be loved on by. Crossing Fingers and Toes!

[Foxtrot_s]

Pony Club is a good starting point, if you an find one that they will part with.
There are ponies out there - semi-retired pasture puffs that could be brought back for what you want. PC is good because they come with their reputations, good or bad.

Sounds like you may need one for only a short time, before you need to upgrade because the kids get too big, or demand more horse.

These ponies sure are worth their weight in gold and often are passed on from one owner to another privately.

[Amiblue]

Is pony club like 4-H? I honestly never have looked into it before as something they might like to do even.

[kasjordan]

Ask lesson barns about ponies looking to retire from their program. There may be maintenance issues but it would be worth it.

[RPM]

In a sense, Pony Club is like 4-H. In a sense it is totally different. It is an international organization, started in England. US website:
http://www.ponyclub.org/

There are chapters all over the US. Click on ABOUT US to find regional pages.

[SMF11]

I’m not familiar with 4H but am with Pony Club, having been a member in the 1970’s, and working a bit with some local ones here now.

Pony Club is not expensive, and it teaches kids how to care for horses as well as how to ride. There are knowledge competitions as well as riding competitions. Some clubs have club-owned horses (probably not too many), some have access to lesson horses and some (also probably not too many) require that you have your own horse.

I highly highly recommend Pony Club!

[Foxtrot_s]

4-H or Pony Club - one of the best things a young person could enjoy and learn from.

[Paks]

One place you can try is the auctions. Look for a pony ride string being liquidated. I got a nice Shetland that way.

[Marshfield]

You might sniff around area universities. The one near me has a set age where they aim for retirement homes. I know of a Welsh Cob they retired recently who would have fit your requirements

[AirForceWife]

You’re going to have a rough time right now with the shows going on in Florida. I responded to your Facebook ad with a trainer semi-local to you that did ponies when I lived there at least. I know of a mini right now that’s available cheaply but certainly not with the miles you are looking for. Your best bet is to pick up something cheap off of Craigslist and work on it’s quirks yourself.

[Amiblue]

We have been offered a free lease on a lesson pony with lots of show miles!!! Super excited and hope everything works out. Thank you!!!

[shezabrazenmare]

[QUOTE=Amiblue;8051629]
We have been offered a free lease on a lesson pony with lots of show miles!!! Super excited and hope everything works out. Thank you!!![/QUOTE]

OK, so this is the original thread that OP started when looking for pony? And then the PO offered OP, as she said, a “free lease.” Not a giveaway. OP is inconsistent in her new thread about the whole deal. Bet that OP will be looking for someone on CoTH to give her a pony since she did not get this one. Always important to read all the threads by someone wishing to lease or get free pony or horse.

Who in the USA has horses and kids and doesn’t know what pony club is?

[TheJenners]

OP clarified in the other thread that this was a different pony. I read all 16 (thus far) pages and recall this fact.

[Cherry]

There was a time when I didn’t know what Pony Club was and I don’t have children… I would imagine having three children keeps a mom pretty busy.

I’m getting pretty tired of ya’ll be so judgemental of Amiblue. So she vented, on the other thread like many, many other people have done but for some reason there is this huge pile on. “If you can’t make a situation better, at least don’t make it worse.”

I don’t know Amiblue but I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. It doesn’t matter if the pony was a lease or a giveaway or there was a contract. She came home empty handed and the other person tried to foist other objects on her that she didn’t want or need for monetary gain (on a supposed leased pony). I would have refused it too.

There’s plenty of blame to go around but it seems Amiblue is getting more than her fair share. I wanted to let you all know you’ve got your points across–can ya’ll give it a rest???

I was given a pony and if over excitement is a reason for not getting a pony I would have been in deep trouble. I was over the moon and I was an adult!