Welsh pony owners

[Serigraph]

I heard from my vet that Welsh’s tend to be a bit more of a spirited type of pony.

I don’t know much about the breed, however, I have a Welsh/TB pony in my barn who has been here a few months. He is pretty refined. He is what I would call a hotter type of pony, but I was attributing that to the TB in him. He’s very sane and extremely smart, but reminds me a little bit of an energizer bunny.

Do you find the breed (I know there are several types) in general to be a little spirited? Not in a naughty way, but more of a high energy way?

[rideagoldenpony]

Depends on the pony. Some can be – especially the A’s, C’s and D’s.

The Section B’s are bred to be the riding ponies of the breed, particularly for children, and my experience with them is that they are much easier than the other Sections.

[VirginiaBred]

Since yours is a crossbred, you won’t get the “Full Monty” but they can be opinionated - but what can’t? I love them.

[oharabear]

My Welsh/POA pony is definitely the hottest of my 4 equines (my other 3 are TB, QH, and an Arab/DWB cross) She’s very smart and sane, just sensitive and forward and somewhat opinionated.

I love her, though. She’s a blast to ride. Quick and maneuverable. Like a sports car.

[BaroquePony]

Serigraph, guess I had the As and Bs reversed … glad you came over here to talk to the real experts … the pony people :yes:.

[Serigraph]

[QUOTE=oharabear;5909752]
Quick and maneuverable. Like a sports car. [/QUOTE]

That pretty much describes my pony.

[terasa]

I have a sec D. She’s a fairly nervous type in general. But she’s also more willing to please than anything I’ve ever owned and will try her heart out for you. I’m finding she doesn’t trust too many people, but the few she does trust get 110% from her. As we go along, she’s getting better and better, but I don’t think she’d ever be suited to a beginner. She’s very careful with her people but can react quickly. Absolutely amazing work ethic and so kind and smart though, if they are all like her I don’t think I’ll go back to anything else.

I had a sec b as a kid and he was a very spoiled and bad pony Again probably too smart for his own good.

[quicksilverponies]

I also raise Section Bs and have had many other breeds of horses my entire life. I do not find my Welsh to be nervous or hot in general. Of course, there is always the occasional exception in any breed. I would attribute the hotness of your pony more to the TB blood than the Welsh half. I have found the Welsh ponies I have worked with and bred over the last 10+ years to be willing, quiet, loving and overall great kids ponies.

[Sportpony]

I haven’t had a lot of experience with Welsh but those I have had have tended to be pretty high energy, quick, bright, quick reactions with a lot of similarities to the Hackney Ponies I have had. The Hackneys have a reputation for being hot but I have not found them to be significantly different from the Welsh. I have also had a couple of American Shetlands and they were about the same in disposition as well.

I also have Connemaras and find them to be, in general, somewhat more laid back than the Welsh, Shetland or Hackney Ponies I have had.

[Daventry]

@quicksilverponies;5910123

I also raise Section Bs and have had many other breeds of horses my entire life. I do not find my Welsh to be nervous or hot in general. Of course, there is always the occasional exception in any breed. I would attribute the hotness of your pony more to the TB blood than the Welsh half. I have found the Welsh ponies I have worked with and bred over the last 10+ years to be willing, quiet, loving and overall great kids ponies.

Same here. I am a hunter/jumper trainer and was breeding warmbloods back 20 years ago until we purchased two Section B Welsh full brothers. They were so super quiet and easy to start…they got me hooked.

So, my answer is…it depends. It can often depend on the individual pony, but more than likely it depends on the bloodlines. I have had a hot Section B pony in our barn before, but the majority of ours have been super quiet.

The Section A’s I have dealt with over the years have been a bit spirited. But if you look up the history of how and why they were bred and what they were used for, their temperament makes sense.

I have one Section D mare in the barn right now that is one of the quietest horses ever but have also worked with a few hotter ones.

With people commenting on crossbreds…it’s almost impossible to say whether it’s the Welsh causing the hotness unless you know the history of the other half. In the past, I’ve found POA’s to be extremely hot…so who’s to say it isn’t the POA making your pony hot and not the Welsh? :yes:

[Serigraph]

He’s Welsh/TB not POA. He’s a very GOOD pony. I just didn’t know that some Welsh’s can tend to a bit of hotness and this is my only experience with the breed. I know there are tons of kids on Welshes, so I just assumed they were generally all pretty quiet - and I don’t know what section he is. And certinately could be the TB in him.

He is still very young, only 5. I think he’ll be a great pony. He’s very people oriented, smart as heck, very, very willing. He is quick though - not so much in his gaits, but his reactions to things. As someone else said, much like a sports car.

He was just jumped the other day and oh my, can he jump!

[BaroquePony]

Pictures :yes: ??

[Dune]

I’ve heard this comment too, and quite frankly, I find it kinda irritating. I have a section D mare that is very quiet and is the safest thing I’ve ever ridden! I guess they all have their moments, but her idea of “spooking” is to turn around and stare down whatever it is that startled her! :lol: As the gal that sold her to me once said, “I don’t see her ever running away with anyone!” :no: Now, I do have a young 1/2 Welsh and he’s a bit more pony, but I attribute that to the WB 1/2. Just sayin’.

[exvet]

Well I’ve tried to answer this post a few times but each time I ended up deleting it. I guess my first question is just exactly what does your vet mean by “spirited”. Like some of the others I will assume “hot”. My second question is whether or not this analysis and opinion was made by someone who has owned and trained any individuals of the breed or is this the result of observations while on the job?

I happen to be a vet who owns, trains, shows and breeds section Cs and Ds. I also rode my fair share of hunter ponies, many of them welsh x tb crosses as a teenager for my trainer (I was usually the test dummy especially when trying out ponies that she was considering for various clients). My kids’ first pony was a section A; so, I think I have a bit of experience from several different angles.

I think the best answer already given is that you’re talking about a crossbred so it’s gambler’s choice as to where the disposition is coming from. Having said that let’s discuss what a Welsh (pony or cob) is not…

1. A Welsh is not dumb. They’re usually smarter than most humans they meet.

2. A Welsh is not about to hurt itself no matter how much it loves and obeys it’s human.

3. Most Welsh are not ground bound.

4. Most Welsh are not dead to the leg nor hand…if your leg and hand do not agree or are giving conflicting messages, let’s revisit observations 1 & 2, shall we?

There are certainly bloodlines that do not fit my goals; but, for the most part Welsh are very level headed yet sensitive in that they are responsive and really do try to do exactly what you’re asking. Now of the 6 Welsh I currently have on the property, 4 are purebred and 2 are crosses. All are very light and responsive, no nagging needed from my legs, easy to rate to a fence and no need to haul on their mouths to steer or halt - only a shift in body weight and a stilling or change of direction of the seat. None are spook monsters though I do have one beloved guy who doesn’t do well with either tractors or gun shots; otherwise, he’s willing to take guidance and direction from his rider (the one who’s suppose to be the leader). If you’re not scared, neither is he I have one who I am just starting, she is proving to be much like her siblings - that born broke type we all hear about…oh and she’s half TB. Given my others, despite her TB parent being a doll, I am not exactly quick to give all the credit to the TB half :winkgrin: but then you must realize that this is MY perspective.

In the end I will agree with the others and say that the Bs were specifically bred to be the premier children’s handy mount. History has proven that to be true, over and over. You could have simply an exception to the rule, perhaps the TB half should be looked at closer for the temperament typically seen in those lines, or perhaps it’s a young pony who simply needs more training and/or miles. If the latter is the case then knowing the caveats of Welsh (as stated above) can make one’s life much easier

[rideagoldenpony]

Very nice post, Lisa.

[Serigraph]

[QUOTE=exvet;5910949]
Well I’ve tried to answer this post a few times but each time I ended up deleting it. I guess my first question is just exactly what does your vet mean by “spirited”. Like some of the others I will assume “hot”. My second question is whether or not this analysis and opinion was made by someone who has owned and trained any individuals of the breed or is this the result of observations while on the job? [/QUOTE]

It was just casual conversation with my vet. And really a curiosity thing for myself…“Oh, I didn’t realize that type of thing”. No biggie. Personally, I like spirit.

He made the comment based on what he has seen and what some of his Welsh client owners have told him. It was not in negativity.

[Daventry]

@exvet;5910949

My second question is whether or not this analysis and opinion was made by someone who has owned and trained any individuals of the breed or is this the result of observations while on the job?

exvet brings up a great point. Nearly 100% of the Welsh Ponies & Cobs on our property are dead quiet. That being said, when our vet is here doing teeth, gelding, etc., they need to give extra tranq to the Welsh before they can start any procedures. I have spoken to many, many vets over the years who have found the same thing with Welsh. They were orginally bred to be strong and hardy. So that possibly may be where the comment from your vet is coming from. But, just because many of them require extra tranq doesn’t mean they are also difficult or more spirited under saddle.

(The comment about the POA was in regards to another poster who said they had a Welsh/POA cross.)

[abv1269]

Firstly, I am no expert. Ammie re-rider w/ 10 yr old daughter riding SS and moving into children’s hunters. We are currently borrowing a friend’s Welsh/TB cross and DD has ridden several Welsh crosses in her travels.

I love them. In my limited experience I find them to be, as a rule (understanding there are exceptions to all rules) very bright. The pony we are borrowing now is smarter than many people I know, and as such has a deservedly high opinion of herself. She is wonderful on the ground with all the kids, and takes very good care of her riders.

My daughter is a bit more experienced than one of the other grls who rides the pony, and I swear the pony knows the difference. She’ll test my daughter, in that unless my daughter asks correctly, the pony may not give the correct response. However, with less experienced riders, she’s 100% babysitter and will do what she knows she’s supposed to do, regardless of what aids are given.

She loves her job, and may get a little fast down a line of jumps because she’s excited and having fun, but I’ve never seen her do anything malicious or naughty pony-ish, and I’ve known her for 14 years. She’s sassy, but in a self confident way, which I appreciate, and a true gem that we are lucky to have.

FWIW, based on this pony and some others we’ve known, I’d always go Welsh.

[Serigraph]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned their hardiness, and I wanted to add that I’m very impressed by my pony’s hardiness. One of these recent cold nights all the boys had a good romp around the pasture so much so that the pony must have fallen on both knees. Both were scraped up and one was very swollen. I was like :eek:, and watched it very carefully, but the whole time there was not one lame step.

And he has amazing feet to boot.

[Dune]

@Daventry;5911259

exvet brings up a great point. Nearly 100% of the Welsh Ponies & Cobs on our property are dead quiet. That being said, when our vet is here doing teeth, gelding, etc., they need to give extra tranq to the Welsh before they can start any procedures. I have spoken to many, many vets over the years who have found the same thing with Welsh. They were orginally bred to be strong and hardy. So that possibly may be where the comment from your vet is coming from. But, just because many of them require extra tranq doesn’t mean they are also difficult or more spirited under saddle.

(The comment about the POA was in regards to another poster who said they had a Welsh/POA cross.)

My vets have always said this, but they include ALL pony breeds. Something about the about of tranq needed is inversely related to their size. Funny ponies.