What can you do with a small pony?

[2DogsFarm]

@Foxglove

@2DogsFarm can advise you on driving a tiny pony --her Bugs is a dream!

Thanks for the compliment.
Agreed, I seem to have won the Mini Lottery with this guy.
Got him as an unbroke 2yo, sent him to Amish Bootcamp for what was supposed to be a couple months.
Told the young Amish guy to " break him like you want him taking your grandma to town"
A stretch of early Winter weather, and he ended up spending 6+mos there.
What I got back was a very well-trained Driving mini.
I won’t say bombproof, because we have had “moments”.
But he turned 7 in May & after being driven 2X since April (1 traildrive with my Club, 1 15min toodle around my acreage) he just won a class of 10 - that included some much larger ponies <3 Halflingers! - at Fair.
Class was at night, under the lights, arena surrounded by food vendors…
So not a quiet place to drive.
Brag photo:

My advice is to not try starting your pony yourself if you have no Driving experience.
Things can go South fast & some ponies are never safe to drive after a mishap.
Some Just.Won’t.
Find someone with experience to get started.
Your local Driving club s/b able to help.
Remember:
The only aids you have Driving are your hands & voice.
Whip acts as leg, but just brushes their sides, not same as pressure from a rider’s leg aids.
Until your pony is instantly responsive to voice or your hands, you are not ready to drive.

ETA: Your pony is adorable

[Sdel]

@2DogsFarm

My advice is to not try starting your pony yourself if you have no Driving experience.
Things can go South fast & some ponies are never safe to drive after a mishap.
Some Just.Won’t.
Find someone with experience to get started.
Your local Driving club s/b able to help.

The pony is only borrowed for now but I do need to find a companion and she seems to be as genuinely attached to my horse as she is to me. Last year, when my instructor horse sat, she stood just across the fence from her paddock for most of the first day.

Fortunately my instructor does drive should I go that route and is the president of the local riding and driving club. She has a mini she drives, so she should be able to get me started with at least long lining her.

As far as mishaps, my grandma was so terrified of horses after a driving accident when she was little that she refused to allow one on her farm as an adult, so it can stick with the people too.

[Jealoushe]

Liberty! You could have so much fun with her!

[secuono]

How small? You could potentially ride just enough to get her broke and keep her broke.
Or teach her to pull a cart.
Or experiment with liberty, trick, target training.

[luvmyhackney]

Your husband can go blow smoke, horses are a money pit whether they have jobs or not.

[cardinale]

2DogsFarm:

Love that photo…the word “genteel” comes to mind. Plus “darn cute.”

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

I love this photo @2DogsFarm

Of course, OP, since she’s yours, it’s up to you, but I’m a history/literature geek, and I’ve always been taken by the image of a fancy pony pulling a smart little cart.

I wish I lived in an area where driving was more common.

[2DogsFarm]

@Impractical_Horsewoman

wish I lived in an area where driving was more common.

You may be pleasantly surprised.
I live in WP QH Land.
Dressage?
But I found a trainer not too far from me & then found my local Driving club with members varying from those who are (or used to be) actively competing in CDEs to near-daily road & trail drivers.
Everything from Drafts to minis.
Here we are at an annual Fall Drive:
(me & Bugs 2nd from bottom - less genteel )

Look up clubs online & I bet you can find an option.

& Thanks for the compliments from you & @cardinale
I dress up for Fair cuz they have cash payback & I can get a corndog

[ABookworm]

I take my small pony on walks with me. He’ll hand walk through the neighborhood and go on hikes at nearby horse friendly trails. I did teach him to drive but we don’t have full time access to a cart so that’s out of the question for now. We did liberty and trick training for awhile but that honestly isn’t his thing so that didn’t last long.

I also find him more pleasant to jog with than my dogs. He keeps up with me and can even carry extra water bottles for us when we take breaks on long runs!

[clanter]

I take my small pony on walks with me. He’ll hand walk through the neighborhood and go on hikes at nearby horse friendly trails.

yes better than a dog for protection also and great for distance training

[Bluey]

@clanter

yes better than a dog for protection also and great for distance training

Don’t you get catcalls about if you are not supposed to be “riding” the horse?

[TheDBYC]

I saw a video in which the owner of a mini was roused from her bed at 6am by the police knocking to tell her that the mini was loose & chasing joggers & biting their ankles.

Must try to find the link.

Eta: not the link I was looking for, but another favorite! Depending on your leg length/pony height ratio, this could work!

dressage at its best!

[Bebe_Falcon1]

Yes, DRIVE! I originally ended up with my (large) mini mare as I wanted to do outreach visits to youth and seniors, then spent the first 9 mos. of lockdown asking, “Well NOW what do I do with you?!”

I’m having a blast learning a new discipline (never having driven a horse before in my life) after 30+ years of recreationally riding “big” horses. I’ve realized the littles are easier to handle, transport, and afford (depending upon if you can find a place with reduced board for the smaller equines), although it took me awhile to drink the kool-aid

In the last year or so we’ve gone from being totally un-started through lungeing, long-lining, and ground-driving. Just picked-up my easy entry cart today and have my order in with IVC for a custom biothane harness. The marathon-type or combined driving events look like a lot of fun!

If you’ve already got a great connection with this pony, keep her!

[moonlitoaksranch]

Driving is a lot of work, but lots of fun.

It would be much faster to teach the pony to carry a pack saddle. They make soft packs for ponies. She can pack a picnic lunch or even camping supplies. Hiking with a pony is much more fun than going alone.

[2DogsFarm]

@TheDBYC

mini was loose & chasing joggers & biting their ankles.

My mini would be mugging them for treats.
Because, in his mind, humans are all Pez Dispensers

I LOFF Pontus Hugosson & his mini Katitze

[2DogsFarm]

YES! To all you said
This OldLady can easily load my cart & all the etcetera by myself& almost harness without walking around the mini*
*I do walk both sides for a pre-drive FlightCheck

I am green with envy, having been coveting that IVC harness 4-Ever
*Drive On! *

[Bebe_Falcon1]

@2DogsFarm

I am green with envy, having been coveting that IVC harness 4-Ever

I knew if I didn’t get a NICE one off the bat, I’d just cheap out and get a series of what would probably be ill-fitting, uncomfortable harnesses that would end up needing to be successively upgraded anyway. I’m really excited about the small handful of upgrades I was able to make to the IVC one! And TWO-TONE

[2DogsFarm]

@Bebe_Falcon1

TWO-TONE

That’s the ONE!
Enjoy & try not to think of Poor Bugs, wearing his custom-made Amish harness* that is not IVC’s gorgeous 2-tone.
Some day…

*actually very nicely-made, but not the IVC model of my dreams

[Sdel]

Ok, here is a size reference….our offspring got paired up in today’s lesson. When the pony goes back home next week I’m going to work with her and see how she does with me riding.

[candyappy]

@TheDBYC

Eta: not the link I was looking for, but another favorite! Depending on your leg length/pony height ratio, this could work!

What a great way for low impact exercise for the small pony!!