Great that you can move to the countryside on a whim. I'm sure there must be more reasons than your daughter wants a pony for moving

What do you think of what Elles and I had to say? Didn't match what you were after so ignored?

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I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days. ~Bill Dana

Can i also mention if & when you do move to the countryside & get a pony for your daughter you will need to get another as a companion. Horses live in herds & don't like or enjoy living alone.
There's more to just owning a pony & sticking it in a field.

XxX

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I have a shetland, it was my mum's and she got him when he was 5. He is now 32 and has been prone to laminitis for as long as I can remember. My family own a farm so I couldn't tell you how much it is for land, stabling etc. My mum used to drive him and he was never broken in to be ridden. However I did used to jump on him sometimes when I was taking him to the field or something but they are very strong (I rode for a good few years). He doesn't do anything now apart from go in the field with my aunt's two horses. We are selling the farm next year and he will hopefully be going to live with my OH's mum's friend who has a few shetlands as my aunt says it is unlikely they will be staying in the area. My aunt currently looks after him as I was quite young when I was looking after him on my own so my aunt offered to look after him for us.

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its not the buying its the after costs, ie you do not say how old your daughter is, shetlands are not the easiest, they are little xxxxxx's I know we have one, they are sweet and loveable but strong minded and very un-biddable if they want to be. asto costs, well, insurance, passport, if they havent got one, which is against the law not to, and you shouldnt buy one if it hasnt, feet trimming every 6-8 weeks (farriers,) hay, straw, saddle etc. livery,,,,, you shouldnt keep a pony on its own, shetlands are escape artists, you need very very top quality sturdy wooden fencing, not wire, they ahve been known to run around with electric fencing still live wrapped around them.!!! speaking from experience!!!!. they are sweet, ours drives, butter wouldnt melt in her mouh, but her mind is another question,. An ideal lst pont is a welsh section a or exmoor or dartmoor, they are reasonably placid, ifyou know nothing about horses def dont get a shetland, and in any case as said ponies should not be on their own as they are a herd animal. Oh forget to mention vets fees, if they are over 15 they are classed as a veteran and cannot be inshred for illness, again speaking from experience. All in all, the costs arise after you have purchased the pony, that is the easy bit, Not trying to put you off LOL, but a pony is a committment and should alsways be treat as part of the family, ie animals come first. There is also the fact of morning routine, ie stable mucking out, hay, straw for bedding etc. putting out and as shetlands are prone to laminitus, they cant be left in a field all day, ours have a routine of stable, field and starvastion paddock, mind you they are at home with us anmd we are around all day. then evening routine, it gets in the way of other committments and pleasure.

jenn

The daughter is 2 years old. The plan is to wait until she's five, then buy a house with land in the country and a Shetland pony for the daughter.

It's in the thread.

Sunny is a welsh cob x arab, but as he is a little fatty he gets about as much feed as your average shetland pony. He's also prone to laminitis. This is a break down of the very basic costs. I will also point out that Sunny is retired, so he isn't shod any more.

Livery (DIY, access to a stable but mostly field kept): £15 a week
Feed (happy hooves):I think it's about £10 a bag. A bag lasts 2-3 months.
Hoof trimming: £30 every 7-8 weeks. If he was shod it would be nearer £70 every 6-7 weeks.

There are also vaccinations, any other vet bills (insurance really is essential unless you've got a spare £5000 any time something goes wrong), the cost of tack (might be fun trying to find a proper saddle for a tiny pony), bedding, showing (if you decide to show) etc. Ponies and horses are a seriously expensive hobby, and for this reason I would say it's better to wait until your daughter is a bit older and you know whether she will want to stick with riding.

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Cara,
Owned by Fern, Heidi, Asteroid, Bubbles & Fizz
Missing Snippet, Frost, Willow & Nix


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