Is There No Hope?! Calling New Forest Owners

[shandy84]

I bought a New Forest filly in September and she is a real cutie and very good too. She is big built and her breeding suggests she should make 14hh+

I bumped into my old yard owner today and told her that I had got this little girl as company for my Arab x Hanovarian filly and my old yard owner siad why do you want that for what can you do with a New Forest?! :D

I turned around and listed it:
Driving
Jumping
Hunting
Cross Country
Dressage
Western
Endurance
Showing
Etc

But she wouldn't have it she said that as soon as she is backed I should sell her to a child. I wouldn't have the heart to, she is too sharp for a child that my YO was suggesting!!!

When will people grow up and see that small is not necessarily useless or belonging to a 10 yr old or younger.

She made me sooooo mad.

What do you guys do?

[varkie]

What an ignorant woman!

I have a nf filly at the moment myself (although I'm selling her) who will make a fab alrounder once she is backed this year. NFs make great alrounders, and can turn their hoof to anything.

I know quite a few owned by friends, and they do dressage, sj, xc, trec, etc. They are brilliant ponies. They aren't always kids ponies tho, they can be quite sharp and/or stubborn I find!

[Gemma16]

I agree with Varkie, how ignorant!!!!!!

She sounds like the typical, you are an adult so should have a big horse which personally makes me MAD!
Lots of adults ride ponies and as you have said they can be much to shrp for a child. Don't listen to what this lady has said, she clearly doesn't know anything about natives or ponies in general.
You just have to look at the successes of all the people on NR who own NF. Most well known are Dolly and Petal. Both brilliant and owned and ridden by adults.

There are endless things you can do with your pony, so don't let a nasty comment or two put you off:D

[JaniceH]

:eek: Considering you are petite and light, you are perfect for Bramble, and she is certainly able to turn her hoof to anything that you want to do. I am certainly not experienced enough to rider her let alone my 10yr old son!!! I can't stand it when people stereotype things, its a bit like saying that every Rotweiler is vicious when there are many perfectly wonderful family dogs of that breed.

I wouldn't worry about what she says, she is yours and yours alone to ride and do what ever you want. :D

[Measwell]

New Forests are not completly useless, we've got a 12 year old new forest, but during her life she has done:

Showjumping
Showing
Cross-country
Dressage

she is still used as a happy hacker and she still loves to jump.

The thing that we love about her the most though, is her emormous character, she cheeky and very, very loveable!!!!

[tubby]

Take no notice of the woman, she's obviously one of the people who take themselves far too seriously & think they know it all. I've been placed above big warmbloods on my highland in dressage competitions( & bear in mind that he tends not to do submission). Am too "unsound" myself to do jumping, though he would be able to do cross-country as there's no size or age limit there. Now Shandy84 I want you to go out there & show her, once your babies broken of course( forgot for the moment, was thinking of all the things you could beat her at this year:D:D)

[Showjumper]

How silly! New Forests are SO versatile! :D I'm going to hack Doll, do Le Trec, maybe try Western? I also want to jump her, and in 10 years time, I'm sure she'll have turned her hooves to just about everything with me :D

[Lucy J]

i'm backing a nf at the moment. he's 13.3hh and has a great jump, he'll be a great allrounder, lovely paces.

[Mehitabel]

bah humbug. this (http://groups.msn.com/nrphotos/esspictures.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=201) is petal's dad jumping 4 foot 6 - his rider is 5'8. he is 14.1hh. petal jumps like a stag - following an injury we can't do it competitively, but the injury was caused by her getting into the wrong field - jumping 2 5 bar gates and a 6 foot wide ditch to do so. she does dressage, placed twice in her 4 outings, and shows as well.
print some of these (http://www.newforestpony.com/wandplay/wandplay.htm) as well to show her!

i say again - bah humbug!

[makebelieve]

That jump looks huge! I mean, even for a 14.1hh pony. I've jumped a 3.0" on my horse that likes to jump double the size. Thats basically how I feel when I jump her.

[shandy84]

Wow he looks amazing - think Bramble's on her way jumping stable doors humm what would I give to have Bramble beat her 16.3hh hanovarian posh showjumper he he oh well I can wish :D

[tiarri]

I would just ignore her. She is being ignorant and doesn't know what she is missing out on. My standardbred, Nugget, is only 14hh. He looks so little compared to the 16-17hh warmbloods and the like at our yard hehe but he is just as good as them. When I back him we are going to try everything from jumping to western. Go the littlies!

[Esther.D]

Ignore her:mad: Rupert is a 13.2hh assumed New Forest (unregistered and breeding unknown but looks like a true Forester). I am 26yrs old and 5ft tall, I am the same height as his previous rider (12yr old) and am certainly not too heavy for him although I am heavier than she was. However I ended up with him as he was far too sharp for her and had started to bully her and came as a barger and a nipper (they were open about this and he was fairly cheap as a consequence). Now he is turning out a well mannered and forward going pony but certainly still too sharp for anything but an experienced, competant and confident child rider. Luckily I got him at 7 before the habits were too ingrained and he is coming on well, but he was well on the slippery slope to being a 'dangerous pony' if he had been bought by another nervous child rider.

He is a great adult's pony and I am aiming to do endurance with him, le trec, possibly driving eventually (I drive my other ponies) and am going to start teaching him skill at arms (I am part of a cavalry display team) and hope to do some displays with him eventually.

[Monty's Mum]

Hi
I bought a New Forest x Hanovarian yearling, hoping she would make about 15hh, for my daughter and myself to ride. She was absolutley stunning to look at, her shape and conformation enabled her to work in a lovely outline even when she wasn't trying. Unfortunatley, she only made 14hh and it ended up that she was really too small for me and my daughter soon grew out of her (we are both over 5'6" and well made). Because she had been ridden by a competant teenager and myself when my youngest daughter took her on we found she was much too strong and we made the difficult decision to sell her on. After a long search I found an 18 yr old girl who was only 4ft 9" tall, Nichola was a brilliant rider and soon my pony was jumping 3 - 4ft tracks, against huge horses and having the time of her life. At 4ft 9" Nichola had bought a 16 hand horse probably because she thought she had too, and found that she was totally overhorsed. I totally agree that not all ponies make suitable mounts for children and why should small adults feel that they should get a huge horse which is much to big and strong for them when they can get more enjoyment out of a fun pony. Just think how much fun you had when you were young with ponies and then unfortunately, we grow and have to go on to big numb horses (I know I love my big boy but he can be dim sometimes!!) I know what I would prefer if I was shorter and lighter.

[Monty's Mum]

Oh and by the way I have the biggest softest Rotweiller you could ever wish to meet, she lives with a neurotic Yorkie who is boss.
So you should never stereotype things!!
I forgot my friend is 5ft 6 - 9stone and rides a 14hh coloured PB arab who we both agree you could never let a child ride, she would bury them. We go all over together the little mare, jumps, does dressage to die for and flies across country. She sometimes frightens my friend but she is such a character.
Anyway thats it
Bye for now