welsh pony question

[Greentchr]

I have the oportunity to get a welsh pony for just a couple hundred (US) dollars, and I am wondering if it would be a good thing. I need a horse that my children can ride, as my QH/Appy is too green for them and unsafe to learn on. I know very little about Welsh ponies, though I have heard that they have very good personalities, are dependable, and, unless badly handled, safe for young people. Can anyone point me towards more information on these ponies? What should I watch out for? Are they much different in temperament than a larger horse?

I do not really know anything about the pony that is for sale, yet. Perhaps if you can give me pointers with what to look for, I can ask intellegent questions of the owners. Of course, I should add that I am new to horses altogether- I am 46, got my first horse in September, and am on a large learning curve :o .

[Bacharel]

HI,
I first learned to ride on a welsh pony cross. Its hard to generalize a breeds temperment but I would say for the most part has a nice temper. A good question to ask if you are buying this pony for your children is if the pony has been used for lessons or ridden/handled by an young child. Also you could ask if you could just "test" him out for 2 weeks<<might be a good idea. HOPE THIS HELPS!

[ponytude]

umm... I know there are many Wonderful Welsh ponies out there that are well behaved but the welshie pony at our barn is quite the cheeky character. :p

[Kanuma]

i parsonaly think welsh A's or B's are the best ponies to learn with! my first pony was a welsh B and i still have him now, ivw had him for 10 years now! they are generaly quite cheaky caracters but in a nice way! they are also not generaly push button poniesbut IMHO thats what makes them great, they challenge you and make you improve, it is because of this pony that i have a secure seat and alot of confidence!
ask general questions about the pony as you would if buying a horse: age, height, tempremen, has he hacked out alone, is he/she good with farrier etc. ponies are individuals but the welshies are generaly lovely cheaky ponies who dont aim to hurt anything they just sometimes arnt aware of thier size! they can teach an awful lot to kids and can turn thier hooves to anything, and if they get out of hand they are stocky enough that an adult can get on to sort them out! my welsh b does eventing, dressage,showing, mounted games, sidesaddle driveing, you name it he does it, we even tried polo once!
this is him aged 23 years old so they age very well and become members of the family very quickly!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kanuma/harvey/Copyofharvey.bmp

[Greta]

I simply lurve Welsh ponies coz most of them have great temperaments! When i got Gina i was a nervous wreck, but she gave me confidence. I your children are quite small, section A or B might be most suitable. They are quite strong and, except for perhaps growing too gangly, your children shouldn't soon outgrow him/her. You should inquire whether the pony has been ridden by children before-not "grand little riders", but beginners. I also agree that the pony should perhaps be bought on trial.That way you get to asses the pony over a longer period of time. I'm not sure, but if your children are very "green" you should consider buying a schoolmaster. :)
Good luck and, if you buy him, i'm sure you won't be disappointed! :) ;)

[chev]

Welsh ponies make fantastic children's ponies. They can also be very strong and quite fast though - they're definitely not always suitable for small or more novice children so make sure you ask about that.

There are three types of Welsh pony - the Welsh Mountain (sec A), the Welsh Riding pony (sec B) and the Welsh pony of cob type (sec C). The sec A is up to 12.hh in the UK, but Amrican stud book rules allow them to go up to 12.2hh. They're strong, kind ponies that usually make brilliant lead rein ponies and many make good first ponies too - but lots are also very very strong, very cheeky, and too fast for most kids! Our sec A can't be beaten as a lead-rein - but she's far too much pony for my kids off the lead.

Sec B are taller (up to 13.2hh) and lighter than the As. They do often make excellent children's riding ponies, more so in a lot of cases than the As.

Sec C are not really kids' ponies at all. They're small Welsh cobs more than anything - they make brilliant ponies for teens and small adults or for driving, but are very rarely the kind of pony you could put a smaller child on.

They are quite different in temperament to horses. They're very opinionated, very intellegent, quick-thinking ponies - they have big characters! It's been said that a true Welsh pony are only suitable for handling by three farmers - one to ride the thing and two to steer and stop it..... there is an element of truth there too - these ponies were bred to work, to carry farmers and shepherds and they don't always make good ponies for smaller kids or novices.

The only thing that would really worry me reading your post is the price.... $200 is very very cheap for a good child's pony. To buy a decent safe children's Welsh pony here in the UK (particularly here in Wales where Welsh ponies are not exactly thin on the ground) you'#d be looking at much nearer $2000. Now maybe prices are just very different where you are.... but with kids' ponies you do tend to get what you pay for - so make sure you do have some comeback if things go awry.

Check teeth - lots of Welshies have minor jaw problems thanks to having been bred for little dished faces that mean their teeth don't meet properly, so need regular dental attention. Check the way the pony moves - wonky action is again sometimes rather common. Some ponies tend toward very thick strong necks combined with a poor back end - that won't make riding them easy. Look for balanced conformation. Feet are usually pretty good, but check they're not either flat footed or upright and boxy. Both faults crop up.

Be careful that the pony's been properly wormed too - these ponies can hide some huge worm burdens with no signs at all. If a worm problem exists, it often gets to the point where the gut is damaged before external symtoms are seen.

Hope it works out! :)

[Greentchr]

Thank you for all this good advice! There are two ponies for sale with their driving harness, so I am confident they have been driven, but not that they are ridable. The price is about average according to what I have seen in this area. I live in 'working cow-horse' country, so most people are riding QH around here, and ponies are regarded as a novelty or pet. The only other welch pony I have seen here belongs to a family that just loves him, and the pony is as tame and easy-going as can be, and I think they paid $100 for him (he is about 10yo). My son is 12yo, about 5'3", about 87lbs). My daughter is 14, and probably too tall (5'10", 120 pounds) for a pony. I will definitely ask how tall the ponies are, along with all the other good questions you have all given me. Thank you so much!

May I show my ignorance here, and ask what a Cob is? Is it a breed or is it a size?

[chev]

The Welsh cob is the fourth Welsh breed - sec D of the Welsh stud book. It stands over 13.2 with no upper height limit.

This site is the Welsh Pony & Cob Society website in the UK - well worth a look, as it tells you all you need to know about these ponies, where they come from, and what we do with them here!

http://www.wpcs.uk.com/index.html

This should be a link to the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America - probably a bit more relevant to you!

http://www.welshpony.org

Wish I could find them at the prices you can! :)

[BRAMBLE]

I learnt to ride on welsh ponies, and i think they are the kind that are considerate for their rider - if that made sense!
I think they are good first ponies to have.

[rocklanenancy]

I have a welsh section C they are a lot of fun and are dependable but they have the biggist cheeky streak ever! I ride my pony and I'm 22! I wouldnt recommend them for little children but I would for older children or teenagers upwards. Just because your children grown up, dont think they still cant ride a pony!

[tazzle22]

May I show my ignorance here, and ask what a Cob is? Is it a breed or is it a size?

well , two meanings of cob really ....

when generally applied to a horse of varied breeding it means a type rather than breed........ a stockier horse capable of carrying more weight for its height perhaps ( a sort of "leg at each corner" horse) and often got a fair bit of "feather" in its natural state. While cobs would usually be about 14 - 16 hh I have seen some horses described as cobs bigger than that.

The welsh cob however is a specific breed, and ranges in type from the stocky ones ( like my gal) .....to those that look more like "horse" shaped - leggier really.


Basically need to look at piccies to see the variation.

[heather1982]

Hmm if your kids are 12 and 14 a welsh pony may be good to start out on provided it is not too lightly built. A good older horse on the smaller side might be something to consider also. Some quarter horses are pony sized and there are many good older horses looked over I think because people think they are no longer useful. I think with a true beginner you need a mount who's been there and done that. Besides horses these days can live a loong time and the longer they are used the healthier they stay:) Good luck finding a pony for your children, let us know how it goes. Wasn't Merrylegs in black beauty a welshie? ;)

[Rosti]

Hi there

just to say about my experience with the welshies, i've only got one and to me he's the best he is a welsh C 13.2 hh (137cm) and he is absolutley fantastic with my kids mainly my daughter who is 3yrs she sits on him and brushes him mainly his tail and leads him and also brushes him in the stable without being tyed up, he tolerated all this without a blinking of an eye, hes not quite 5yrs yet and hes only been backed for 7 months!

he a little gem! :)

[sam_pring]

i have a welsh sec b and would never but a young child on her cos she is a bit too flighty but then she has had a bad background. i dont think you can generalise a breed it depends on the individual pony. but i would say go and look at it and then have it on trial for a few weeks if u think it is suitable.