Conference noted::equitation

    I always wondered about that also! I remember when I was a kid and my
    pony acted up I always had to get someone who was bigger than me ride
    him for a while. Bring him back to earth so to speak.
    
    It would be interesting to hear about everyones experinces with those
    little tykes (with minds full of thier own ideas)!
    
    Robin

    Love those Shetlands! As a pony trainer, I discovered they can carry
    an amasing weight for a short time. Your average shetland weighs around
    four hundred pounds and therefore can carry 100 lbs ok. I ride them
    bareback so no more weight is added. It is difficult for an adult to
    teach then anything about leg aids, but basic manners are what is
    needed most for the kids anyway. All of my shetlands,(past and my
    present one just starting) are trained to drive first. The mouth and
    musules can be developed before hand so actual riding time is reduced.
    I teach them the basics of trail riding by ponying off a full sized
    horse. It is helpful to teach them to extend their stride so the kids
    don't have to trot all the time when riding with horses. I teach
    driving to the pony in an open bridle with no check rein so they don't
    get in the habit of pulling against the bit. The hardest thing to find
    is a fat snaffle in a pony size!
    Sandy
    

    I know this note is old but I hope it may still snag a reader or two
    who may know something about Shetlands.  Where I board my horse there
    is a 30 year old shetland.  He is in great shape and is as gentle as a
    puppy.  I have heard that Shetlands can be very hard-headed and crabby
    when they want to be, even more so than my mare on a bad day.  Is this 
    true?  It seems that few people in my area breed ponies-there have been
    several people in the past few years who have offered a pretty nice
    price to purchase this pony who is older than I am!  Why don't more
    people breed shetlands, and if I wanted to try breeding them, how much
    would it cost to get a mare and stud service/semen.  Would it work to
    AI a pony?

    
    From what I have heard, it takes 30 years for them to become gentle
    and friendly! (8
    
    Seriously, they are not known for their pleasant personalities.....
    
    

    I grew up riding Shetlands. They were absolutely adorable, extremely
    clever, and knew *exactly* how to get their own way. We could not keep
    saddles on them, they were pastured and therefore quite fat, so we rode
    bareback. I cant count the times I went off the back-end of a pony who
    decided to bolt, over the top of one who decided NOT to jump, or over
    the side of one who decided to turn suddenly. They are very quick, very
    agile, for all they may not look it. BUT, I started riding so young I
    dont remember learning, and rode ponies until I was about 10 before 
    graduating to horses. Under better supervision, they are undoubtedly
    more disciplined, we had them on a cow farm, and had parents who
    believed getting tossed off a pony was *not* the worse thing that could
    happen to us. :-)  I do NOT mean to sound negative here, I loved my
    ponies, remember them fondly, and would not have traded the experience
    for the world...I was never hurt (it ain't far to fall!), and I have
    no doubt that those wonderful little creatures taught me to ride like
    no other experiences could have, and also taught me at a very young age
    how to fall off and laugh about it! :-)
    
    Id love to have another one actually, except I have no kids, and
    therefore no real 'excuse' that my husband agrees with. :)
    

    I feel shetlands get a bad rap because there training tends to be left
    in the hands of children, and children are not always kind. As a
    teenager I trained six of them to harness and found them to be smart,
    fast learning little guys. People tend to keep them too fat, and like a
    fat horse of any breed they get sassy! Training shetlands is easy, just
    don't let them get bored and never lose your temper. Watch their weight
    and they will be as nice as any cold-blooded horse.
    Sandy
    

    
    Ponies are fun!  The biggest problem in my experience is that - because
    of their size, they are considered children's pets.  They are
    definitely not a child's critter.  I have trained several - shetlands,
    connemara's and welsh among some mixed breeds (which were usually
    easier to deal with than the purebreds).
    
    Most people relax the rules for ponies.  They won't tolerate a horse
    biting or kicking, but are less quick to severely chastise a pony,
    and the result is that lots of them bite and kick.
    
    They are SMART!!!  If you let them get away with anything, they'll
    push the limits hard.  And it seems the smaller they are, the more
    true that is - the Shetlands have been the worst, but I have no
    experience with the mini horses, and maybe they have the same
    characteristics?
    
    The other thing that is very important is exercise and weight.  A
    lot of people don't understand that a pony needs just as much time
    exercising/training/etc. as a full size horse.  They let them
    become fat because it's "cute" - or some other equally inane idea.
    They need to be worked, understand their job, get to know it well,
    and be disciplined with just as much concern for the consequences
    as any equine.
    
    BTW - when I owned a riding stable, people who wanted "pony rides"
    for their kids got introduced to Peggy - our 2600 pound Percheron
    mare.  The ponies were reserved only for experienced and talented
    small people (usually teenagers) who were top-notch riders.  Peggy
    gave great pony rides, and absolutely loved children!!
    
    Diana