Posts Tagged ‘Shetland pony’

Once in a while you come across great kid’s horses that are ponies. My younger siblings had one named Tony Pony.

Tony was a champion with kids. After my brothers out grew him he went to a dude string and gave kids rides for several more years. This is one of the problems with ponies, the kids outgrow them. It happens faster than you can believe. Then you are faced with keeping the pony forever as a pet that eats a lot and does other things a lot that have to be picked up and disposed of. Ponies often live a long time as well, Tony was up around forty when he finally went to that golden stable in the sky. It’s good they can live so long, as long as the child is riding them but it’s a lot of mucking stalls if your child is grown up and gone and you’re still taking care of the pony.

The other alternative is you sell the pony to some other deserving child’s parents. Even though you know, deep down inside you did a good thing, you still have to face the looks given to you by your wife and grown child for the next few months or depending on how well liked the pony was, maybe a few years. Don’t worry, they will finally forgive you, it just may take awhile. All joking aside, it truly is like selling off a family member or maybe a little harder.

Most ponies are very ill mannered. An old man told me years ago that if you have a kid you hate buy him a Shetland pony. One of the main reasons for this, I believe, is because it’s hard to find a good trainer that is light enough to ride them. Hence, finding a well broke pony is much more difficult than finding a well broke horse. As a kid I would ride anything just to get the chance to ride. Therefore, when we went to visit friends that owned a pony that was less than well trained I was enlisted into service on the spot. I’ve ridden ponies that would bite, buck, run away, sull, rear and one, that if all of the above tricks failed to get you off, he would throw himself to the ground. I also rode some that were very nice to ride and a couple that were good heeling horses (although I never took them to a jackpot or rodeo where people would see me rope off them).

Another thing that’s of least importance in buying a Kid’s horse is color. I know we all like a pretty horse but in the case of a Kid’s horse I feel it’s much more important how the horse handles and in general, how he gets along with the child, than it is how pretty the horse is. Believe me, if the horse takes good care of your children, he is soon going to be the prettiest horse around, to both you and your child.

The age of a Kid’s horse, when you buy him is very much irrelevant. While it’s true you don’t want a horse that is on his last legs, as long as the horse has a few good years in him, he can teach your kid more on how to ride than all the instructors going. If he rides right, takes care of your child or children, then he may be the best Kid’s horse going, even though he’s thirty years old. On the other hand some horses are just born a Kid’s horse. I had a colt years ago that as a green broke three year old was the best Kid’s horse going. My five year old daughter learned to ride on him and I wouldn’t have risked her safety for the world. To sum it up Kid’s horses come in all ages, colors and sizes. You need to exercise patience, do your home work and shop around to find the one that fits your child the best.

I want to remind you right here that all of these guidelines are generalities and there are constant exceptions to every one of them. That is one of the things that makes horses so much fun is their individual personalities. They are all different and they are best suited for different types of jobs. Now, let’s discuss some of the more important things to consider.

Disposition, handle, and what the horse’s job is going to be are far more important factors to consider than height, color and age. If a horse has the right disposition, isn’t spooky or ill tempered it counts for a ton of peace of mind for the parents. It also makes the child’s rides more pleasant and they can learn to really enjoy riding horses.

If a horse handles easy, he neck reins or, in English riding, is what they call, light in the bridle, a kid can handle a horse with ease. No matter what is happening, if a horse will stop when you ask him to, just about everything else can be fixed.

What the child is going to use the horse for is probably thought about the least by first horse parents. Yet this may be the most important factor to consider from the stand point of the child’s future with horses. Take for example if the Dad, wanting to be the hero, shows up one day with a good riding, Kid’s horse that is nice and slow and easy going the child will be ecstatic for awhile. But, let’s say the child is a little girl, who unknown to her parents because they didn’t ask, idolizes Charmayne James and wants to be a world champion barrel racer. She is going to get tired of old Plug Along and getting beat every time she competes pretty fast. Soon barrel racing’s not fun anymore and boys, hot cars and alcohol are. Do you see a pattern here that could’ve been prevented with the right horse? More often than not what happens is the family ends up owning and feeding two horses even though the girl only rides the new barrel horse. It’s often just too hard to sell off old Plug Along.

A kid’s horse should be what we call bomb proof. It means he doesn’t get excited even if you set a bomb off underneath him. He should handle well and fit the job the kid wants to do with him. Good Kid’s horses are hard to find but they do exist. A good one is worth whatever you have to pay for him. He’s a combination baby sitter, best friend, confidant, entertainment center and psychiatrist. I personally, won’t hardly ride anything else.

Troy Andrew Smith was born in the small rural town of Nowata, Oklahoma. He was raised on a ten acre place just outside of town and grew up dreaming of being a cowboy. As an adult, Troy worked as a ranch hand, machinist, carpenter, guide, dude wrangler, and Country Western Singer. He also wrote a weekly column for the Nowata newspaper and had several of his Cowboy Poems published in various publications.

While attending film school at Montana State University, Troy supplemented his income with movie jobs in the summers and started writing novels and screenplays. He has ridden horses or driven teams in numerous movies and TV shows, including three seasons on HBO’s series DEADWOOD.

At this time Troy is concentrating his efforts on his skills as a Screenwriter, Author and Actor.

Troy Andrew Smith is the author of the western novel Radersburg Gold published by Hailstone Press.

http://www.hailstonepress.com/radersburg-gold.html

Author: Troy Andrew Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Broken colored horses are associated in the popular imagination with the old American west. In particular, they are associated with Native Americans, with whom they were a popular choice, as the pattern of broken colors made the horses hard to see, either during a hunt or during war.

Broken colored horses – also known as pintos – continue to be popular today, both in the American west and around the world. However, even though “pinto” is the Spanish word for “paint”, pinto horses are not quite the same thing as paint horses.

To be registered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), a horse must not only have the classic broken-colored coat, it must also have either the sire or the dam registered as an American Paint Horse and have Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred blood somewhere in its background, Quarter Horse for preference.

Thus, while all paint horses are pintos, not every pinto is a paint horse – for example, a chestnut-and-white Shetland pony, while it certainly fits the description of a pinto, is not a paint horse. The same is also true, for obvious reasons, for parti-colored donkeys and mules.

Appaloosa horses, while they were also developed by Native American tribes for a similar purpose, are not classified as pintos, even though an Appaloosa can do much of the work that a paint can. The Appaloosa spots and “blanket pattern” are unique to that breed alone. The same applies to other spotted breeds.

Those not familiar with the term “paint horse” or “pinto” may be uncertain as to what the terms actually mean and what all the fuss is about. In general, paint horses are bi-colored horses, having a coat that is a mixture of white patches and patches of another colour. This should not be confused with the color known as roan, where individual white hairs are interspersed with either chestnut (red roan) or black/grey (blue roan).

A horse with black and white patches is often referred to as a “piebald” and a horse with patches of white and another color is known as a “skewbald.” The most common patch colors in skewbalds are brown and chestnut, but patches of palomino (gold) and buckskin are also possible.

Among paint horses, further distinctions are made, tobiano and overo being the main ones. A horse classified has a tobiano is predominantly dark on the belly and neck with the white markings being smaller, while an overo is the reverse. Paint horses are often bred for the beauty of their markings.

Why choose a paint horse? As they have Quarter Horse ancestry, paint horses can take on a number of working roles with ease. They make excellent mounts for stock work, combining beauty with practicality, and perform well on the rodeo circuit in cutting competitions and barrel racing.

Paint horses also make good trail horses or general hacks. They also do well in the show ring, their distinctive coats making them particularly eye-catching. And, of course, many are kept as companion animals by those who admire the beauty and history of the breed.

For more information on horses, try visiting http://www.interestinghorses.com – a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on the paint horse.

Author: Samantha Davis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The planned mating of horses that is directed by humans has given rise to a number of special breeds of horses. Breeders, the persons who help facilitate healthy horse breeding, seek to bring about an enhancement in the physical performance abilities of the offspring or foal even more than improving their appearance. This matching of ‘form to function’ is a successful means of development of different healthy and (functionally) superior breeds.

People from all over the world have owned horses for various reasons. This is just the reason why various breeds of horses had been developed over the years to provide improved efficiency at particular tasks. Horses can now be classified into three main categories- pony, light and heavy. There can, however, be created further subcategories like draft horses, gaited horses and warmbloods.

It is by learning about these various breeds that an idea can be formed on the kind of horse best suited for a situation and a particular type of work. Some horses are best suited for children to ride on them while some are right for the whole family’s riding purpose. Again, some other horses may be appropriate for racing- the race horses while some others may prove to be helpful on the ranch.

There are a number of popular breeds of ponies the smallest among which is the Shetland pony which is given to children as their first horse to ride on. For older children the Connemara pony is recommended. This being larger than the Shetland is suitable for older children. The Welsh pony little larger than the Connemara is a good breed of horse for young adults and young teens to ride on.

Among the light breeds of horses feature the Miniature Horses. Though this may seem like a pony but it is not actually one. It does not have the characteristics of the pony. This horse serves as a companion for children and also acts as a guide for the disabled. The adored Arabian horses also come into the category of light horses. These are attractive, loving, graceful and speedy horses. The Arabian horse is perceived to be a perfect breed. Not only does it possess the required speed and endurance for racing but it also has got a kind and noble disposition.

The popular light breed horse Thoroughbred is a descendant of the Arabian horse. This being a fast horse is well suited for racing purposes. For ranching a Quarter Horse, an American breed, is most appropriate. The Morgan Horse, a family friendly and hardworking horse is another smaller but useful horse.

Besides these there are also the heavy breeds or heavy horses which include the draft horses or the horses that were used in battle at a time. The Percheron is a small and powerful heavy horse which is easier to train while the attractive Clydesdale is the most famous of the draft horses which were bred to work on farms or pull carts and wagons.

Author: Tania Penwell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Horses have been one of the most popular domesticated animals for hundreds of years. In the past, before the automobile and the airplane, horses were on of the most commonly used ways of transportation. However today we see horses primarily used for hobby riding and racing while one very few use them as actual transportation.

Horses were not just owned by a geographically small group of people but by people from all over the world. Horses have not been used for the same kind of labor all around the world and that, together with the different climates, resulted into many different types of breeds. There is however only three main categories in which all horses can be grouped: Pony, Light and Heavy classes. If you don’t know anything at all about horse breeds then this will be a good place to start.

Besides these three main categories you will find that horses can be grouped into a much larger amount of sub categories. To name a few examples you will find sub groups such as Warmbloods, Gaited horses and Draft horses. But in order not to confuse you if you are new at this will stick to just the three main categories I mentioned earlier.

When I now go into the three different types of horses I hope to give you a better idea of what kind of horse will suit your situation and you will know what type will be good for children to ride, what will be an all family horse for riding, what you need if you want a racing horse and last but not least what type of horse will assist you the best if you need a working horse.

The Pony Category

A pony is a very popular horse and one of the best known and also one of the smallest is the Shetland pony. Because of its minimal size this is a great horse for children. Shetland ponies are normally peaceful and calm animals and because of that they are great with children. Unfortunately it can become feisty occasionally and it is recommended that children are always supervised by adults.

If you have teenagers or fast growing younger children you might want to go for the Connemara pony instead. The pony is a bit larger than the Shetland and this together with the Welsh pony (somewhat larger than the Shetland pony) will be perfect for young children.

The Light Horse Category

If you don’t know that much about horses you might make the mistake of believing that a miniature horse and a pony is the same thing but they’re not. The Miniature horse doesn’t share the same characteristics as the pony but I won’t go into all the specific details here. You will often find miniature horses around children and disabled humans.

The most commonly known horse is an Arabian and it actually falls into the category of light horses. The characteristics of the Arabian horse are that it is sweet, graceful and very loving but it is also extremely fast and very attractive. There really isn’t anything negative to say about the Arabian because what more could you want from a horse? Because of its speed and endurance it is often used for racing.

The Heavy Category

In the heavy category there are only two types of horses. One is called the battle horse and the other is called a draft horse. Battle horses were normally used in warlike situations and were trained to be a part of battle.

The draft horse on the other hand was trained to work on farms pulling wagons and carts. You can call them the typical work horse.

You might have heard about the Clydesdale horse and it is probably one of the most popular draft horses there is. Not only will you find it very attractive but it has also been bread to work hard, while maintaining its friendly nature and therefore it’s also a good horse for riding.

Other popular draft horses are the Belgian, the Shire and the Suffolk Punch horses.

To mention one of the horses used for war the Lipizzaner is probably the one that were used most often. But the horse breeds that I have mentioned above is just a very few of the many different types and breeds there are.

I hope to have given you some inspiration as to what category horse you are looking for but I would also encourage you to meet with any horse you are thinking of purchasing. Interaction will the horse is what really counts and you and your family needs to visit the potential new horse before you can make a good decision.

Author: Hank Westwood
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Shetland ponies, one the UK’s native horse breeds, are those gorgeous tiny horses you see in pantomimes like Cinderella. They provide rides to children on farms and in zoos, and with their shaggy faces and stocky legs, are an ideal animal for children to share their first interaction with the equine world. In fact, a Shetland pony is perfect for children as they are usually kind-natured and brave – behaviour required when dealing with youngsters. Care needs to be taken, though, that the pony is not spoiled either by the children or their parents. As with many animals, it’s the human input that shapes a pony’s behaviour, and care needs to be taken with how a pony is treated. Also, as with many animals that are thought to be ‘intelligent’, this can be construed as being ‘stubborn’. And a Shetland pony is considered ‘intelligent’. Facts to bear in mind when combining a Shetland and children; they appear to have a lot in common!

Believed to originate from the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland (although this is debated) the Shetland pony has to be smaller than 10.2 hands at the withers. Don’t let the height bother you – the Shetland pony is the most powerful for its size of all the horse and pony breeds. This makes it ideal for pulling loads, as it can lug an incredible two times its own body weight, compared to a draught horse, which can only pull half its weight. A Shetland is also great for (as mentioned above) children’s rides, and as a pet. It has been used on settlements on the Shetland Islands to plough fields and haul loads.

The Shetland pony was the first pony with its own organisation (the Shetland Pony Stud Book Society), formed in 1890, to encourage a strong breeding line. The first mention in writing of the pony was in 1603, although it is thought their origins go back as far as 8000BC when Scandinavia was connected to the islands. The environment of the Shetland Islands shaped the personality and appearance of the pony – hardy and hardworking, compact, muscled and thick-furred (Shetlands have a double coat for winter). Shetlands are usually black, different variations of brown or grey but rarely ‘Appaloosa’.

Interestingly, miniature Shetlands are used as guide horses, in the same way that guide dogs aid vision-impaired people. Their intuitive nature and intelligence makes for an ideal helping animal.

Shetlands have a multitude of uses, from children’s pony to show pony and work pony. Their bright personality and intellect means they are adaptable – but whatever their job, it’s guaranteed that they’ll bring more to your life than you can give them.

The planned mating of horses that is directed by humans has given rise to a number of special breeds of horses. Breeders, the persons who help facilitate healthy horse breeding, seek to bring about an enhancement in the physical performance abilities of the offspring or foal even more than improving their appearance. This matching of ‘form to function’ is a successful means of development of different healthy and (functionally) superior breeds.

People from all over the world have owned horses for various reasons. This is just the reason why various breeds of horses had been developed over the years to provide improved efficiency at particular tasks. Horses can now be classified into three main categories- pony, light and heavy. There can, however, be created further subcategories like draft horses, gaited horses and warmbloods.

It is by learning about these various breeds that an idea can be formed on the kind of horse best suited for a situation and a particular type of work. Some horses are best suited for children to ride on them while some are right for the whole family’s riding purpose. Again, some other horses may be appropriate for racing- the race horses while some others may prove to be helpful on the ranch.

There are a number of popular breeds of ponies the smallest among which is the Shetland pony which is given to children as their first horse to ride on. For older children the Connemara pony is recommended. This being larger than the Shetland is suitable for older children. The Welsh pony little larger than the Connemara is a good breed of horse for young adults and young teens to ride on.

Among the light horse breeds are the Miniature Horses. Though this may seem like a pony but it is not actually one. It does not have the characteristics of the pony. This horse serves as a companion for children and also acts as a guide for the disabled. The adored Arabian horses also come into the category of light horses. These are attractive, loving, graceful and speedy horses. The Arabian horse is perceived to be a perfect breed. Not only does it possess the required speed and endurance for racing but it also has got a kind and noble disposition.

The popular light breed horse Thoroughbred is a descendant of the Arabian horse. This being a fast horse is well suited for racing purposes. For ranching a Quarter Horse, an American breed, is most appropriate.  The Morgan Horse, a family friendly and hardworking horse is another smaller but useful horse.

Besides these there are also the heavy breeds or heavy horses which include the draft horses or the horses that were used in battle at a time. The Percheron is a small and powerful heavy horse which is easier to train while the attractive Clydesdale is the most famous of the draft horses which were bred to work on farms or pull carts and wagons.