# Pony or Donkey for kids?



## wguisbert54 (Jan 29, 2012)

Title covers my chief concern! What type or breed. The kids (grandchildren) are presently 1-4. However they are aging rapidly!


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

I'd say a pony. Unless extremely well trained, Donkeys can be difficult. I presume you want something for the children to ride/learn to ride on? If so, find a good, solid pony. Well trained ponies are often difficult to find, since they are snatched up quickly. But they are out there. 

I do _not_ suggest buying a Mini. They are really not riding horses and kids outgrow them too quickly. 

Lizzie


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

What are you wanting the pony or donkey for - are you wanting something for them to ride, to just interact with, etc?


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

I actually suggest a small horse, in the 14 hand range that is a bit fine boned so it doesn't appear bigger than it is, thus doesn't intimidate the children wanting to ride  I find small well trained horses are a little easier to find than the classic pony type.


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## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

I say pony as well. Donkeys are considered "stubborn" but are really just much smarter then most give them credit for. They want to know why you want is in their best intrest. Kids will out grow a mini too fast, unless your just looking for something for them to interact with


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

Something else to consider. If you are not _extremely_ knowledgeable when it comes to horses, find someone who is, to guide you when seeing possible purchases. Horses + children can be an accident waiting to happen. Have someone guide you when purchasing tack. Until both children have had some pro riding lessons, do not allow them to ride without a responsible adult present. This is also the quickest way to ruin a good pony. You may know all this, but I just thought I should mention it.

Lizzie


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## Failbhe (May 8, 2012)

Tianimalz said:


> I actually suggest a small horse, in the 14 hand range that is a bit fine boned so it doesn't appear bigger than it is, thus doesn't intimidate the children wanting to ride  I find small well trained horses are a little easier to find than the classic pony type.


I second the small horse idea - both for the reason already suggested (sometimes they're easier to find) but also, if they start developing some behavioral issues they're not too small that a knowledgeable adult can't hop on and give them some lessons. Since most children don't know how to properly discipline a pony for doing something bad, they can pick up bad habits and even start bucking or biting. (I should know... we had a nasty little Shetland when I was a kid that was hell-on-hooves!) Since he was so small, my parents couldn't ride him and train out some of the problems. They ended up selling him and buying me a small horse - it worked much better for us. And also when I started getting taller I didn't outgrow her right away!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Truthfully, I don't understand why folks have such an aversion to getting a full sized horse for their children. I started on a miniature donkey (who was, by the way, the first critter to ever buck me off and first to ever kick me) but graduated up to a 16hh quarter horse who was a perfect gentleman 100% of the time. Standard sized horses are more plentiful so they are easier to find, they have a better chance of having been trained by an adult who knew what they were doing, and they are just as suitable (if not moreso) for children because they, in general, have a better and more willing attitude than most ponies.

The way I see it, if the kid has a full sized horse, there is no chance they will outgrow it in 2 or 5 or even 10 years. Plus, if the horse begins to have some minor issues from being ridden by children, pretty much any knowledgeable adult (regardless of their body size) can just hop on and work on the issues to keep the horse tuned up the way it should be.

Not so with ponies where the person to tune them up would need to be pretty darn small.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

smrobs said:


> Truthfully, I don't understand why folks have such an aversion to getting a full sized horse for their children.


 I was put on a 16.3H horse at 14, then went to anther barn where most of the horses were around 14.2H - 15H. I found it so much better – I hadn't realized before how much riding a too big horse was affecting my riding. Not to mention it was a long way to fall!

There are plenty of well-behaved ponies out there. Any school barn will sell one of theirs for the right price.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'm not talking about some monster of a horse that's going to scrape your head on the rafters if you ride him in the barn, just something in the 14.2-15.2 hand range. Small enough to not be very scary, but big enough that it's not going to be outgrown and big enough so that mom or dad or trainer can ride it too if they need/want to.


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

Most of the time, smrobs, full size horses are not good for young children to learn on. Their legs are not long enough to be able to learn and give cues properly, so their learning and lessons are not always productive. 

If that were indeed the case, I would have suggested a smaller Gypsy Horse. However, with their very round bodies, even they wouldn't be suitable for a very young rider.

Lizzie


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I guess it's one of those damned if you do and damned if you don't type things. While children may have a harder time giving adequate cues to a larger horse(though it's really only leg cues that they have problems with and those can be replaced with verbal cues), a smaller horse or pony is often too small to have been trained _well _because they are too small for most adults to ride...or they have been ridden by an adult and will only be sound for another very few years. 

I am thoroughly convinced that is the reason for the "all ponies are bad tempered" stereotype. If the horse is too small to be ridden/trained by anyone other than a child, then what caliber of training can they really boast? Sure, it may be broke to death and willing to go anywhere without batting an eye, but does it know anything more than kick to go and pull to stop/turn?

Yes, there are some exceptions, but generally speaking, children do not make good trainers because they simply don't have the knowledge or the coordination to be effective.


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

Well I do agree, that very few small ponies are or have been, trained well. One look on Youtube can tell you the results. 

Lizzie


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## Failbhe (May 8, 2012)

That's the point I was trying to get at in my post, smrobs - if you get a horse rather than a pony, then an adult can do some training. However if you get either a small horse or a large pony (say 13-14 hands) then a light adult CAN ride and it's still small enough that a child will feel more comfortable. Perhaps it's not as an ideal size match as a smaller pony, but it's doable. In my experience, most small ponies only behave as long as there is an adult holding the lead rope.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

smrobs said:


> I am thoroughly convinced that is the reason for the "all ponies are bad tempered" stereotype.


Afraid not, I know evil ponies who are only ridden by adults :lol:

Seriously though, I've seen kids that can ride plenty good enough to school a pony with an adult telling them what to do. Some of them start riding at 4 after all.


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## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

I suggest an older small horse to ride on also. There are so many older horses that would love to be appreciated by a family with small children. 

I am guessing the OP is looking for a horse for light riding because they are her grandchildren (I am guessing they probably don't live with her and the kids just want someone to play with while they are visiting). 
You don't want to get a horse or pony that needs constant exercise if no one is there to provide it. 

An older, dead broke horse that has "been there, done that" sounds perfect for your grandkids! If they develop a love of horses and start looking to move up, you can think about getting a different horse at that time. A lot of time kids loose interest and you are stuck with a horse that is bored.


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## sheenaschlytter (Aug 10, 2012)

I had to make this decision for myself and my daughter. My daughter is 6 and I cant afford board for a horse for myself and her but I wanted to able to ride to. We looked alot and tried out horses and ponies. The bigger horses were just to much for my daughter even the really good ones. She just did not have the leg strength to get them going. We decided on a large pony. Never would I have though we would end up with a mustang, but we found a perfect size just big enough for me and small enough for her and she turned out to be perfect. SO in my opinion a larger sized pony is the best bet!


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