~~~~~~~
The Care and Feeding of a Welsh Pony! ~~~~~~~ Welsh ponies naturally get along well with children. They are also sturdy, capable of carrying a normal size adult rider. We have found our Welsh Ponies well suited in temperament, for helping kids and students learn to ride. We have lots of experience and photos of riding lessons with city cousins and visitors here at the ranch. Almost all of our visitors have had no previous experience with horses. Our ponies are gentle, have been handled since birth, raised with free range chickens all around, dogs, ranch animals and barnyard. They are familiar with gunfire and fireworks and do not freak out about any of those things. A child will need close supervision and a pony will need an insightful, experienced handler, as with all beginners learning to ride. As with ANY active sport, you and your child will need to be prepared. Safety gear is highly recommended. A pony has some basic needs. First, they will need plenty of light, quality grass hay, or grass pasture. If on hay, they need to be fed a couple times per day. Small amounts of supplements are okay. The ponies are easy keepers, so they need to be watched and feed adjusted to keep in healthy condition. Ponies have solid, hard hooves that will need regular trimming. The exception to this is if the pony is able to get out on quite rocky footing. Rocky footing is actually great for helping to wear off excess hoof. Otherwise, you will need a good farrier to come around and trim about every 4 - 6 months. (We do our own trimming.) Vet checks may be needed, even if a pony has no apparent health issues. Tooth care is pretty important. Our stallion is 9 years old now, and his ability to chew his feed was being hampered by hooks developing on his rear molars. Those need to be shaved down. He was very appreciative of being able to eat normally again! Ponies need regular worming as well, usually 2x per year is adequate. Other equine companionship is really great. Welsh are large ponies and get along very well with other horses and ponies of any size. Some of our prospects are listed on EquineNow, which is an excellent resource for used tack, saddles, trailers, and horse supplies: <a title="Horses for Sale" href="http://www.equinenow.com/" target="_top">EquineNow</a><br> Please take a moment to click on the link below and read carefully, if you are considering ownership of a horse or pony for the first time: http://www.horsecollaborative.com/the-beginner-safe-horse/ If you have any further questions, please feel free to email or call! Thanks again for your interest in our ponies! |