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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 836
  
Location: Southern Pennsylvania | I would start searching now for a pony (or horse). We started with a mini. Then, moved up to a quarter pony. It took us about two years to find each one. My brother is now 7 and can ride his horse (quarter pony) by himself. He could ride the mini in the round pen by himself at about 5. Before that we would lead the mini and have someone nearby to catch him if he started to slide. After he got older and got more strength we worried less (Plus he didn't have a long fall lol  ). Also, start making her wear a helmet as soon as possible. It is natural for him to use a helmet now.
This is him on my mare (last summer). I can't get photos of the mini or quarter pony to load.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 365
| I was 3 when my mom got back into horses so I started then. My son is just a few days younger than your daughter born December 15th lol. I have a pony for him already, I will probably sit him on the pony and hold him on her while being led around when he can sit up on his own. I'll go from there, he probably won't be allowed to ride by himself till 3. My pony is only 39" tall so I feel safer about that. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | I know my mom carried us on the horses when we were super young.
I was riding around with others (or maybe by myself ... I don't remember! Haha) when I was two. I entered in my first playday when I was 3 or 4 and rode myself (no leadline).
Gave my 2 1/2 year-old neice a horsey ride last summer. She loved it!!!
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Member
Posts: 18
| Lucky86 - 2014-02-26 9:21 AM
I was 3 when my mom got back into horses so I started then. My son is just a few days younger than your daughter born December 15th lol. I have a pony for him already, I will probably sit him on the pony and hold him on her while being led around when he can sit up on his own. I'll go from there, he probably won't be allowed to ride by himself till 3. My pony is only 39" tall so I feel safer about that.
That makes me feel better lol bc I have my eye on a pony that we may pick up this weekend that is 36" tall. It is a registered 3 yr old Shetland that was stunted because of malnourishment. The current owners only want $150 for her. They are not making any money off her. They just wanted to save her from a bad situation. They say she is a loving pony that has never bucked, bitten, or kicked their child. I think we might try her out for a week before buying.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| My daughter will be 2 next month. We are looking at a mini for her birthday. I let her ride with me for the first time last weekend on my barrel horse. She loved it. We did some trotting and she couldnt stop giggling. |
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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| I started leading my son around at 18 months...but he doesn't like horses..well at least ridding he just wants to give them treats then is over it. He is now 3 1/2 and still doesn't want much to do with it. O well but I did just give birth to a baby girl last week so we shall see if I get lucky |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 612
| My son has been riding in front of his dad or I since he was 6 months old. I think that he started riding by himself but with one of us walking or riding next him by the time that he was 3. We were very lucky to have a rope/barrel horse that took care of my son from the start. He is 7 now and has moved up the NBHA Youth Class and has started roping live steers. (It makes me very nervous to watch him rope live steers.) The first picture is my son running (trotting) barrels when he was 4. The second picture is when he had just turned 4 and my husband took him riding into a 300 acre bean field. I was glad that I wasn't home and I didn't get the picture until they were back in the barn.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 365
| Gocowgirl7 - 2014-02-26 9:35 AM
Lucky86 - 2014-02-26 9:21 AM
I was 3 when my mom got back into horses so I started then. My son is just a few days younger than your daughter born December 15th lol. I have a pony for him already, I will probably sit him on the pony and hold him on her while being led around when he can sit up on his own. I'll go from there, he probably won't be allowed to ride by himself till 3. My pony is only 39" tall so I feel safer about that.
That makes me feel better lol bc I have my eye on a pony that we may pick up this weekend that is 36" tall. It is a registered 3 yr old Shetland that was stunted because of malnourishment. The current owners only want $150 for her. They are not making any money off her. They just wanted to save her from a bad situation. They say she is a loving pony that has never bucked, bitten, or kicked their child. I think we might try her out for a week before buying.
Cute pony, I wouldn't actually have mine if she wasn't a family pony. But I'm glad I do I can start earlier, my horse is big and I don't fully trust him with such things. |
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 Paint Horse Lover
Posts: 1427
Location: oklahoma | My daughter started leadline when she was 17 months old on a mini pony and by the end of her 2 year old year she no longer wanted to be on the lead in but we had a very trust pony named Mouse who allowed her to learn how to ride by herself.
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I'll Be Your Huckleberry
Posts: 1488
Location: Arizona | My boys didn't start riding until they were 6 and always with a helmet and usually a protective vest. They have a reliable Shetland mare and do not ride full size horses. I'm a bit crazy with the safety when it comes to horses  |
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 She thinks a tractors sexy...
Posts: 3168
Location: Texas | Mine have ridden with me before they could walk. I started lead line with them when I felt like they could stay in the middle. Both about 2-3 years. I also ran with the lead line when they were ready, as they needed to know what a trot and lope felt like. This is my daughter at 3 (ignore the pic of me. That was an all day in August in Texas. I was hot!) on lead line. The horse in the first pic was an old retired heading horse. He was so awesome. Both kids learned to ride from him. They went from lead line on him to riding by themselves. My daughter on him after leadline. Pic of my son runnning him when he was 5.
The other two was this past January. She is my speed demon.
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 Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | My daughter was 2 when she got her first pony. We didn't have a saddle so she learned to ride bareback. That brat would take her under every limb in our dry lot so hubby went out one day & trimmed them all up. She fell off a lot but she was only allowed to ride by herself in the drylot. At 4 she took over her dads horse & never looked back. That old man was worth his weight in gold and he was "gasp" Hancock bred.
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