This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello Ruth, everyone,
> If they spook, which they seldom do, they jump farther and harder, if they > buck, which they seldom do, it is with more unseating force (talk about your > grand wallop!) and if the training and bit is not right they can pretty well > go wheverever they darn please as their strong draft necks are impossible to > I realize there are many qualifying statements > that could be made about this issue, and as individual horses go, but I > strongly believe that a smaller non-draft pony would be a better choice for > a child to ride. Better to err on the side of caution when it comes to young > lives at stake. > I completely agree with this. We adore our Fjords and yes, also believe their temperaments far surpass those of other breeds. Regardless, we also will not sell a Fjord solely as a child's mount. Fjords are simply too strong and too smart, in our opinion. I can certainly see Fjords working beautifully in a children's riding stable environment with constant adult supervision and adult handling of routine tasks, however, in a purchase situation, most likely it is the child who will have to handle the horse day to day; catch the Fjord, clipping, grooming, cleaning stalls, vet visits, farrier visits, etc. I am sure there are many Fjords and children out there that do this very well, I am just not willing to take that chance. We have sold Fjords as family horses and they have done wonderfully well, but the entire family is involved. Much different scenario. As we have a 5 year old son who adores the Fjords, we decided to bring in Shetlands and pony crosses. While Asa, our son, is allowed to ride the Fjords with one of us leading and one of us at his side, we firmly believe there is no way he will be ready to handle a Fjord on his own for many years. This is not due to the Fjords, just the fact they are strong and what if he was riding one and the Fjord startled? What if the Fjord decided to simply graze on the green grass (not allowed but I have seen very well trained Fjords do this with insecure handlers)? What if a stray dog attacked? How on earth could a small child handle this 1000+ animal? So, in came the ponies which the Fjords think are quite cute, Asa is having a blast with his little Shetland gelding, and we are enjoying them, too. Interestingly enough, we have had local people stop for a pony for their child or grandchild. It always amazes me the ponies they try to pick for their child! We have a couple that are wonderfully trained, good manners, handle well, trained to drive and ride, and deal with roads, traffic, and obstacles beautifully. We even started to log with one of them! Two are around 45" or a little over 11 hands. They are heavy of bone, beautiful ponies. Needless to say, when a parent shows up looking for a child's pony, we show them these two girls. However, these same parents will always pick out our two "hot" ponies, one a Classic Shetland (means she has Hackney in her lineage) and the other a Welsh/Arab cross. Neither of these girls are children's ponies as they are strong willed, spook easily, and test the handler constantly. Some of this is due to their breeding as in the pony world, flash is becoming ever more important, and some of this is due to their past owners' handling, meaning the past owners were trying to get even more flash. While they are both improving with their training, it will be a long time, if ever, they could be deemed a child's pony. We always explain to the parents that these two ponies are NOT children's ponies nor would we sell them as such. However, they will not go with the calm docile ponies, they are more concerned with their child looking good on a flashy pony or horse. The last lady to stop by was looking for a pony for her 8 year old niece, a very tiny inexperienced little girl. The woman liked the Welsh/Arab mix and actually said, "Oh, I wish she were 13 hands, she would be PERFECT!!" Needless to say, we were dumbfounded. It is disturbing to note that many of the parents and grandparents we have dealt with locally are more concerned with how the child and horse/pony will "look" versus how well behaved and trained said horse/pony is. I hope this is not becoming a new trend! So, in ending this long winded email, I agree Fjords could be good mounts for children in a very controlled environment, i.e. the training stable another poster described, but overall, I do not believe a Fjord would be a good choice for a small child or especially a small inexperienced child. Frankly, I do not believe any horse is a good choice, regardless of breed. Well trained ponies make wonderful children's mounts, helping the children to gain confidence and learn with an animal more appropriate to their size. Lynda Lynda and Daniel Bailey's Norwegian Fjords & Shetlands White Cloud, MI 231-689-9902 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hometown.aol.com/baileysfjords/
