Newsdate: Sun, 11 August 2013 - 9:05 am
Location: SAN DIEGO, California
Long Island Equine has some very good expert advice for parents who are thinking about getting a first pony for a child. Although ponies are "cute" and "clever," they can also be mischievous and can misbehave with children leading to experiences that can be frightening and possibly tragic.

Safety and training for child and pony

Choosing and training a pony as a first equine for a child can be challenging for parents, child, and pony.

According to Long Island Equine, most ponies are not taken as seriously as larger equines and therefore are not trained as well as larger equines. Adult trainers let ponies get away with many, many unwanted behaviors because they are so "cute". Also, many people who train ponies are young and inexperienced themselves.

Without proper training, ponies learn bad habits very quickly. They push, bite, run away, kick and have other behaviors that can seriously injure or frighten a child.

In many cases, children and adults unthinkingly jerk ponies in the mouth, work them too hard or not enough, and generally "roughed up" these small equines thinking it is all in fun. This results in future bad behavior and bad attitudes.

Too many parents buy a pony for themselves rather than for the particular child because of a fantasy that plays out in their minds.

What do the experts advise before getting a child a pony?

First of all, make sure that your child has been riding for at least 6 months or more and truly enjoys the experience. Also, be sure the child knows how to handle and take care of a pony correctly.

Do they know the signs of illness? How about hoofcare, veterinarian visits, etc. Even if you know these things, your child also needs to know them before you purchase a pony because taking responsibility is a priority in handling the new pony.

Second, look into leasing before buying. The top 4 reasons are:

1. It will give your child all the benefits of ownership without the liability and expense.
2. It will show you if your child's wanting a pony is "just a stage" or not.
3. Children quickly grow out of ponies.
4. You may be able to enter into a special agreement where the lease price goes towards the end-purchase price, and you can back out of the contract since the pony's papers are still in the real owner's name.

The number one quality any parent should look for in a pony is safety. This means finding a pony that is trained well and safe, and that has a positive disposition and attitude. This way, both your child and the new pony will be safe and happy

If the child is a fairly inexperienced rider, choose an older pony that has more experience. Older ponies have "been around the block" a few times and are much, much safer than a younger or untrained pony.

Be sure to have a veterinarian do a prepurchase exam on the pony before your child gets attached. This is very important because you don't want your child to fall in love with a sick or injured pony. 

During the "trial" week, observe your child with the pony. Do both the pony and your child seem to really like each other? If yes, you've found the right pony. If not, keep looking.

It is a good idea to hire a trainer to work with your child and the pony. Also, consider Pony Club or 4-H to keep things exciting and make it a good learning experience.