Re: Defending ponies

[Dochterman <dokada@voyager.net>]

Thanks Angie.  Well said!

My kids always ride ponies that fit them and learn far more about caring
for their own mount and riding (including the use of their legs!) than
they could possibly do with a full size horse.  Our ponies are always
trained as carefully as any horse and I find them fast, willing
students.  Far too many people simply give an unbroke pony to a child
who has never ridden and wonder why it didn't work.  I believe this is
where ponies get the bad reputation.  We would never treat a horse that
way and then blame the horse when it didn't work.

I also get annoyed when I hear people say that ponies are either
foundered, foundering, or gonna founder soon.  In years of owning
ponies, I have never owned a foundered pony nor foundered a pony.  True,
most take far less feed than a horse (they ARE smaller you know) so it
would take less feed to founder one but that is no excuse for
overfeeding one and foundering it!  It is a reason to rejoice in smaller
feed bills!

Had to defend my pals but now back to lurkdom.....
Donna Dochterman
Dokada Arabians
http://members.tripod.com/~DokadaArabians/index.html