Question...

[Candice_17]

Ok, so I've got this mini mare. Some of you may recall previous questions about her. Here's my new question. Can I ride her?

Ok, since we need more info than that, can I at 110 lbs ride her without hurting her? She is a large mini or small shetland, she comes to just below my hip. I can sit on her and drag my toes on the ground. The reason I'd like to ride her some is she is just not broke. I've tried a lot of things to get her to start listening to my girls and to try to help them break her, but the simple fact is she is a stubborn pony and won't do anything for the kids. She has been allowed to be a pet and has no manners either on the ground or under saddle. I can ground-drive her great and I can lead the kids on her, but she will not even move if I let the kids go by themselves on her. I'm working on her ground manners because she is not safe for the kids right now. (When she was given to us she had slipper foot really bad and was an angel, now that we've gotten her feet in good shape and she's feeling good she is a monster, she actually kicked one of my girls last night.)

So anyway, its as simple as that, can a 110 # woman ride a large mini/small pony safely without any lasting ill effects to the pony for maybe 15-20 min at a time?

[mart]

As long as she is in good condition, I don`t see why not !! I wouldn`t make the lessons long about 30 min. at a time !! Those little boogers are tougher than you think !!

[Candice_17]

Thanks mart! Thats what I thought. I'll make sure we don't ride too long and of course I won't ride with a saddle, my 12" pony saddle is just a little small for my butt!!

[BUDDYSGIRL]

Originally Posted by Candice_17

Thanks mart! Thats what I thought. I'll make sure we don't ride too long and of course I won't ride with a saddle, my 12" pony saddle is just a little small for my butt!!

I have a mini also and have put up to 100 lbs on him. He too, is a tough little booger!

[loverofminis]

I tried riding my 35 inch miniature stallion one time, and he went into a full out buck, like in the NFR type of bucking. People think 'oh their so tiny and you will break their backs' but people dont realize what minis did, I mean they were coal horses in mines pulling hundreds of pounds of coal. They are tough little guys...

[BUDDYSGIRL]

LOL, my mini was destined to be a coffee bean hauler somewhere. He is a medicine hat and the best baby sitter I got. He does pony rides and will stop after doing 3 rounds for his treat! LOL

[Candice_17]

I figured she'd be ok. I hopped on her yesterday and my hubby and girls almost fell over laughing. I had to lift my legs so as to not drag them on the ground!! She did really well though. She was tired after 15 min, so we quit. But atleast this gives me options for getting her broke.

[BUDDYSGIRL]

I bet it was pretty funny to see.

[hillbillyin]

What, no pics.?

[Candice_17]

Ok, sice you asked, here are some, I'll get more this spring and put them up, but you certainly aren't getting any pictures of me trying to ride her, noone needs to laugh that hard...