MOTHER'S CHILDREN

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HOW YOU MIGHT START OUT
If you want to keep a pony yourself, your first job will be selecting an animal to buy. There're lots of different kinds to choose from. Certain types—such as the Shetland, Welsh Mountain, Haflinger, and Connemara—make good work animals. Others—like the Hackney, Pony of the Americas, and Dartmoor—are better for pleasure uses. Short ones (the Shet-lands, for example, stand only ten hands, or 40 inches, high) are good for small children, while bigger animals (like the Welsh Mountain and Hackney) are suitable for larger kids.

Whatever kind of pony you decide to get, you might want to look for one that's had some "horse sense" bred into it ... since it's well known that purebred ponies can be given to biting, kicking, and bucking, while most horses have milder temperaments and are easier to handle. We recently got a half-pony/half-horse named Sunny, and she's very friendly.

When you head out to buy your animal, be sure to take an expert with you. He or she should be able to tell, among other things, if the pony has any health problems . . . such as thrush or founder. Ask the animal's owner whether the pony kicks or bites. Walk right up to it and see whether it stays calm or starts acting jumpy, then ride it around some to find out if it's a "one-man animal" that doesn't like anyone new. (Have the owner ride it, too, so you can check its paces.) And ask if the pony is safe to ride near traffic.

YEAR-ROUND CARE
Your new pony will need a lot of care. For one thing, it should get regular exercise. An hour's daily workout that includes running through all the paces and commands it knows should be good enough. (If you keep your pony in a pasture, it won't need a workout every day.)

The animal should also be groomed daily, and after every workout, too! You'll need the following basic grooming equipment:

[1] a dandy brush or curry comb (to remove dried sweat or caked mud)
[2] a body brush (for grooming the whole body and getting rid of loose hairs)
[3] a water brush (hook this up to a hose and you can give your pony a bath)
[4] a sponge or clean rag (to wipe around the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears)
[5] a hoof pick (to pick mud and manure out of its hoofs)
[6] a bot eraser (to remove bot eggs from your pony's coat).

You might also want to use a sweat scraper (for removing excess sweat after a workout), and a wisp (to help you give the pony's coat an extra shine).

One of your most important, but not so pleasant, caretaking chores will be cleaning out the stall. Your animal should always have a clean home, with dry sawdust or straw for bedding. Wet, muddy stalls often lead to thrush, a hoof disease that can cause lameness if it's not treated.

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