12/04/2026
I always say it’s the naughty ponies that teach kids most 💪🏻🙌
𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞’𝐬
Lately, something’s been sitting heavy with me and it hit even harder after spending more time helping out at the local pony club and now starting to source horses/ ponies for kids. There’s a shift happening in the equestrian world that’s hard to ignore, and honestly, it’s starting to feel like we’re losing sight of what this sport is really about.
Everywhere you turn, you see kids turning up on high-priced horses €/£/$20,000+ for a youngster with all the bloodlines and breeding, destined to jump no more than 80 or 90cm in their life. These are lovely animals, don’t get me wrong. But at the grassroots level, the horse doesn’t need to be bred for Grand Prix. It just needs to be safe and suitable.
What I’m not seeing anymore? The scruffy ponies. The odd shaped ones. The old semi retired hunter that’s taught half the kids in the county how to sit a buck. The Plain Janes of the horse world. Where have they gone?
When did we stop letting our kids learn the hard way?
It’s not just about the money (though, yes the cost of horses in 2025 is mind blowing). It’s about what we’re expecting from these kids, and how we think a good horse will shortcut them into being a great rider. Spoiler, it won’t!!!!!!!!
Because before you can make a good rider, you’ve got to make a problem solver. And problem solvers aren’t made on perfect horses. They’re made on ponies that stop at the gate. That duck out. That need a soft hand one day and a strong leg the next. They’re made in moments of frustration and tiny breakthroughs. They’re made in muck and chaos and trying again and again.
The pressure to have the right horse is everywhere. But the truth is, the right horse might be the one with a few quirks, not the one with a five figure price tag.
We’ve created this illusion that a child’s success in riding depends on the flashiest setup the horse, the truck, the gear. But the best riders I’ve known? They learned on what was available. They fell off more than they stayed on. They learned to adjust, to listen, to think, and to feel. And none of that came from being bought the perfect ride.
So here’s a gentle plea to parents, trainers, and riders alike……,
Let’s normalise kids riding average horses again.
Let them ride the hairy cob. The semi retired showjumper with a dodgy change. The pony that came from the riding school, or off a farm, or doesn’t have a passport full of fancy breeding. Let them earn their feel, their seat, their instinct not buy it.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not the horse that makes the rider. It’s the hard lessons, the dirty boots, and the thousands of tiny moments when they choose to keep going, even when it’s tough.
So if your kid has a safe pony, a helmet, and a dream? That’s enough.
And if you want to teach them to win start by letting them lose. Start by letting them learn.
That’s what makes a rider. Not a receipt.
Myself and The School Master of Gurteen 2013.
