Getting another pony - but need some advice..

I know i'm new here but i'm stuck in a rut sort of... need some advice.

I have a 6yr old little girl who has been around mummy's horses since she could walk, I brought my current horse when she was only a year old and when she was 5 we promised her her very own pony.
We took a lot of searching and found what we thought to be the perfect pony, we had him tried out by a friend and tested for a novice child, we then let Lucy ride and brush him and he was an angel, had him vetting and eventually brought him, all went well and she loved him.

But then he started to act up and to cut a long story short he suddenly out of the blue bolted off in hand with her, she didn't let go of the rope and got dragged off, taken almost a year for her to recover medically and of course very worrying time at the beginning for me and my husband and we are very lucky indeed as she was very poorly.

Unstandable she is now scared of horses, she also has some disablity which means she cannot ride (possibly ever) but she has recently started coming up and saying she wants a pony still... although a little one that can't hurt her (she had a welsh A), she has been handling our little shetland but she has said she wants to show.. we'll let her try but we know the shetland can't show as he is a little odd looking (cute but deformed) and his health isn't 100% so we'd look for something with a clean bill of health.

Theres only one problem... us.. her parents... after what happened we are terrified of getting another pony for her but she is begging, we have horses and feel it unfair she gets left out, we have thought of perhaps a miniature, i've heard they have outstanding temperments and with being quite little she could easily handle one.

How do we do this? How do we over come our fears? How do we know the next pony is going to be ok.. the welsh was at first and sailed through the purchase like an angel, I know she is going to be very scared of any new pony we buy her to begin with but she is very assured she will love her new little pony as long it doesn't hurt her.

My husband has the brakes slammed on, he doesn't want to get her another pony after what happened to her, he said she is too fragile, one kick and she could end up in a wheelchair... but I can see from her point of view, she see both of us with our horses and although she is 6 is pretty detirmed to get what she wants.. even to the point of going through horse mags and pointing out ponies to her dad to try and sway him.

One kick and she could end up in a wheel chair?, is she that fragile?, have you thought of looking at any ponies from specail needs ridding centers?, maybe her shetland might be put to good use in to a center of that sort, if that's not the case you might want to find a more mature pony with a few years of school pony under it's girth

:( Aww that's terrible.

I bought my daughter her first pony when she was 3yrs old, (she's nearly 5yrs now) It was a Shetland, she was good when we first got her, but after a few months became a very untrustworthy one.
So I bought her Willow. He's a section A, and we've had him just over a year now. He's an absolute Angel, 9yrs old and previously taught his former owners (a family of three children) to ride. My daughter is just learning to jump on him, and he genuinely looks after her, if she falls, he just stands by her side, if she cries he puts his head to her.

I agree with KansasTwister, your best bet would be to look at local riding schools, see if they have any coming up for sale that would be suitable. You need one that's been around a while and has a proven record of being a steady neddy. Or a special needs centre, see if they have any available.
One thing you said that concerns me a little as a parent, you said one kick and she could end up in a wheel chair, would this be the same if she fell off? Only reason I ask, is that my daughter has fallen off many times, which is as you'll know is all part of riding.
I genuinely hope you manage to find her one. There will be plenty out there, its just the majority of the time you can pay a fortune to get one.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

I don't think any child that young should be left walking a horse by themselves. I think you should put her in lessons with other children and great horses or ponies that will bring her confidence back up. Just don't let her lead by herself until she is bigger.