Hackney Ponies...

[roxy's_mom]

Howdy! I was just wandering if anyone out there owned/bred/trained hackney ponies. I acquired one late last summer (2006). When I got him they thought he was broke to drive because they had tied a rope around him and he pulled their xmas tree around one xmas. So I said I take on the challenge of getting to him to thinking he would be my next driving horse until my little mini filly was old enough to drive. Needless to say he has yet to be shown as he does not listen very well to voice commands and it took me until this fall to finally get a show cart that would fit him.

Are hackneys a little "hot"? He seems to get spooky quite quickly. He is a beautiful horse and a beautiful mover. I have a feeling that he would clean up our local show driving class - any size horse can compete in it. I just don't have anyone near me that has ponies that are broke to drive. Or any trainers near me that can train him a little better, as I don't have the time he deserves. He is very spoiled and loved. He will have a home with me until I find one better for him or get the time to work with him.

Like I said earlier, I was just wandering how many people on here had hackney ponies. They are such a beautiful horse but I guess they need to have someone who better understands the breed to be able to work with them!

Thanks for letting me ramble!!

Becky

 

[muffntuf]

Hey you are in PA, you should talk to Bill Eperthner, he is a trainer with MOdern Shetlands and I would bet he has done Hackney as well. He has E Training Center. Or Matt Shuckert from Ohio. Or Pat Sanders from Ohio.

 

[Boinky]

I used to work at a hackney farm and yes they are a bit hotter than the average pony. If they are not worked with they can be quite difficult to deal with but the ones i've worked with and trained were nice ponies and easy to work with (a little hot non the less). I'd LOVE to have a hackney now. I have a hackney X Shetland and he's a hot little number with huge movement ect. he's FUN to drive. i bet you'll love to drive your little guy when you get him hitched.

 

[Leeana]

Im sure Amber will post, but Amber Montgomery of KM Stables in Indiana could most likely be of some help and is fairly close to your area.

I personally have not had much experience with Hackneys or ASPR pones ext so i cant be of much help

 

[muffntuf]

I didn't mention Amber because she is a bit farther out, I could be wrong though. Her family has worked with Hackneys for ages. Her father still has Hacknies.

 

[Margaret]

The Hackney's that I have delt with in the past have been a tad hot, and could not be kept around my miniatures. They ended up selling to a man that trained them for driving..

Today I have a miniature mare that is said to have some hackney breeding in her.

She can move like a locomotive, and came to me a bit spookey, from not being handled.

Now more than a year later she has settled down quite a lot.

 

[SweetOpal]

This is our Hackney yearling, he is going to get gelded today. He can be a little on the spooky side but my 10 year old handles him the most out of all of us. He is not crazy just a little on the flighty side.

 

[ownedbyapony]

Hi Becky,

My family has been into Hackneys for almost 30 years now. We breed, train and show our own and I have my own training barn. Hackney's as a whole tend to have a higher flight response than a mini or even a shetland for that matter however, I find them more eager to please and they have more "go". Once you have their trust and they understand what you want from them they are very responsive to training. I think training a Hackney takes more patience and a longer time than minis or classic shetlands. It may take us as long as a month or two to get one wearing a backpad and started in long lines. I can get a mini in a backpad and started in lines in as little as a week. Dad and I started several driving ponies at the same time this fall, my shetlands and minis are ready to hook and know the basic commands and the Hackney/ASPR/Moderns are all about a month behind and they have had the same amount of work done to them daily. Good luck and have patience, I think you will enjoy him greatly when he is trained and ready to go.

Kindest Regards,

Amber

 

[willowoodstables]

Sweet Opal...WHAT IS THE BREEDING ON YOUR YEARLING!!!! I am having a deja vu!!

Roxy's Mom...WELCOME to the wonderful world of Hackneys. I have had them and bred them for a million years. They can be hot but I love them becausethey are like driving a Masarati (sp) sports car vs a Caddy!

Here are some of my past and present ponies..

Willowood Balladeer 1996 WGC Junior Hackney. Now tearing em up in North Carolina with new owners. Bred, raised and started by me, finished by the wonderful Larry Ella!

Willowood Highlander. Sold as a weanling and now ready to debut with his owners as a harness pony. he's awesome in my humble unbiased opinion!

Cockleburr's Titan. My hubby's pony that he kindly lent to me this year to show as a road pony. He is really a pleasure pony as shown below...

And my last purchase (sorry no pics yet) is a black Road pony with 4 whites with the moniker of Winston Churchill!! He's coming 4 and I can't wait to get him finished!1

Kim

PS ask away any hackney questions..hopefully I can answer them!

 

[roxy's_mom]

Thanks everyone for responding! This is the first Hackney I've actually encountered. I've always heard of them but never really saw one. He really likes to be with people and will stay with you if you're in the pasture with him. I guess I'll have to keep a hold of him and give him more time. I had put him in with my miniatures at my grandparent's where he currently lives and he was really pushy with them, so I decided that he would have to be kept in a separate enclosure. He has a heart of gold and when he does start to pull he'll go until I can get him stopped. He definately doesn't give up. I'll just to have to make more time to spend with him and get him to trust me more.

Willowwoodstables...Cockleburr's Titan reminds me of my hackney. My pony moves more like the pleasure pony from the looks of it. If I have any questions I'll be sure to ask them, and I'm sure I will to.

Thanks again for letting me ramble!

Becky

 

[anita]

Beautiful horses Kim! Thanks for sharing. I have a gelding Hackney like and a Shetland mare til now I think I need more.

Hope more keep coming. Great motivation

Anita