I’ve had a lot of people ask me what my plans are for Cody, our little Shetland Pony stallion. Online, in person, txts…. Well, I’ve been thinking and we do have plans for him. Here’s a few off the top of my head…

First off, the whole issue of stallion vs gelding and all. He is really a super calm and nice boy. This past week, he’s just been a doll baby. Nothing phases him. He’s gentle around us, he’s very tolerant of other livestock and he didn’t even worry over the dog getting loose in the middle yard. He exhibits none of the crazy big horse stallion fuss and excitement. He’s 12 years old, if he was going to be a hard to handle stud, he would have shown his true colors this week. And he was nothing but a love baby gentleman. He’s really just starved for attention and all he gets, he loves.

Gelding him at this point would just be kind of expensive and frankly, won’t change a lot of his behavior or temperament. When I asked our local vet, she said it would be at least a couple hundred dollars and possibly upwards to $500! Well, I’ll be honest, I don’t have that kind of money for an operation that really he doesn’t need. Bill said Cody should be just fine as long as we don’t introduce any mares to him, that kind of thing. And we really don’t plan to. Not anytime soon.

Another question… will we stud him out? No. He’s not papered, even though he’s a flashy nice put together fella, there are enough ponies in the world that end up at slaughter. There is no real reason to bred him, even if we just wanted another pony. If we got a mare, that’s another mouth to feed and then it possibly brings out the whole stallion fuss in him and then we would have to keep him separate and yada yada yada. So no, no plans for that. MAYBE if he was papered and MAYBE if he was really nice in conformation and all that jazz… But as he stands now? No. He’s going to be a bachelor for life.

Do we want other equines? Well, maybe. It’s a life long dream of mine to have a Haflinger draft pony. And with Cody, preferably a gelding. They could be pals. I wanted a Haflinger for things like pulling a cart, maybe a small plow, pulling a mower, etc. But the more I read about Shetlands, that pound for pound they are the strongest equine around, I think, well, heck, Cody can do that. So right now, the Haflinger plans are on hold for some time.

What will we do with Cody? Well, adore him and treat him like a little king for the first part. He’s already really bonding with us… comes when he’s called usually, loves to be rubbed and patted, groomed, all that stuff. He’s like a big dog that follows us around when we are working or doing chores. It’s pretty cool. We were told that he knows how to drive. Well, I am hoping that Santa will bring me a pony driving harness this year. I’ve seen very nice simple yet strong harnesses for about $130 to $170 dollars. So I’m saving up my gig money and such for one. We will start slowly and see what he remembers and even if he doesn’t I’ve been reading up on the whole process and it’s really not that hard for most ponies. Just slow and easy, build on his lessons and accomplishments. We do know that he is not a riding pony. So Bill has agreed to work with me and help to break him to saddle. We are already starting on some of that task… he said to start just putting a little weight on his back as we groom him. Just lean on him a little, lay my arms across him, just give him that sensation of something on his back. So we are doing just that. And he’s fine with it. In a week or two, Bill will come back out to touch up his feet and we will introduce a belt to him. Just a little saddle girth, nothing more, so he can get used to having something around him that he can’t get off. A little at a time. I would like him to be a photo prop for Jessy’s photography work… so that little kids can get pony pictures and rides around the yard, being led by someone. And given his calm disposition, I believe he can totally learn to stand calmly with a little gear and a kid. And be lead around easily, that sort of thing. Might take us a while, but that’s fine.

In the meanwhile, his job is to learn to be handled well, to let us pick and clean his feet without fuss, to be lead calmly and willingly, to accept grooming and washes and to learn our routines for him. At the moment, he’s at a good solid C+ on all that. Haha… He had his first bath and well, he was okay with the water on his legs and all, and a little fussy over his back, but totally not thrilled with his head or neck. So we just took it easy and got his legs clean and most of his body. He was really a dirty little guy and very itchy, and I think that the aloe shampoo really felt good after the whole event. We’ll try again in a few days, to see if we can get the rest of him without a huge fussy situation. He’s letting me pick up all his feet, but not so happy with cleaning and picking. I got one done yesterday with a good deal of fuss and bribery. He’s great at being led, is willing and understands Whoa and Walk On…. and he’s getting our routines down pretty well. Sometimes he’s not totally ready to go to his barn at night, but then, hey, I’m not always ready to go to bed either! But he’s really pretty easy to catch and doesn’t play games when it’s time to do something.

I’m pretty comfortable around him now, not that worried about getting stepped on or him pushing his weight around, etc. The girls are still a little hesitant with him and he knows it. So we are all learning some refresher horse skills, how to lead, how to control, what to take and what not to take from him. Jessy is a little too hesitant with him, worried about getting stepped on or bit or kicked, but Maggie is a little too free with him and ends up near the back too much. So we are working to help them find a nice middle ground. Not too worried and not too lax. They are fast learners and every day are much better. They love him just as much as I do, and want to get better at being around him. Taught Jessy the barn routine yesterday. Just how I’m taking care of his stall, and what I do each morning. Just so she has an idea if ever I need either to help out. We have agreed that everyone needs to know each other’s chores, just in case, someone is sick or is called away or whatever. Just nice that way. The animals really like a nice routine and so do we!

Well, I hope that sort of covers all my thinking, and my plans for him. Oh yes, and I want to teach him a few tricks and such, I’ve heard that Shetlands are great for that! I’ve been working on getting him to shake his head up and down to respond to a question if asked. Right now it’s “Do you want a cookie?” and I’ll be darned, he’s kind of getting it already. Yeah, I know, not exactly rocket science but it’s fun and he likes the challenge, I believe. It’s SO cool to finally have a pony and Cody is one lucky dude for sure!