This is a gelding page for minis and standards on this web. no top Show ridden ponies please, but kids/families having fun. Gymkhana, bareback, fancy dress and lead rein.

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This is our daughter Ellie with Wickhams lucky star  (Teddy) who is 4yrs old. They got 1st, 2nd twice and a 3rd last weekend. Poor Teddy was so tired as this was one of the last classes of the day but he kept on plodding on and never once let her down.
 
She also took him to equifest this year and got
M&M small breeds 17 entries 7th Place
Novice M&M 20 entries 8th place
young handler 9 entries 5th place
M&M small breeds 17 entries 11th place
Shetland gelding 6 entries 4th place

S.Kerwood
Abbeyfield Badger and his little jockey Freya Brimelow.
 
They have just competed at a lovely little show at Aintree International Arena.This was their first major show riding off the leadrein. Freya and Badger have been working so hard over the last month to perfect their ring craft. This has also included the pair riding around the freshly cropped fields and on fun rides to gain their confidence in each other.
1st Best Turned out
1st Open ridden coloureds
2nd First Ridden in very strong company coming second
 to a very successful HOYS Welsh sec A pony.
2nd In open M&M small.
There was then a Championship where 1st and 2nd placed competitors from the 16 classes where asked to participate. Freya and Badger came 3rd ( second reserve) and received a £20.00 gift voucher from Derby House saddlery and 2 guest tickets for a race meeting of our choice in October.
We are so pleased with their performance and as I write this we all in preparation for this years Chaps uk Championship show at Arena UK where we will be competing over the 3 days.
We have a lovely little gelding Formakin Glengarry who did show in his younger days but in latter years has just had fun with my grandchildren hacking, playing gymkhana games and loving handy pony classes and fancy dress. In the summer of 2009 he had to have an eye removed as a result of sarcoids invading the eye. As he was 22 at the time there was even doubt he would come through the operation but he did and we were overjoyed to have him back. He had lost a lot of confidence and everyone assured us he would soon learn to adjust but he became quite spooky which was a bit worrying. So he reverted to being taken out on the lead rein. This summer my eldest grand-daughter heard of Horse Agility and thought that Garry and I could have a go. With our combined ages coming to 95 I wasn't so sure! But she wanted to take our youngster so I used the empty space in the lorry. Well Garry and I had a ball and ended up winning a wonderful 1 st rosette. We have had 2 more wins and a
3rd and ended up as runners up in the annual league but won the prize for the highest number of marks 538 with the nearest to us having 418. We have been the only Shetlands competing in this area so nice to fly the flag. I would urge other people to have a look at the site. Ideal for outgrown ponies or youngsters. You work in an enclosed space, not great numbers so it is ideal. We love it and are planning to take our old show mare Beau Desert Dark Secret next year. All the early stages are taken mostly at walk so even I can manage that, although the 75m run does find me somewhat lacking in puff! You can find their site at Horse Agility Club.

Garry on left our youngster on the right.
Burghwood Tristan, competing in the Longreining class at the EASPG In-hand & performance show, at WHW, Snetterton, 26th Sept.
Unfortunately, he had a driving accident with his previous owners which had made him very nervous about being ridden and longreined, and after many failed attempts to longrein him, 9 years later he's finally started to come round and enjoy himself, he has now being longreining regularly for about 3 months! He went on to win the Longreining class, and also came 2nd in the coloured, gelding, and pairs (with Sygate Sinatra) classes. A very proud and wonderful day!

Here are some pictures of our ride and drive gelding Sapphire Czarlite (Jasper) having fun with his 10yr old rider Jamie Dean. Both enjoying a hack out in the countryside and getting ready for fancy dress. We have only taken him to a few shows this year but have had much success including best gelding at Trawden and Barrowford show. We also enjoy the lighter side, winning the overall champion of the novelty classes at a very soggy Malham show! K.Dean  
This is what it is all about!!
 Ffion, my (Lois Davies) little grandaughter aged 4, having true fun on Seva Gentleman Jim. He is now aged  10, only castrated 2 yrs ago, just proving how  kind temperament is so important!!
Their faces tell all!!!

5 year old Charlie Parker-King on Hollydell Highwayman and Abigail Hamper on Linacre Limerick.

Charlie competing in his first off lead rein show. Charlie and Hollydell Highwayman not only competed in the concours pairs but in working hunter pony, first ridden and in hand. At home they also enjoy playing cowboys and Indians!  A new partnership to be reckoned with.

Total concentration
Best of all, on the beach
Easy Peasey!
5yo gelding, Sammy (Claredale Sam) having fun with my 6yo daughter Cerys. They’re becoming a great partnership – although he’s still a baby himself, Sammy is a good hearted pony who always tries his best for his little jockey.
Waulkmill Redstart at Huntingdon,

"I may be on the ridden circuit, but if they think I'm doing open workers, they can think on"
"You stay there for a bit, aunty, I'll just snack out on this grass for a while" 

Piccy of Buxted Viscount ( Vinnie) 3 year old gelding. Surpassed himself looking after 6 year old Casey at his and her first show where they were placed in every class!!

Defo a rosette machine!!
Magreed Charlie Boy hunting with Southdown and Eridge on their annual Childrens' meet day, the second is us at Chiddingly show in the driving class, the 3rd is him showing off his jumping talent. Hope you enjoy the pics and they show just how much of an all rounder Charlie really is! at the moment Charlie is on a fitness regime and is enjoying every second of it (except the lunging LOL he has a fart and buck and then decides he's had enough). there are soon 2 be some pics and videos of Charlie doing tricks! we started a few weeks ago, and now Charlie can pick up and wave a flag/towel, bow, take off a flag/towel from his back, yesterday me and Gabs got him jumping through a tractor tyre and then laid it down and he can jump it like a bounce, so cute! and we are now trying to get him to sit and lay down! haha see what happens when you have a pony you are too big to ride you turn a tad nutty and get them doing tricks! see you soon Alice and Charlie x
Black Bottle of St Ninian is my best boy!  He is 41.5" & was my first Shetland.  (I was looking for something to have fun with & downsize from my ridden horses) He was just a foal when I bought him & now 14yrs later I have him, 5 other Shetlands & waiting for a foal to arrive as we speak.  Shetlands get rather addictive. 
Saint has done well at shows both in-hand & ridden.  He is an great LR & FR pony, you can trust him implicitly.  He was late at starting his ridden career he was already 7yrs when my son was born.  Nothing much bothers him & now with my 2 children he has been enjoying fancy dress, thelwell, jumping, games, YH & the odd PC lesson.  Both of my children learnt to ride on him, he maybe big, but a wobbly toddler didn't bother him.   He keeps my stallion company, happily runs with my mares & youngster & is totally smitten with foals.    In short he is a big softy & we love him dearly. Tracy McCarthy

4-year-old Kelsey Arthur and 14 year old 36” Gelding Yitter of Grutness had a great day out at the Shetland Horse and Pony Event.  They had a very busy day doing ridden, young handler, handy pony and won the fancy dress class as the Little Mermaid.  Yitter was bought from the Shetland sale as a 4-year-old colt with lots of character.  He settled well once gelded and turned out to be the best first pony any child could wish for.  He is also broken to drive and is a firm favourite at the local pony club.  One in a million.  Roselyn Fraser, Shetland.
                                      
3 year old Ellie Blamey (and eight months pregnant mum!) at her first lead rein show on her 4 yr old pony Collytown Free Spirit, 37" Bay Gelding.
Spirit behaved impeccably for such a young pony, he was the only Shetland at this particular show and we received several complements about how quiet and patient he was, proudly showing for all to see the kind temperament that the breed has. 
Spirit provides Ellie with hours of fun and enjoyment and she would be totally lost without him.   At first the idea of having a gelding on the stud was not one most welcomed by my parents, but Spirit has proved to be invaluable as a companion as will happily run with anything from youngstock, to mares or stallions and as the number of grandchildren in the family keeps multiplying there will be no shortage of little jockeys for Spirit to teach to ride! Chamaine Blamey - Collytown Stud

Now taking a break from the breeding side all our stud stock have moved into different careers and even my 31" mare is a super ridden pony.
When i gelded my 33" miniature shetland herd sire i certainly didn't wonder what i'd do with him... already having been being ridden by young children... he has been ridden by a novice rider and has become such a super pony, teaching young children to come off the lead rein without them feeling the pony is too big for them, like they might have done with a standard.
And as a gelding, they are now able to show him which they have had great fun with and often is fought over when it comes to friends kids picking which pony they want to ride!
We also use the miniatures as therapy ponies with them visiting disabled and terminally ill children, attending schools, doing events and in the summer we often do pony rides for tiny tots, which Badger is very much a valued part of, along with 2 of his gelded son's that i retained.
Attached a photo of Badger as his young rider. Although Hannah is 9 this year, she is very small and quite a nervous rider and so her miniature gelding is the perfect size for her to handle and ride confidently. This was there first show together.. and certainly Badger's first time doing fancy dress!
Having several ridden miniature shetlands i have found there is a big gap in the market for calm and safe little lead rein ponies that are able to go off lead rein as well, i've certainly had quite offers on my boy since he was gelded and became the first pony he is now, and i don't have experienced riders to train them which just goes to add to the shetland temperament!
Our 32" gelding Kerswell Keepsake. We've owned Keepsake for nearly 17 years and over that time he has proved to be very useful to us. He has been broken for riding and has proved to be an excellent childs pony - having been ridden for miles over Bredon Hill by my friend's niece with my 'big' pony, taken part in lead rein classes at local shows and has also given rides at the local village fair and at children's birthday parties. He has been valuable to the stud in nannying youngstock and has also been a companion to big horses, including keeping my friends horse company when the horse was on box rest due to a broken leg. Keepsake is now 20 years old and is still enjoying doing the occasional ride. H.Rowell