Yes she drives without being lead. She figured out how to work the shafts very quickly. She can turn the cart around on a dime. She has the nicest high kneed trot you could ever want. She looks a bit like a hackney when she trots. But, her body is so solid that she also resembles a draft horse in harness. She is like a big horse that got shrunkin'.
She's been ground driven since she was just six months. I just put the driving bridle on her and the sircingle(sp?) and off we went. We didn't really work, we just went on a walk around the yard. She loves driving and working. I've always tried to make work fun for her. I guess what I'm trying to say is I think she is pretty mature mentally. She is a lot more mature then the average 2 year old. But, I know her body isn't done growing. So the riding thing will have to wait.
The main reason I wanted to start riding her is because she needs exercise and I don't always have a "knowledgeable" helper to get the cart on her. With riding I can just hop on and we can make a couple loops of the pasture and we're done. However, eventually I would like to be able to have a kid ride her.
Dollie is a "mini", however her mother wasn't registered and looked more like a classic shetland. Her father was a registered 28" mini. Dollie grew up and looks just like her mom. She has that shetland look and the shetland "naughtiness". Also she is THICK like a shetland. Her back is wide and muscled. She isn't too fat, but she is muscled. You can feel them when she moves.
I weighted her with a weight tape. I know it's not the most accurate, but it's helped me keep track of if she is gaining too much weight(as ponies tend too). According to the weight tape she's gained about a hundred pounds in the last year. Also she's gotten a lot taller and her legs have gotten a lot thicker. The weight gain and growth in the height have slowed down dramatically these past couple months. Also she is starting to look and act more grown up.
