Shetland pony as a first horse?

Shetlands are ornery little boogers. They are stubborn most of the time.

I would suggest a Welsh, they are around 14hh. Even a Quarter Horse would be a great first horse. They are level headed and can do pretty much anything you want out of them. They can get anywhere from 14hh-16hh.

my barn has a couple Shetlands we use for pony rides at kids parties. One of them is supper well behaved and will basically tolerate anything. The other is a bit more moody. He can be a real punk. Generally he's good with the kids but hates parents. he's not to bad though. As long as he's being handled by someone who knows what they are doing there's no problems. My barn also has two Shetlands her kids ride. so yea they can be kid friendly but it really depends on the individual. like people they all have different personalities. Not all Shetlands act the same way.

The only pony I would ever care for with a child would be a POA. I have never liked ponies and if nothing else a child outgrows them so fast you might as well get a horse. I've been around alot of shetlands and welsh ponies and have never met one I would want if somebody gave it to me.

I managed a pony farm a long time ago. The shetlands were in fact little hell raisers:) much smarter than most horses, and always seemed to have their own agenda.

Shetlands are known to be very high strung and a bit ornery.