Is this pony a nervous baby or a spoiled bully We have this lovely Connemara 5 yo gelding on trial

He is lovely to ride, and has won two jumping competitions with my daughter already, he is a real confidence giver. The problems are he kicked my 7yo son in the field when he approached him(both back feet, definately meant to connect!) He kicked at me when i went in his stall, and he barges past and knocks us over all the time. I have 4 children under 12, is this pony just young and nervous, and will chill as he settles in, or is he too young and timid for a family with young kids?

His previous owners say he's an alpha male in the herd, and only really attacked the vet with them! He was very afraid of the vet with us, too, and charged out of the stable, giving me a black eye on the way!

We also own five other horses and ponies, all of whom are gentle, respectful and very happy with us.

His age could be a factor, however horse don't "grow up" with small children like puppies do so I wouldn't reccomend a horse already displaying this behavior for a family with small children.

I also think it is a bit more than just being young. He shows definite violent behavior towoards people but what about to his pasture pals? Is the most dominant of the pack?

He sounds like a young spoiled bully but also may have had some bad experiances with a vet. Either way he does not sound suitable for a family horse. If you owned him as an individual it would be better because you could work with him to gain respect and trust but it isn't gonna wok for the whole family.