Sure as a backyard starter pony they are great. Almost self sufficient, very hardy in most climates, minimal amount of feeds and all your buildings,stall size,pasture size,fenceing,water trough, cut in half. About the same for a large dog. But as p8nt stated they are SMALL and even though they are a perfect size to learn with and handle, they are very soon outgrown for riding. Typically if you have one that rides it also drives as I have yet to meet a trainer small enough to sit on one. So they are taught to drive and the riding is really just changeing the weight from behind[pulling] to on top of[squishing]
As for the feet and no shoes- That is not a breed thing. Every horse should be able to be barefoot. The 2 reasons to put shoes on, are injury[ multiple kinds] or traction. Horses don't wear shoes just because.