Oh wow! Thanks so so much for that complement!!!! You are so sweet! *smiling hugely* I really needed that today... *haven't stopped smiling* I can't say as I've ever had a better complement on a forum before ;-D

About the saddle: No, not at all! Start as early as you want. The only difference would be, babies are different than that of a grown horse. More sensitive, more short of an attention span, will definitely remember the good and the bad that they learn, can get more easily overloaded with learning than an adult horse.

I would take it slowly and gradually, starting with something such as a rag/towel and letting her sniff it, play with it, rub it all over her body to let her know it's friendly, tossing it over her back, and later starting to flap it a bit around her, getting her accustomed to a saddle blanket. Then a pony saddle blanket (or whatever you'll use with the pony saddle)...same steps, and last the pony saddle. To adjust her slowly to the girth, you can use a soft lead rope and quick-release tie it around her belly loosely at first and gradually tightening over several days, and putting her in a stall/small pen to let her get used to the pressure.

All of this will make it easier for her to adjust to carrying a saddle. You can make each step as gradual and slow as you want, or if she's not bothered, can move along more quickly. I would be careful not to "overload" her mind with alot of stuff in one day, or looooong training periods. The best reward is "release" and she will learn quickly from a few short, simple training sessions, than one incredibly long one in a day.

Nine months is plenty old enough to carry a 5lb saddle. I can definitely say you will not regret starting her ground/saddle work at a young age. It will make it easier for you in the long run, because when she reaches 2 years old (which is when most people start their horses in saddle work), she will already be quite accustomed to a saddle, and you can move more quickly. Another plus is that she will already be trusting you more than other 2 year olds because of the pre-riding age training.

So Yes! GO for it and let me know how it comes along! I always love to hear about her and love hearing from you too

Good luck!

(wow, that's a long post...)