WIN
A photoshoot for you and your pony PONYMAG.COM
THE UK’S NO1 PONY MAGAZINE
REAL LIFE
I lost my pony!
We love
hacking with f riends!
Top tips for
jumping
fillers
Quiz!
What type of rider are you?
How to make
flatwork fun The PONY?? Academy
riding holiday 0 3 9
770032 425188
March 2017 £3.49 Issue 822
Will you pass…
Find your dream
Nosy pony!
WHERE DO YOU READ YOURS?
Horsey news, views and goss!
I read mine with my 12-year-old pony, Tilly! Brae Kniveton
Big Star shines!
British Showjumping (BS) has announced that the national six-yearold championship will be renamed the Big Star Championships. Big Star, ridden by Nick Skelton OBE, took home an Olympic team gold medal at London 2012 and an individual gold medal at Rio 2016. Their Rio medal was a historic win, being the first individual gold medal ever won for Great Britain in showjumping! Big Star was trained by Nick through BS age classes, winning the national six-year-old championships in 2009 before going on to compete internationally. In an interview at the time, Nick said he thought Big Star was potentially the best horse he had ever sat on – but even he couldn’t predict the success they’d go on to achieve! Therefore, it was decided that naming the championships after Big Star was a perfect way to acknowledge his huge talent and outstanding performance.
Photos: Fiona Scott-Maxwell, Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton
The misadventures of Charlie! It’s so beautiful here! I can’t wait to get skiing!
C’mon, Charlie, jump off!
Arrgghhh! I don’t think I can - it’s too high up!
Me too.
4
PONY magazine
The lift won’t stop Charlie! You need to jump!
Nothing like making an entrance, eh, Charlie?!
Celeb horses
The British Horse Society (BHS) has inducted new members into its Wall of Fame. Each year, horses, riders, drivers, breeders, trainers and coaches are celebrated. Famous faces inducted this year include top event horses Chilli Morning, Avebury and Opposition Buzz. Ridden by William FoxPitt, Andrew Nicholson and Nicola Wilson respectively, it’s certain these incredible horses won’t be forgotten quickly! Philco, a famous showjumping horse from the 1970s and Team GB’s new eventing performance coach, Chris Bartle, were also included in the Wall of Fame.
Lucky Pony Club members got the chance to have a lesson with top showjumper, Ben Maher! @ukponyclubofficial Everyone is having a great time and learning lots from @benmaherofficial!
Give eventing a go in 2017! British Eventing’s (BE) arena eventing series has an exciting change for 2017. Open to BE members and non-members, competitors jump a course of showjumps followed by a round of crosscountry fences in the arena. The course finishes over a joker showjump fence that’s 10cm higher than the rest of the course! There’ll be 10 qualifying competitions throughout January and February, with the championships held in early March. Previously only run at BE90 and BE100 levels, BE80 has now also been included, making it the perfect introduction to the sport of eventing. For more information, visit britisheventing.co.uk/ arenaeventing
Did you know?
The winner of the championships will get their hands on a BE membership for 2017, plus a £100 training voucher!
SPOTTED!
We’ve been keeping an eye on all the latest celeb gossip over on social media – what have your fave riders been up to?
Up-and-coming showjumper, Harry Charles, gives his horse a cuddle after jumping a fab round in Spain. @harrycharles_sj Good job fella
bit.ly/maryemily_king VIRAL VID!
Ever wondered what it’s like to go behind-thescenes with Mary and Emily King? Watch video from when Team PONY visited their beautiful yard this summer. Send in your funny pony-related videos to pony@djmurphy.co.uk
Top eventer, Oliver Townend, gets an impressive owl cake for his birthday! @OliverTownend Yum yum yum! My birthday cake... PONY magazine
5
e s o h t Fly
fillers! Banish filler fears for good with our handy guide on how to jump them Top tip
F
illers are often found in the showjumping ring and being able to jump them confidently will give you a head start at competitions. They’re great for brightening up your fences at home, too!
If your pony finds fillers spooky, keep the fences small until he feels more confident jumping them.
Looking down could unbalance your pony...
Master the groundwork
Always warm up your pony thoroughly on the flat before you start jumping to make sure his muscles are warm and loose and that he’s listening to your aids. Make sure you’ve established an active canter so he’s moving forwards with impulsion – this will help him to produce a good jump and give you both confidence, plus it’ll help you if he’s hesitant when approaching a filler.
...which might cause him to knock a pole
It’s all in the approach
A correct approach can make a big difference when jumping fillers, especially if your pony’s likely to be hesitant or try to stop. Establish a balanced, rhythmic canter, look towards the fence and allow plenty of time to get a straight line to the fence after you turn. Wrap your legs around your pony’s sides to maintain impulsion and look up and ahead beyond the fence – not down at the poles or at the base of the fence, as this could unbalance him and make him more likely to stop or knock the fence down.
10
PONY magazine
Build it up
If you’re new to jumping fillers or your pony finds them spooky, it’s a good idea to build up to jumping them. Start by building a simple crosspole and place your fillers at the outside of the fence so they act like wings. This way, your pony will see that they’re there but won’t have to jump over them. Once he’s happy jumping between the fillers, move them in so they’re closer together. Jump this a couple of times then change the fence into an upright. Continue to move the fillers in gradually until your pony’s jumping them confidently.
1
2
Problem busting
Some ponies might find fillers scary because they’re often brightly coloured and can look intimidating, so it’s a common problem for ponies to refuse a filler fence. When practising at home, build fences with different types of fillers around the arena, and ride your pony between them so he gets used to them. You can walk him up to them, too, so he can investigate and learn there’s nothing to be scared of. The more different types of fillers he sees, the more likely he’ll be to jump the ones you meet in the showjumping ring.
Build up filler fences slowly
3 Top tip
Ask a friend to help you move the fillers and adjust the fence so you don’t have to keep getting on and off your pony.
Top tip
If you don’t have any fillers at home, you could use barrels, blocks or cones instead
Top tip
If you have trouble with your pony refusing fences with fillers, ask a friend on an experienced pony for a lead. Your pony should be more confident once he realises the filler won’t attack him!
PONY magazine
11