PONY Magazine – March 2015

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PAGOAZINE M

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“I showjumped for my school!”

“The pony that shattered

my confid ence!”

update your

leg aids!

Put a bridle ep on step-by-st First aid s for ponie

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770032 425188

pony probs

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Riding school

fillers!

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Jump those MORE horsey goings-on at

ponymag.com

Cute foal Posters

Quiz: What’s your p on y thinking?

March 2015 £3.49 Issue 796

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Part one of show jumpingoutrraijumping masterclasses with we see Annie and Mner John Smart. This month , isty ce their fill er and jump thfa fe ar – em anyway!

S m p a m r u t!

J Part 1

Filler fear

Meet John Smart enting

Annie sometimes has trouble with jumping fillers, as Misty isn’t very keen on them.

John explained that the key is to work on building up Misty’s confidence and getting him to believe in Annie. If Annie is positive, it should rub off on Misty!

British Ev John Smart is a th a who has been bo er accredited train ials Tr e rs Ho n dminto prize winner at Ba r. pe m ju ow sh nal and an internatio

ty Meet Annie and Ma is nine-year-old,

d Misty, Annie has owne They a, for four years. ar em nn Co 14.3hh gular re ve d jumping, ha enjoy hacking an ub Cl ny Po and go to jumping lessons, . ts en ev d rallies an

1.

Watchpoinfet! nces

John sets up some warm-up fences for Annie and Misty. First they trot to a fence with a placing pole, and then come in canter. This helps them get a balanced jump in both paces to build their confidence.

of Over a couple behind. ft le Annie gets that this John explains e she us happens beca fence e th p m goes to ju . He says, before Misty ay to get “The worst w to go is left behind ement.” ov m e before th it’s John explains the ps m Misty who ju do it t n’ ca ie nn fence, A hink “T , ys for him. He sa – ty is M to about saying .” w llo fo l you go, I’l

2.

Annie moves on to some different fences, including some with fillers. John uses a placing pole in front of the fence again.

He says, “To build a pony’s confidence, never canter to a strange type of fence straight away when schooling. Trot to it with a placing pole, and don’t anticipate the pony will stop.”

On to something different...

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3.

John moves the fillers into the jump, and Misty has a good look!

Warming up with simple jumps and placing poles ...and the filler fear kicks in!

4.

John gets Annie to let Misty have a look at a new fence with a filler before she attempts it. He says, “If possible, walk the pony to the jump and let him touch the top pole with his whiskers. Where fillers are concerned, it can be helpful to let the pony move closer to the jump so he can see the landing.”

5.

Misty trusts Annie and jumps the fence with no problem! John explains, “The trick is getting Misty to believe in Annie, so he doesn’t question what Annie asks of him.”

Misty goes for it!

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Annie carries on to another fence that Misty hasn’t seen, and he jumps that in fine style, too!

Top tip!

Success!

John asked Annie what she got out of the lesson. She said, “I feel more confident jumping fillers now, and I’m pleased Misty trusted me enough to jump the orange fence well, even though it was the first time he’d seen it.”

John says when jumping a fence your pony is not sure about, don’t feel like you have to do a lot to compensate for the fact he might not like the jump. He says, “If what you do isn’t going to help, don’t do anything to hinder.”

Log on to ponymag.com to see more pictures and sty video of Annie and Mi in action!

Next month

g! overjumpin h it w s m Proble 7

y n T o R p A P l o g o n i h sc Rid

problems

Riding school ponies are great – it’s official! But they often know a few sneaky moves. These features are your secret weapon. Read on to discover how to solve those Riding School pony problems!

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Problem: Pony cuts the corners

Most school ponies know that cutting the corners means they can go slower and do less work. That’s smart! But the trouble is, when they do that, they’re ignoring you. Instead of waiting for your suggestion, they’ve made up their minds way before they reach the quarter marker, and are already heading for the middle of the next side.

corner cutting: CURE IT! Is it important?

Yes! It’s not just being picky. If your pony decides when to turn, he’s in charge. If he makes that decision, then he’ll make all of them. You need to be the leader, not him!

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re doing their own thing. l All ponies slow down a fraction befo they’ll carry on with their e, notic t don’ This is to test you. If you own agenda. So notice! increase the speed slightly. Keep l As you approach a corner, see if you can e you want to go and steer. wher your inside leg on. Take charge. Look ’s head and neck straight and pony your keep l Keep a strong contact, ide). This is difficult to do feel on your inside rein (not the outs ide rein, the one nearest the because you want to tug on the outs will continue to cut the corner lders wall. If you do, your pony’s shou shoulders, not his head. (he’ll just look at the wall!), so ride his r and not too close together. Push his l Make sure your hands are at the withe as though you are riding your shoulders into the corner. You want to feel pony’s body, not his head. be firm and practise on every l Your pony won’t give in easily – so single corner.

Problem: Pony crowds the one in front If you’re riding a pony who goes too close to the one in front of him, that’s quite dangerous, whether on a hack or in the school. The correct spacing in closed order on a lesson (where everyone is in a single ride) is half a pony’s length between each pony. It is a good test of your riding to keep to this length throughout the lesson.

Is it important?

Yes! Any closer than half a pony’s length and yo u run the risk of your pony treading on the pony in front’ s heels, or it can invite the po ny to kick out at yours.

Crowding: CURE IT! l Breathe deeply and rhythmically when you ride. If you’re uptight and anxious, you’ll transmit those feelings to your pony, making him go even faster! l It’s tempting to just pull on the reins – but this is a panic tactic and means you’re riding your pony’s head again, instead of his body. Resist this. l Instead, ask your pony to slow his pace by giving half-halt aids.

How? Give the aids to slow down (sit up straight, close your thighs and knees in the saddle and your hand around the reins).

As you feel your pony respond, relax your aids. l Half-halts ask your pony to slow down in stages. They are reminders – slow down... slow down... slow down... Your pony will soon get the message and adjust his pace. When he does, you can stop using your half-halts. l You should get the impression that you are slowing your pony’s body, not just his front end. Pulling on the reins will result in him lifting his head. Successful half-halts should see your pony slowing down without his head moving up!

Next month More riding school po ny problems: How to co pe with school pony jum ping troubles!

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In the saddle 1

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You’re out hacking with your friend, when a group of people from another yard overtake you at canter and disappear into the trees. Your pony starts jogging and breaking out into a sweat. What are his thoughts?

Diddly dum, dee-dee, da, da, la, la, shoobie do whop, whop, pah...

Phew, that was scary. I want to get home!

That looks exciting, I want to go with them!

I know what she wants but it’s fun to ignore her!

Oh dear, something’s scared them, I need to keep up with everyone else!

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You are riding a new school pony and, nervously, you ask for canter, keeping your knees in, just in case. The pony goes faster and faster around the school, like a wall-of-death motorbike, with you yelling whoa, and steady. Any idea what’s on this pony’s mind?

I wish I could get away from this creature on my back!

You are schooling after school, and your pony is being particularly dim.

Only yesterday he understood when you wanted him to go sideways, but today he won’t do it. What do you think he might be thinking?

What? Whaaaat?

Why is he going faster and faster?

This is a laugh, I’ve really got her scared!

What a r ponies e thinkin g?

She’s gripping well up there, so she must want me to go faster.

Why will he only stand facing the other ponies?

Thin pony’sk you know their g mind? Got what’s on rey ma a a ha quiz totter? Wellntdle on find ou ry our t!

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After a canter out hacking, you and your mates have stopped for a breather – but your pony won’t stand still. He’ll only stand when you turn him to face his chums. What are his thoughts?

I’m too excited to stand, but I’ll try.

I’m a herd animal. If I’m facing the same way as my mates, I don’t want to get left behind.

Oh, all right!

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All posed by models

In the yard 5

You’ve brought your pony in from the field and his feed is in his stable. Barging you out of the way he dives in, and you get cross and tell him off for being so illmannered. What is he thinking?

Ooops, I’ve gone too far. Fair enough.

But you don’t understand, MY FEED’S IN THERE!!!

What on earth is she moaning about now?

I don’t know what you’re on about. What do you want me to do?

Don’t think so love. You’ll have to try harder than that!

Your pony, who is usually suc h a mildmannered soul, rushes to his door to threaten another pony passing his stable. What are his though ts?

There’s that pony who bullies me in the field, I’ll get him before he gets me.

Get away from MY stable!

I think I’ll stir things up around here for a laugh!

What’s the rush?

Pony being a bit dim today?

How did you do?

You’re on your pony’s wavelength, all right. You understand what makes ponies tick, and how his instincts work, which makes you his fave person. Who doesn’t love someone who understands them?

You think your pony is a bit empty-headed, or he does things on purpose to upset you, but he isn’t and he doesn’t. He applies his own pony-logic to situations, and what works for him, doesn’t necessarily work for you. You just need to remember what motivates ponies to get inside his head.

Well, you’ve got some good ideas about what your pony might be thinking, but you may need to think a bit more like a horse to get it right. He doesn’t do things to annoy you, he does things because they make sense to him – and he’s a pony!

Mainly Mainly Mainly

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It’s time to tack up your school pony for a lesson. But will he open his mouth for the bit? Will he snaffles! What’s on his mind, do you think?

I hate my bridle, most people pull on my mouth, you know.

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