PONY magazine – October 2016

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l o o h sc k r o w flat part 1

September brings a new school year, but not all school work is boring! Check out these fab exercises to brush up on your flatwork

U

se these exercises to perfect your flatwork in the school. In part one, we’ll work on the basics, which are superimportant to get right before moving onto trickier exercises next month.

Winning warm-up

Before you get started, always warm up your pony properly, so he’s listening to you and responsive to your aids.

A good way to start your warm-up is to let your pony stretch out on a loose rein in walk.

He’ll really appreciate this, especially if he’s been in his stable.

Once you’ve given him a gentle walk on both reins, take up your contact and ask him to walk forward more purposefully. After around five minutes of walking, make a transition to trot and ride some larger shapes, such as 20-metre circles, on both reins. Mix these up with some trot-to-walk and walk-to-trot transitions, then have a short canter on both reins.

Now you’re ready to get started on our back to school exercises!

Handy half-halts

Half-halts are a super-useful tool to get your pony listening to you. They can slow your pony down if he’s rushing or let him know that you’re about to ask him to do something.

To ride a half-halt, wrap your legs around If your pony is a golden your pony to keep him moving forwards oldie, your warm-up is and close your hands around the reins to even more important. Make contain his energy, then release. A halfsure his muscles are loose halt should only last for one stride and is a and he’s had a chance gentle reminder for your pony that he to stretch out any needs to listen to you. stiffness.

Top tip

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p on Start your warm-u a lo ose rein

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How he behaves: explained!

Stress can make ponies behave in odd ways. Anna Saillet explains the reasons behind the behaviour and how you can make sure your pony is happy

Our expert

Anna Saillet is an Equine Behaviour Consultant. She has a degree in Animal Behaviour and a master’s degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare.

Crib-biting

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onies can’t speak to you to tell you when they’re stressed, so they have to communicate it in other ways. A common way ponies do this is through behaving differently to how they normally would by showing stereotypic behaviour, which is behaviour that your pony repeats often and for no obvious reason, such as box-walking, cribbiting or wind-sucking.

This is where a pony grasps something, with their mouth, such as a fence or a stable door, and takes in air. They’ll often make a grunting sound as they do it. Cribbiting can cause problems with your pony’s teeth and weight loss. In some serious cases, it can even cause colic.

Bad behaviour?

Some horsey people think these behaviours are a vice or a bad habit when actually your pony isn’t being naughty – he’s just trying to tell you he’s feeling upset or stressed out. Your pony might start to show these behaviours when he’s stressed because he’s using them as a coping mechanism.

Repeating the behaviour releases chemicals called endorphins into his brain, which make him feel happy.

This means showing the stereotypic behaviour when he’s stressed makes him feel better.

Ponies who show stereotypic behaviours will often continue to perform them even when they’re no longer stressed, so don’t panic if your pony has always done it. However, if it’s a new behaviour, it’s a warning sign that something may be causing him to feel stressed. Don’t worry though – there’s lots you can do to make your pony feel happy!

Common examples

Here are a few common stereotypies that a stressed pony might show...

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Wind-sucking Wind-sucking is similar to crib-biting but an object isn’t grasped to take in the air and very little air is actually swallowed.

Top tip!

It’s important not to think of these behaviours as bad or naughty.

Instead, try to understand what’s causing your pony to show the behaviour and learn how you can help prevent it.

Box- or fence-walking This is when a pony repeatedly walks around his stable or up and down a fence line in his field. It makes it tricky to keep his stable clean as he’ll walk through droppings and scatter them. It can also cause him to lose condition and affect how he goes when you ride him.

Weaving This is where a pony repetitively sways from side-toside. He’ll most commonly use his head, neck and shoulders, but some ponies may use their hindquarters, too. Weaving can cause problems such as strained muscles and ligaments, and even cause a pony to lose body condition.

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BHS lified instructorqua Jennings, ,anLoswrreraisne

Time for a nap I have a group riding lesson every week and am learning to canter. When I get to the front of the ride, I canter round the arena to join the back of the ride, but my fave riding school pony tries to nap back to the other ponies. How can I stop him napping?

We cannot reply personally to problems. All photos are posed by models

Q

It’s important to let your pony know he needs to listen to you. Nappy ponies need positive riding so instead of thinking ‘oh dear, he won’t go’ think, ‘oh yes he will!’ If he knows you’re determined, he’ll soon realise you won’t give up and will stop trying.

Keep him focused on you. Sit up, look up and carry your hands just above his withers. Your good position will make him perk up and pay attention.

It’s also important to be prepared. You know he’s likely to nap when he gets to the front, so be ready. It’s harder to get him going once he’s stopped than it is to keep him moving, so push on even if he feels like he’s going forward. Give him a tap with your whip behind your leg the second you feel him start to slow down.

Use your voice to encourage him to go forwards, too.

Firmly say, ‘walk on’, when you feel him slowing down.

Nappy ponies can be challenging, but they’ll give in when they understand you won’t let them get away with this behaviour. Keep at it and good luck!

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le lengthening Medium trot has a visib of stride Dressage dilemma I really love dressage and recently had a go at my first Novice test. I had to show some strides of medium trot but I didn’t get a very good mark for it. What are the correct aids for medium trot and how do I know if I’m doing it properly?

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Medium trot is the first introduction to a more extended trot. It’s a common movement to lose marks on in a test, because many riders don’t show a clear enough transition between working and medium trot.

A true medium trot has impulsion and a visible lengthening of stride, without rushing. To ask for medium trot, do some half-halts to shift your pony’s weight to his hindquarters. Then apply your leg and slightly push your hands forward. Be careful not to use your leg too quickly, or your pony will rush. The speed of the trot should remain the same but each stride covers more ground, so be careful not to rise more quickly.

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On the run Whenever I ask my pony to canter, he just trots faster and faster rather than cantering – it feels like he’s running! How can I get him to make a good transition?

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Running is something some ponies do to avoid cantering. There could be a variety of reasons for this, including... l being unbalanced, so he finds cantering in an arena difficult l being inexperienced, so he’s not sure what you’re asking l being nervous and rushing, rather than calmly making the transition l avoiding your aids. If your pony also throws his head up, bucks or shows any other evasive behaviour as well as running, he may be in pain so will need his teeth, saddle and back checked l being lazy. Making the transition from trot to canter takes effort!

It’s best to ask your instructor for advice so you can work out the reason your pony’s reluctant to canter To rule out rider and pony miscommunication as a reason, make sure your aids for canter are very clear. To ask for canter, move your outside leg behind the girth to tell your pony which hindleg to strike off with, keep your inside leg at the girth and apply pressure to ask your pony to go forwards, keep your hands even and steady and take care not to pull on your pony’s mouth. Sit up, look up and ahead, and be positive!

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Spooky pony problem My pony’s really spooky out hacking and I feel like she doesn’t trust me when I ask her to go past something she’s spooked at. How can I get her to be more confident?

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It can be very hard to enjoy a hack when you’re constantly expecting your pony to shy away from monsters in the hedgerow! Find a friend with a calm, experienced pony to hack out with and ask them to give you a lead past the scary object to give your pony confidence.

Your pony may feel braver if she can ‘meet’ the monster and give it a good sniff, or take her mind off it by giving her something else to think about.

Remember to keep your leg on and ride positively. Try not to get frustrated when your pony spooks – being patient and understanding will reassure her. Don’t get cross and shout at her as it’ll only confuse her and confirm her suspicions that the spooky object is something to be scared of.

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Bridle bother

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Whenever I try to put my pony’s bridle on he shakes his head so it’s really tricky. How can I stop him doing it?

First, think about why it is that he does it. Is any part of his bridle uncomfy for him, or done up too tight? Is his bit the correct size for his mouth? If it’s too small it could pinch the corners of his mouth and if it’s too big it could move around and hit the bars of his mouth, both of which would cause him discomfort.

Ask your instructor to check the fit of his bridle and bit to make sure they’re correct, as your pony could be associating wearing his bridle with being in pain and headshaking is his way of telling you.

Try to make having his bridle put on a positive experience – don’t get cross with him or think he’s simply being naughty. Give him a treat just before you put his bridle on so he’s got something else to concentrate on. Put his bridle on quietly, without any fuss, and give him a wither scratch or pat each time he stands quietly for a few seconds. This should help him to associate having his bridle put on with something positive.

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