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Editor-in-Chief Louise Kittle
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e’ve loved reading your amazing entries to the PONY Short Story Comp. There were so many of them, and so many great reads. In fact, it was just too hard to pick our fave, so we’ll be sharing our top two stories – one in this issue, and the other next month.
Spring is officially here, and to celebrate we’ve got an epic selection of horsey kit to refresh your wardrobe. There are sooooo many cute options – turn to p52!
Until next month!
Lou
Sarah
Fran
Lucy,
Sarah, Assistant Ed
to exercise and look after, my flatwork sessions need to be sooo productive! Plus, aimlessly trotting around in circles won’t supercharge your riding skills.
Here are my schooling secrets that will make your rides more
Check out Harlow’s five fun and interesting for you and your pony!
Walk your pony large around the arena with a loose rein and check in with each part of your body. Focus on sitting evenly in the saddle, engaging your core and using your aids (hands and legs) correctly.
Start in walk on the outside track and ask your pony to bend his neck to the inside slightly. Press your inside leg against his belly while flexing with your inside rein to encourage him to turn his head slightly. Use your outside rein to prevent him from turning and hold this for a few strides, then straighten him. Try on the other rein and in trot, too, when you’ve got the hang of it.
Instead of working your pony on the track, ride around 1m away from it on the inside. You can do this in all three paces and incorporate lots of shapes to test your skills and see how much your pony relies on the fence. If he feels as though he’s drifting back out to the track, press with your outside leg and close your outside rein towards his wither. encourage him to turn his head slightly.
Keep your pony trim and healthy this spring with our advice
With the arrival of spring grass, it’s sooo easy for ponies to pile on the pounds, but the good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to prevent this happening! By monitoring your pony’s condition regularly you’ll be ready to make essential adjustments – result! Here’s what to consider.
Knowing about body condition scoring is a great way to keep tabs on your pony’s weight.
This simple method involves feeling your pony’s neck, middle and hindquarters to assess his condition. It’s wise to do this every two weeks in order to catch any weight fluctuations early.
Once you’ve finished body condition scoring your pony, rate him from 1–5, with 5 being obese and 1 being very thin.
Want to know more?
Check out our full body condition scoring guide at bit.ly/CONDITION_
GUIDE
Take photos of your pony when you condition score him so you have visual records of his body shape, too.
While weight tapes aren’t 100% accurate, they provide a good estimate of your pony’s weight, and help you spot changes. Here’s what to do.
1. Stand your pony up on a hard, flat surface making sure he’s standing square.
2. Take hold of the zero end of the weight tape then place the other end over the top of his back just behind his withers.
3. Grab hold of the end of the tape under your pony’s belly and bring it to meet the zero end. Avoid pulling it too tight, but make sure it’s snug!
4. Read the measurement to fi nd out how many kilogrammes your pony weighs –simple, right?
By weight taping your pony once a week at the same time of day and recording it somewhere, you’ll be able to make adjustments to his lifestyle sooner.
