INSIDE your mag... INSIDE your mag...
Who’s who? Who’s who?
PONY magazine, Olive Studio, The Timber Yard, Grange Road, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey GU10 2DQ
Tel 01428 601020
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Email pony@djmurphy.co.uk
Team PONY
Editor-in-Chief Louise Kittle
Assistant Editor Sarah Burgess
Editorial Assistant Megan Xavier-Witherington
Head of Art and Design Sarah Garland
Senior Designer Adam Witt
Junior Designer Lucy Claydon
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Marketing Assistant Alex Uren, Emily Weeks
Art Editor Paul Smail
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Production Manager Eleanor Dunn
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Managing Director Zoe Cannon
Commercial Director Abi Cannon
Smooth operation PONY
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Jon Stroud, Chelsea White. Jodie Cooling, Olga_i, juhipp, Alexia Khruscheva, Francesca Leslie, QubixStudio, Makarova Viktoria, Zuzule/ shutterstock.com
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The team is super excited for the summer holidays! It’s our favourite time of year, getting out on the road for lots of photoshoots for upcoming issues of the mag.
MEET THE PONY TEAM
If you’ve got a busy competition season planned, don’t miss our plaiting tips on p52 to help you get your fave pony looking his best! We’re here to help you pony-fy your at-home time, too, with loads of fun puzzles, a super-cute make and quizzes, too! Enjoy! IN YOUR DREAMS WHAT WOULD YOUR DREAM HORSE BE?
Follow our guide to perfect plaits on p52!
Write to us at PONY mag, Olive Studio, The Timber Yard, Grange Road, Tilford, Surrey GU10 2DQ or email pony@djmurphy.co.uk
15–22 metres
The approximate length of a pony’s small intestine!
8 metres
The approximate length of a pony’s large intestine!
I’ve always wanted to own a palomino. There’s nothing more beautiful! Lou, Editor
I’d love a bright bay with four white socks. They’ve got to be a talented jumper, too! Sarah, Assistant Ed
Sarah and Prince Assistant Editor
Lou and Ted PONY Ed Fran and Sekonda Production Editor
DJMur phy
rising high rising high
Discover how to ace rising trot and canter!
Rising in trot and canter is all about lifting yourself out of the saddle in a rhythm to help your pony perform at his best. But how can it affect a pony’s way of going and how do you get it right?
MASTER THE SKILL
It can be tricky to get to grips with the skill of rising to the trot and canter because it requires lots of strength and balance, so you’ll need to put in plenty of practice. If you’re not used to it, you might feel like your leg muscles get tired and achy quickly, but keep working on it and you’ll soon develop the strength to ace it!
HOW?
As you rise, think about pushing up from your heels and through your legs to stand tall. Try to avoid tipping forward as this will put your pony off balance – keep your shoulders back and eyes up! Remember, when you sit down into the saddle do it as gently as possible so you don’t bump your pony’s back – you’ll need to keep the muscles in your legs and tummy engaged to help with this, rather than just flopping back down!
Top tip
When getting used to the rhythm of trot, don’t worry about diagonals! It’ll become much easier to understand once you’ve nailed the basics of rising.
In the USA,
is
trot. did you know?did you know?
rising trot
known as posting
Sitting as the outside foreleg moves back
Top tip
If you’re struggling to establish a good rhythm in your rising trot, try counting ‘one-two’ or saying ‘up-down’ out loud as you do it.
Top tip
Be careful not to hang onto your pony’s mouth and pull at the bit when rising out of the saddle as this will hurt him. If you’re feeling a bit wobbly, hold onto a neckstrap.
Rising canter can help your pony settle into a more consistent rhythm
Rising as the outside foreleg moves forward
Showing SUCCESS SUCCESS S
Part two: Ringcraft tips
In-hand and leadrein showing classes are slightly different because they don’t involve canter, but they run in a similar format with a group and then individual show. did you know? you know?
Happy Happy Feeling Feeling
What does your pony need to be happy? Find out here!
your fave pony is epic – always there when you need a friend, gives amazing cuddles (okay, receives cuddles, sometimes reluctantly), and the two of you are on an amazing journey together, whatever riding level you’re at. But do you know how to help ensure he’s happy? Well, we’re here to guide you –behaviourists have identified three important areas that matter to ponies, and ensuring your fave pony is getting all of these will help him feel confident, happy and healthy. Let’s take a closer look...
TOP TIP
If your pony’s paddock is short of grass, put piles of hay – at least two more than the number of ponies in the herd – around the field to extend eating time.
Food Food
Munching on high-quality forage throughout the day and night is important for keeping your pony healthy.
• Ponies have evolved to eat for 16-18 hours a day, which is why plenty of time in the field, and lots of forage in the stable is really important! If your pony is greedy, or on a diet, he still needs to eat for this long but you’ll need to think carefully about how to limit the calories, for example feeding lower energy forage such as soaked hay, or double-netting it to make his ration last longer
• Think about how you can enrich his environment, for example by hanging multiple haynets around his stable, using a snack ball with his hard feed in to increase eating time, and even hiding apple and carrot slices around his box
• Ponies love to browse on leaves and even bark – if your pony doesn’t have access to hedges or trees in his field, why not look up some pony-safe options? You can put a fallen branch in his stable, and even hide treats among the leaves
Fibre helps keep your pony’s gut working normally and helps to prevent ulcers from developing. did you know?did you know?
