PONY Magazine – April 2019

FURPERE-CUETE S UNICORN

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13 March – 10 April 2019

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April 2019 £3.99 Issue 850

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sorted PONY shows you how to tackle some common pony probs

R

iding different ponies is an amazing way to improve your riding, but remember that each one’s an individual and will need approaching differently. Here’s all you need to know about riding strong, lazy and spooky ponies.

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Worr y ing fun, but don’t ong ponies stops be and you’ll have str these tips sussed in no time.

Keep calm When riding a strong pony it’s easy to think you need to pull, but this’ll just encourage your pony to pull against you. It’s a battle you won’t win! If you tense against him, you’ll soon find yourself being pulled forwards, losing your position, which will make it more difficult to get your pony to stop.

Instead, sit up and relax your contact, so your pony has nothing to fight against.

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PONY magazine

Sitting tall

Having an effective position will help you, as it’ll prevent you from getting into a pulling battle.

When you’re in the right position your shoulder, elbow, hip and heel should all be in a straight line down your body. If you’re leaning too far forward or back, this line will be broken. You need to make sure you’re... l sitting up tall with your shoulders back l pushing your weight down through to your heels to help keep your leg secure l looking up, to encourage you to sit tall l keeping your hands soft – if you pull Whenever you notice your pony is likely to pull back a change in your pony’s behaviour, it’s a good idea to get his back and saddle checked to make sure he’s not in pain.

Top tip

Change it up Ponies can often get strong when they’re bored, so it’s super-important to keep him busy and listening to you. Riding lots of transitions is great for getting him to respond to your aids and helping keep him focused.

Strong ponies can often feel like they fix their neck, too, so riding turns, circles and other shapes is a great way to help keep him supple and prevent him leaning on your hands.

Top tip

Not by half

Half-halts are a really useful tool to use with strong ponies. They ask your pony to pause, which helps balance him and slow him down. To ride one, think about riding a downward transition – sit up tall and wrap your legs firmly around your pony to encourage him forward, while maintaining a firm, even contact on the reins. As your pony begins to slow down, relax your aids and allow him forward again.

Don’t forget, your voice can be a really useful aid, too! If you’d like your pony to slow, say “woah” in a calm, but firm, tone.

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PONY magazine

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R E H E T G O T

Grab a friend and have a go at a pairs hunter trial class

G

oing cross-country with your fave pony is super-exciting, but you can make it even more fun by teaming up with a friend and entering a pairs class.

Here’s all you need to know...

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You don side each jump along u don’t y other if o want to.

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al hunter trial, A pairs class is similar to a norm a friend and with rse but you ride round the cou a chance with in be To es. both jump the fenc clear go to d nee ’ll you tte, rose a of winning fences the of e and earn points by jumping som alongside each other.

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PONY magazine

Top tip

You’ll find a pairs class much easier if yo u team up with a friend whose pony has a sim ilar stride pattern to your s.

Building a partnership

Not all ponies will be happy jum ping next to each other straightaway, so you’ll nee d to practise this before your competition. If you r ponies aren’t hacking buddies who are used to being close together, introduce them by ridin g side-by-side

in walk, leaving a gap of around 2m at first, then you can gradually reduce this to 1m. If they’re both happy, move into trot, then try canter, focusing on keeping your ponies in the same, even rhythm so they stay togeth er.

Jump to itdy to start jumping, place two

When you’re rea h the poles on blocks fences side-by-side, wit give your ponies plenty l is’l rather than wings. Th you can build up to of room to jump. Then er over a single fence, jumping next to each oth s. enough for both ponie but make sure it’s wide er, eth ppy to jump tog Hopefully, they’ll be ha back to walking and go e, sur un but if they seem er for a little longer. It trotting next to each oth ns until you can both might take a few sessio y. thl jump together smoo

Top tip

Top tip

It’s best to practise over a fence that doesn’t have wings, so you give both ponies enough room to jump.

To help you both take off for the fence at the same time, make sure your ponies canter in the same rhythm.

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