Q&A

Q: How often should I clean my grooming kit?

A: A clean grooming kit helps keep your pony’s coat shiny and healthy, so it’s good to clean your brushes regularly – every three to four weeks – because there is no point grooming a pony with dirty brushes! Of course, you should also clean your grooming kit if your pony gets particularly dirty and the brushes become muddy or dusty or if your horse has a skin condition and your vet advises you to wash brushes more frequently.

Q: Is a horse now classified as a domestic animal?

A: Yes, the modern horse is classified as a domestic animal, as he is defined as ‘a species bred, born and raised and used’ by humans. Some herds of native horse breeds still exist in the wild, but most so-called wild horses are actually domestic horses that have escaped and become settled in their environment. The only truly wild horses left in existence today are Przewalski’s horses.

Q: My pony hates trucking boots and stamps and kicks until he gets them off. What can I do about this? I’m worried about him travelling without boots.

A: Often, trucking boots feel pretty weird to ponies when they wear them for the first time. Then, because ponies don’t wear the boots often, they don’t really get used to them. This means that getting your pony happy in the boots, is usually just a case of spending the time to get him used to them so that he is comfortable in them.

Begin by going right back to basics - is your pony comfortable with other boots like tendon boots? If not, you will need to start with these and gradually work up to trucking boots.

When first introducing boots, make sure you work with an adult and wear a hard hat and sturdy shoes. You should only practice with getting your pony used to boots in a safe environment. Work with just one boot at a time, to begin with, and start with the front legs. When introducing the boot, spend lots of time running your hands down your pony’s legs, putting the boot on, and then removing it afterwards. You don’t want to leave the boots for long to begin with. Over time, as your pony gets more used to wearing the boots, you can leave them in place for a bit longer.

You should be able to put the boot on each leg and have your pony stand quietly before you move on to putting on two boots at once, then three and finally four. When he can stand quietly in all four boots, you can ask him to take a couple of steps and then stand again. If he does this, reward him and remove the boots. You can then try a few more steps the next day and finally load him into the horsebox in the boots. As soon as he is comfortable with this, you can ask someone to take him for a short drive in the horse box with the boots on, and and gradually work up to travelling to shows or clinics in them.

This is a long process but avoids the dangers of your pony fighting boots while travelling. Make sure you give him plenty of praise and rewards as you work through this, and you will soon find that your pony is a trucking boot pro!