HQ Pony Magazine Issue 14

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Welcome back to our regular HQ Pony edition!

We hope you all enjoyed the polework special last month, and are getting excited for the print version which will be on shelf soon.

This issue is jam-packed full of articles, exercises and puzzles. There’s a lot of fun to be had in here (if we do say so ourselves)!

Check it out and let us know what you think and, as always, if there’s anything you want us to write about or feature just get in touch. We’d love to hear your suggestions!

Happy horsing! See you next month!

With much love, Lizzie and the HQ Pony Team xxx

July’s pony of the month is the Champion Purebred Gelding, Vintage Count Pushkin. This purebred Section B Welsh Pony is owned and deeply loved by the Morris family.

History

This gem wasn’t always the family man he is today. Count Pushkin was a stud stallion for about ten years before joining the Morris family. During those ten years, Pushkin wasn’t ridden much, focusing predominantly on his breeding duties. Daniela Morris purchased him at this stage and prepared to bring him home to Kyalami.

Still entire, Pushkin arrived at his new home and promptly took off with his groom in tow. Daniela reports questioning her decision to bring this rather feisty stallion home as she watched them disappear, but just one trip to Onderstepoort Veterinary Hospital for the snip and Pushkin returned a changed man.

Now a gelding Pushkin enjoys his fellow pony friends and the tummy-touching hacks they enjoy together. From the years of being a stallion, some things have stuck, like a little victory swish of his neck and head when he is proud of himself or excited. Like most Welsh ponies, he has a feisty but friendly personality and intelligence to match.

His feistiness particularly comes out when he is hacking with his friends! If a car goes past, he doesn’t shy but rather sticks his ears back and prepares to tell the car EXACTLY what he thinks of them disturbing his peaceful outride…

He will be with us forever

Riding

Pushkin began his riding career at the age of 16 with Daniela Morris’ son Gabriel. Once Gabriel had outgrown him, Olivia, Gabriel’s little sister, took the reins. Olivia and Pushkin recently competed in their first dressage show and are preparing for their first freestyle test. Olivia told HQ Pony that she can’t wait for the freestyle as Pushkin will ‘dance’ to the music.

Welsh ponies are well known for being very versatile. Historically they have done everything from ploughing fields to carrying farmers and products to market. Pushkin embodies this versatility. He does it all - lead rein classes, in-hand classes with the Morris’ groom, Silva, showjumping and dressage. We can’t wait to see Olivia and Pushkin dance their way into their first freestyle!

Breeding

Vintage Count Pushkin is the son of the very well-known stallion, Foresyte Prince Edward. Prince Edward’s mother was once the Supreme Breed Horse Champion at Horse of the Year. Both Foresyte Price Edward and Pushkin himself were registered breeding stallions.

Future

Ponies like Pushkin are invaluable. Pushkin just keeps on giving and in return, receives endless love from this very special family.

He has a heart of gold

Getting ready for your first pony

Text | Skye Littlefield

So, you’re getting your first pony? How exciting! There are a few things that you can do to help your pony arrive and settle in happily and with minimal stress. Let’s get down to it.

Familiarisation

When your pony arrives, they may be a bit jumpy and nervous around the new yard and new people. This is entirely normal, and your pony should settle in in no time at all. To better understand this, imagine how you feel when you’re in a new place with unfamiliar people; a bit nervous, right? To ease your pony’s transition, make their stable and paddock comforting, and try to keep the same layout for a few weeks to build familiarity. This means keeping their water and teff in the same place and keeping the neighbouring horses the same. You can also provide some enrichment items for your pony, including mineral licks and horse balls. These give them something to keep their brains engaged, and watching how they play with them is always fun.

Relationship building

Building a relationship with your new family member is the next important step, and you must remember to do it safely. Grab your grooming bag and see if your pony will allow you to give them a gentle groom; take your mom or dad with you if you need some help. It’s important to give your pony a choice of where they spend their time while they’re settling in. If they’re not enjoying the grooming and choose to walk away, that’s fine. Even spending non-demanding time just standing with your pony is important. If your pony is enjoying the grooming, that’s great - keep going. Take notice of where your pony likes to be groomed and where they prefer not to be touched.

Walking your pony in hand is also a great way to build a relationship, and your walks can be as long or as short as you and your pony need. Try to start off with shorter walks closer to home, so you’re both comfortable.

Remember, settling in can take anything from a few days to a few months. Patience is key to a happy relationship.

First rides

If both you and your pony are happy and confident, it’s time for your first ride at home. Make sure your instructor is there when you get on to ensure everyone is safe.

Get those riding clothes on and grab your pony’s tack. Remember to tack up slowly, letting your pony process that you’re taking the next step in your relationship. If you’re feeling a little nervous, you can have someone help you while you’re mounting, and they can walk with you while you ride. When you hop on, use a mounting block to protect your pony’s back.

Your first ride should be easy and calm, with minimal pressure on you or your pony; remember that you’re both here to have fun.

The future

As you get to know your pony a bit better, you’ll start building confidence together. Pretty soon, you’ll be cantering up to that big jump and flying over it together.

forvictory

Vaulting is often described as gymnastics on a pony. It involves up to six vaulters performing gymnastic or dance style moves on horseback while the horse walks, trots or canters on the lunge moving in a 15-metre circle. Vaulting is a test of the vaulter’s balance, rhythm and strength, but it’s also loads of fun and a great way to improve your riding.

History

It is thought that vaulting as a sport could be more than 2000 years old! In Ancient Rome, acrobats would show off their skills by leaping over horses’ backs, and throughout history, the ability to vault has been seen as a great skill to acquire. Vaulting was even part of the French soldiers’ training regime in the Middle Ages!

Vaulting grew in popularity as a spectator sport over the years and was often performed at the circus before becoming recognised by the FEI in 1983.

Who can do it?

You don’t have to be a rider to try vaulting, although it does help to have a good understanding of horses. People who enjoy dance, martial arts and gymnastics are very well suited to vaulting.

The moves

At a vaulting competition, each routine is done to music, and there are certain moves that every vaulter must show, as well as a section where they can freestyle! Some of the moves performed include:

• Vault on: In this move, a vaulter must jump onto the horse while he is moving.

• Flag: This is where you kneel on the horse’s back; the vaulter raises one arm towards the horse’s ears and the opposite leg out towards the tail.

• Stand: The vaulter stands up straight on the horse’s back.

• Swing off: In this, the vaulter hangs off the horse’s side in a handstand position.

In team vaulting, the moves can be even more dramatic. In some moves, vaulters are even thrown into the air by their teammates!

The horse

Vaulting horses must be calm and keep a perfect rhythm on the lunge. They wear certain tack to protect their back and allow the vaulter to perform their movements safely. An extra thick backpad is worn underneath a surcingle with cossack stirrups attached. These padded loops sit much higher up on the surcingle than where regular stirrups sit on the saddle. The horse wears a bridle, but no reins are attached because the horse is fully controlled by the person lunging him.

Competition

In 1986, the FEI hosted the first vaulting world championship, and in 1990, vaulting was included at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm. It was so popular that it has been included in the games ever since.

Competitors can choose to either vault individually or as part of a team, and each move is scored out of 10 by the judges. Judges look for balance, security and form, but it’s not all down to the vaulter – how the horse moves counts for 25% of the total score!

Give it a go!

There are many places in South Africa where you can try vaulting. Usually, you start by practising moves on a wooden horse before trying vaulting on a real horse. From here, you’ll learn everything in walk, and the moves are very simple, to begin with, such as sitting on the backpad and holding your arms out to the side.

Lightningbolt

This super simple layout uses just four poles but can be ridden LOTS of different ways. The exercises can be done in-hand, or ridden at walk, trot and canter.

Benefits

• Helps you to ride more accurately

• Helps to increase inside bend and flexion, improving overall suppleness in your pony

• Increases your pony’s hindquarter engagement and gets them working more correctly

Variations

You can ride this layout in several different ways (as seen here). The great thing about this is that your pony must pay attention to what you are asking rather than anticipating the next step.

As always, the goal is to keep your shapes accurate and symmetrical. We don’t want egg shaped circles!

With time you can raise some of the poles onto cavaletti blocks, but you should keep all poles on the ground until your pony has mastered the exercises.

TheLayout

13. The Namib Desert Horse

Profile

Breed name: Namib Desert Horse (Afrikaans: Namib Woestyn Perd)

Size: 14-15 hands

Coat colour: Bay, chestnut, brown

Place of origin: Namib Desert, Namibia

Ancestors: Domestic horses abandoned in the area in the 1920s

Namib Desert Horses are the only feral horses living in southern Africa. They manage to survive the heat of the Namib Desert, where temperatures can often reach 45 degrees Celsius.

Despite these harsh conditions, the Namib Desert Horses are generally in good condition, except if there is a severe drought in the area.

History

The most likely ancestors of these horses are a mix of riding horses and cavalry horses, mainly from German breeding programmes, which were released from various farms and camps in the early 20th century, especially during World War 1.

Characteristics

The Namib Desert horse tends to be athletic in appearance with strong bones and clean limbs. They are short-backed and generally look ‘well bred’ in terms of their head, skin and coat. They are usually dark in colour.

Future

Sadly, today, there are fewer than 300 Namib Desert Horses left and many young foals are hunted and killed by predators such as hyenas and jackals.

Work is ongoing to ensure a sustainable future for this special breed.

Uvex Helmets for Young Riders

Uvex offers a great range of ultra-safe, light, well ventilated, classy helmets for young riders in any discipline. Whether you take part in dressage, jumping, eventing, endurance, hacking or more, there’s a fashionable or sporty uvex helmet model for you!

Favourites in the range:

• Onyxx is light as a feather and available in funky designs (including a new print launching later this year)

• Exxential is an all-rounder helmet that offers exceptional safety standards at a great price

• Exxential MIPS is an all-rounder helmet that offers exceptional safety standards with a MIPS inner shell to protect against rotational forces

• Perfexxion II is innovatively designed, is well-ventilated and has extended safety to protect more of the rider’s head

• Suxxeed is a beautiful fashion helmet with premium comfort and safety features, loved by dressage and showjumping riders. Available with chrome and Swarovski finishes

All Uvex helmets are adjustable for a customized fit, light in weight and are VG1 certified.

Find the full uvex equestrian range at Western Shoppe in-store and online. Learn more at www.westernshoppe.com.

Q: I have realised that I really cannot see lameness and it makes me worry that I don’t see issues with my own pony. How can I learn to get better at this so that I don’t miss something important?

A:

To spot lameness you’ll need to watch carefully and have someone else walk and trot the pony away from and towards you, ideally on a flat and hard surface. When your pony is led away from you, look for the hindquarters dipping an uneven amount on each side as he moves or whether one hindleg swings out to the side, is snatched up or if he’s dragging his toes. When he’s led towards you, you might spot him nodding his head. It’s also worth looking to see how evenly he picks up his front feet. Some vets ask for the pony to be trotted past them side-on as well, which can help them to see any shortness in the strides.

Another good way to spot lameness, can be to watch your pony walk and trot on a circle, as this can make it clear where the problem is. Make sure to circle on both sides and to ensure that your pony is calm when moving. If you are struggling to spot the issue, it can also help to close your eyes and listen to the rhythm of him moving – it can sometimes be easier to hear unevenness in the rhythm than to see it.

Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself about this. Lameness detection is something that you get better at with practice, and even the most well-trained observers can sometimes miss something. Try and learn what you can by listening to other knowledgeable people and by observing as many ponies as you can, but if you have any concerns about your own ponies, just call you vet – nobody will laugh at you and it is always better to be safe than sorry!

NOTE: It goes without saying that if your pony is lame you should always call your vet for an examination to get to the bottom of what is causing the lameness. If you do call your vet out for lameness, ask them to explain what they are seeing. Most vets will be more than happy to help you learn more!

Q: My pony has become very aggressive suddenly with others in his paddock. The yard owner wants to separate him, but he was fine until recently. What could be the cause of this?

A:Becoming suddenly aggressive towards other ponies can have a range of causes, although the most common tend to be pain, feeling unsafe and competition over food.

It’s best to get your pony thoroughly checked by your vet. Aggression can be caused by anything from pain from arthritis to gastric ulcers and your vet will be best placed to work out what is going on. Often in these instances, once the pain has been resolved the pony will return to ‘normal’.

Similarly, a change in the amount of grazing or food can lead to aggression between members of a herd. Alternatively, if your pony’s food has been cut he may now be in greater competition for grass intake in the paddock to make up for this and this too could make him more aggressive. In this case, if his food is increased or he is given greater access to grazing or forage the behaviour is likely to disappear.

Other changes in the environment can also have a big impact and these should be considered. Are there new ponies in the group in his paddock? Are there particular ponies that seem to trigger the aggression? Are the ponies all male or are there mares in the area that might have come into season? Is he in the same paddock with the same amount of space as before or has something changed? Has the amount of work he is doing changed? If you are unaware of any changes, it is also worth chatting to your yard manager as she may have insight into other changes in management that are not immediately obvious. Some ponies are very sensitive to change and any small disruption can cause an increase in their stress levels, making the triggering of aggressive responses more likely. Again, once these issues have been dealt with, and your pony is made to feel more comfortable again, he is likely to return to his normal behaviours.

If, after thorough investigation, none of the above factors seem to be at play, your vet is likely to want to do more investigations into the sudden change in behaviour. There are some rare conditions that can cause rapidonset aggression, but these are very uncommon.

Finally, if all health and environmental issues are ruled out, you should consider calling an animal behaviourist to help you to tackle the issue.

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