How-tos
The most important thing about owning a pony is to learn as much as you can about their care and training, so you can make their life as fun and easy as possible! In each book in the Showtym Adventures series, we will expand on key lessons Vicki, Amanda and I learnt on our journey to becoming better horse riders. Some lessons we learnt by making mistakes; others from observing our horses and learning from them — and some knowledge has been passed down to us by others. We hope you enjoy these top tips!
How to tie a pony
When Vicki tied Dandy up for the first time she made sure to use a quick release knot, like her parents had taught her when she was a young girl. That way if he were to panic, or get a leg caught over the rope and pull back, Vicki would be able to untie him quickly and safely.
Follow the diagram below to learn how to tie a quick release knot:
Here are some top tips from Vicki about tying up your pony:
- Tie your pony at a safe height. The rope should be tied at about the same height as your pony’s back. If you tie your pony too low it can get a leg over the rope, or get its head stuck underneath the rope, and panic.
- Tie your pony at a length that’s long enough for it to be comfortable, but not so long that the rope droops down — otherwise the pony will be able to step over it.
- Do not tie up your pony with the bridle. Instead, use a good quality, properly fitting halter and a lead rope.
- Only tie your pony to objects that it cannot move or pull over, like a tree trunk or a strong post. Never tie your pony to something it can drag, like a large tyre or horse trailer that’s not attached to a vehicle.
- Tie your pony to a piece of twine that is tied to something sturdy. This way, if your pony pulls back to break free only the twine is broken, reducing the chance of injury to your pony.
How to use a rope halter
Rope halters can be a good tool for training your pony, allowing you to communicate quickly and precisely by applying pressure to the lead rope. If your pony pulls on the rope, the halter becomes uncomfortable. If your pony yields to the pressure, it can be rewarded instantly by softening the halter.
When Vicki first used her birthday rope halter on Dandy, she didn’t realise there was a right way and a wrong way of fitting it. At the Colt Starting clinic the trainer showed her how to correctly fit the halter to Dandy’s head, so the rope halter sat high up on his nose, just below the cheekbones.
He also showed her how to tie it correctly so the knot was around the loop of the halter and the end of the rope faced away from Dandy’s eye.
The diagram opposite shows the correct way to fit your pony’s rope halter.
TOP TIP
Rope halters should never be left on your pony in a yard or paddock. When you are not with your pony, it is important that a halter can break if it accidentally gets caught on something. Rope halters are too strong for this, so can potentially cause injury.
How to reward a pony
Ponies learn well from being rewarded. There are four main ways you can communicate to your pony when they have done something well:
- Use your voice to praise your pony.
- Release any pressure from your hands or legs as soon as your pony makes the tiniest effort to correctly respond to your instruction. For example, when Vicki was working with Dandy at the Colt Starting clinic, the trainer taught her to release the pressure on the rope as soon as Dandy showed any sign of stepping forward.
- Pat or stroke your pony’s head or neck.
- Feed your pony a treat.
How to feed your pony a treat
It is important to only feed your pony treats in small portions. If you feed it treats all the time it can start to expect them and can become pushy or nippy. Horse bites hurt so make sure to hold your hand flat, with the food or treat on your palm (take a look at the drawing of Vicki feeding Dandy on page 70). This will keep your fingertips away from the pony’s mouth, making it less likely for you to be bitten.
Top treat ideas:
- Grass
- Hay
- Apples (Dandy’s favourite!)
- Carrots
TOP TIP
Another great treat idea is to fee your pony a small handful of its normal feed, such as pellets of chaff.