Todays blog is about my own thoughts and ways with my ponies. I will start by saying that I had a very traditional start to the horse world and riding lessons eg mounting from the left, infact most things done from the left, do things a certain way etc. But since .having my own ponies and especially since having them at home I have changed a lot of the ways I do things with them. My attitude to them has shifted and my bonds with them have got better and we know each other pretty well. I have given my ponies their own voices to which I will listen. Thats not to say there wont be give and take on both sides as sometimes I have to ask them to do something they dont like or want to do like have a vet visit.
I know my 4 pretty well, each of their quirks, likes and dislikes, what they might be scared of and what they love doing. I have been very fortunate to have them living at home with me since 2004 and that I have had time to spend with them.
So if I had to sum up in a phrase the key to a great bond with your pony it would be "Less is more".
I often have liberty sessions with Polly and Sally, I dont need any items of tack and they choose to come and join in, infact I have to contain the other one so I can have a good single session although I have sometimes had a bit of fun with a group session. I use clicker for my groundwork and also when I do ride (which Ill talk about later).
Its an amazing feeling when your pony chooses to leave their tasty net of hay or haylege or the grass to come and do something with you and I never have any problems catching a pony, infact sometimes I have hidden when doing something that doesnt need them about like putting up an electric fence! I have found that giving them the choice is so much nicer than me deciding for them, and the thing is that 99% of the time they want to join in and when they dont there is usually a very good reason why not and there could be a problem needing checking. The only time I have to change this is for vet visits but I try to prepare for them the best I can. On hoof trimming days (we never have shoes) I do put on headcollars and attach leadropes but I really dont think I need to. Sally will move across as soon as she sees Liz and her trimming equipment even leaving a tasty haylege treat! We do have a clicker session for hoof trimming although again we would be fine without, it just keeps it nice and something they are never worried about.
Thats a brief summary but it didnt all happen overnight, I did start with headcollars and bridles because thats what I had known but I have to say that once I decided to try without it was so much better! Its all about communication between you and your pony. I will ask Polly, "can you do....?" if I have broken down the question to a small enough step its usually a yes, or if its something she already knows. But sometimes with something new I might not be quite clear enough which can get really interesting, we can explore how I can explain in a way she understands, shes a very clever pony and learns things very quickly but this also means sometimes I have to slow her down a bit. She also now only has a right eye and so we are exploring how to do things with this limited vision, got to say I often have to think outside the box!! I love it.
I have to say that I dont like bits for horses, I dont like "training aids" or gadgets either, I dont like harsh handling, pulling them about or hanging onto the reins and ropes. This is my personal preference, for me and my ponies, I like my leadropes to be loose and my reins too. I dont feel that I need my reins to be taught, Im happy if they are quite loose and my pony can still feel a movement of that rein even when loose, if Im doing a groundwork session with a bridle on then Im not constantly holding the reins, I will just gently move one when I need to, how nice is that?
