Mind your manners

Having a pony who’s polite on the ground and easy to handle makes caring for him sooo much easier. Whether you’re leading him around the yard, picking up his feet or climbing on board for a hack, knowing he’ll do what you ask without a fuss is guaranteed to boost your confidence and make day-to-day pony care stress-free. So, I’m going to show you how to create the politest pony on the yard!

Top tip

Always wear a helmet, gloves and sturdy boots when doing any kind of groundwork with your pony.

Move over

While your pony’s tied up or standing in his stable, you need to be able to move him around so you can reach his whole body or get him out of the way while you muck out. 

To do this, he’ll need to respond when you push against his side, shoulders or hindquarters and move away from the pressure. Have treats on-hand to reward him when he does as you ask, or you can use a scratch in his favourite itchy spot if you prefer. Practise pressing against his side to ask him to step over – remember to praise him as soon as he does so, because this will encourage him to do it again in the future! If he isn’t responding, you can use a whip to give him a very light tap to help him understand what you’re asking.

Pick it up

It’s super-important that you can easily pick up your pony’s feet – and that other people can, too. This will make your farrier and vet’s jobs easier because he won’t fidget when they need to trim or check over his hooves. 

1. Start by standing next to his shoulder, facing away from his head.
2. Run your hand down the back of his leg and squeeze gently below his knee to ask him to pick up his foot.
3. If he’s reluctant, you can lean against him slightly to help.
4. Remember to give him plenty of praise when he does as you ask.
5. For the hindleg, the process is the same except you run your hand down the front of his leg instead – this will prevent you from getting your arm caught if he were to kick out. 

If you’re really having trouble, ask your yard manager to have a go and see if he’ll do it for someone else – they can then show you what they did to make him pick it up.

Top tip

Ask lots of different people to practise lifting your pony’s feet so he feels more relaxed about it when the vet or farrier tries.

Did you know?

Reluctance to lift his feet could be a sign that your pony’s uncomfortable, so ask your vet, farrier and physio to check him over if you’re having a lot of trouble.

Catch of the day

Is there anything more frustrating than a pony who won’t be caught? Chasing him round the field, especially when you’re in a rush, won’t do anything besides wind you – and him – up. So, here are my tips to make it easier…

• bring him in for pamper sessions and feeding so he doesn’t associate coming in with being ridden
• leave a field-safe headcollar on until he’s more consistently catchable
• bring some treats with you to tempt him
• loop the rope round his neck when you get near him so he can’t dash off when you try to put the headcollar over his nose
• pop him into a smaller paddock to help make catching him easier to start with
• bring his friends in so he’s more tempted to come with them

Top tip

Pony nuts or balancer pellets can work well as low-calorie treats for rewarding your pony.

Get on board

Your pony should always stand quietly for you to mount – whether you’re getting on from a block, having a leg-up or climbing on from something out hacking. So, to start with, focus on teaching him to stand at the block or next to a fence – it’s a good idea to enlist a helper to hold him still initially! Then, you can start standing on the block and putting your foot in the stirrup – making sure he stands still the whole time. 

Give him lots of praise when he waits for you and take as long as you need to get on board so he doesn’t force you to rush. Eventually, you’ll be able to keep him still without a helper, but have them nearby in case you need to take a step back.

Wait your turn

Whether out of excitement or bad manners, lots of ponies rush to get out of their stable or through a gateway. However, teaching your pony to stay inside even when the door’s open is super-helpful and will help keep you safe, as you won’t get squished should he come hurrying out.

1. Hold the leadrope and open the doorway but don’t exit.
2. If your pony goes to move forward, step in front of him slightly and gently push against his chest to make him step back.
3. Keep repeating this until he stands in the doorway without leaving. Give him lots of praise then lead him out when you’re ready.
4. Now, try the same without a leadrope attached. In the same position, open the door slightly and push him back if he tries to leave.
5. Work up to opening the door wider and standing further away from him to test whether he understands.

Remember to make sure the area’s secure in case he does push past you and escape – shut any gates and do it at a quiet time of day when there aren’t lots of other ponies moving around.