Staying stationary

When you finish your ridden session and it’s time to get off, you might feel a little sad. But what if there’s a way for you to enjoy your pony for a few minutes more? There are sooo many cool moves to try, but they require some awesome skills from you! 

 Around the world

This is one of the easier movements to start with. It doesn’t require too much strength from you, but it does require a lot of balance! 

How to do it…

1. To go clockwise, bring your left leg over the pommel of the saddle.
2. Then lift your right leg over your pony’s hindquarters, being careful not to catch his bottom with your foot.
3. Now you’re facing backwards, bring your left leg over his hindquarters.  
4. To finish, lift your right leg over the pommel, taking care not to knock your pony’s neck with your foot.

Thread the needle

This is a slightly trickier move because it requires a good measure of balance and strength from you!

To do this in a clockwise direction…

1. Lift your left leg over the pommel and rest it on the knee roll so you look like a side-saddle rider.
2. Slide your left leg underneath your right leg (between it and the saddle) so your ankles are touching each other and the legs are slightly crossed.
3. Next, put your right hand on the pommel and your left hand on the back of the saddle – you’ll feel like a pretzel!  
4. Holding yourself up so you’re hovering slightly, twist your lower body so your legs are no longer crossed and swing your left leg over the back of the saddle.

Once you’ve grasped the concept of this movement, try it at a slightly faster pace so it flows better into one movement! 

Splits

Now your arms are warmed up from trying thread the needle, it’s time to have a go at the splits. Don’t worry, it’s not like the splits you’d do on the floor – ouch!

To do this exercise off the left-hand side of your pony…

1. Place your left hand on the pommel and right hand on the back of the saddle.
2. To help you balance, keep your left foot in the stirrup and bring your right leg over your pony’s hindquarters so you’re hovering.
3. When you’re feeling balanced, drop your left foot out of the stirrup and stretch your legs apart (like a split).
4. Place your left foot back in the stirrup and swing your right leg back over your pony’s hindquarters.
5. Ta-dah – you nailed it!

Top tip

Try to keep your movements very soft on your pony’s back so you don’t cause him to become sore. This will require a lot of strength from you!

Top tip

It’s a good idea to tie a knot in your reins to help prevent them from slipping over your pony’s head.

Scissors

Are you ready to try the ultimate challenge? This is a much tricker movement that requires lots of skill and, once you’ve had some practice, needs to be done in one swift movement.

To do scissors, you need to…

1. Lean forward and swing your legs back so they’re on the top of your pony’s hindquarters – be careful not to kick your pony’s sides.
2. In the same motion, if you can, cross your legs over and twist your upper body round.
3. You’ll now be facing backwards on your pony! Then you’ll want to do the same movement again so you’re facing the front.

When having a go at scissors, remember that your pony’s neck is higher than his hindquarters so be careful not to kick him in the process.

Top tip

Only try these moves with an adult present. If your pony’s inexperienced, or you’ve not done them before, ask someone to hold him.