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The fun factor with Emma Massingale
Posted in Flatwork Jumping Stable Management
Emma Massingale shows you how to build an awesome partnership with your fave pony

Emma Massingaleβs a super-cool trainer who has been on some amazing adventures with her team of horses and ponies! Sheβs trained Connemaras from scratch while marooned on an island, and last summer she cycled round Europe pulling two mini ponies, Percy and Stanley, in a trailer behind her bike!Β
Emma has an awesome partnership with her team of ponies, who seem like they would do absolutely anything for her! Want to find out how you can create such a strong bond with your own fave pony, too? Then read on for Emmaβs tips…
Did you know?Β Emma and her ponies are super-famous and have fans all around the world!
Have fun together
If something makes you smile, itβs sure to make your pony happy, too! So make time to have fun with him. Itβs a great way to build a close bond, and itβll help him realise that spending time with you doesnβt have to be all about work! I go on a lot of picnic rides with my ponies. They love heading out to explore, then munching on some tasty grass while I eat my sandwiches.
Mix things up
Rather than just focusing on flatwork one day, then jumping the next, mix up every session so you do a little bit of everything. Itβll be waaaay more interesting for your pony, and because his work isnβt boring or predictable, heβll look forward to it so much more. You could start with a bit of flatwork, then pop over some poles or a fence or two. Then why not get off and do 15 minutes of groundwork or play a few games with him, before hopping back on to cool him down by going for a short hack?
Hang out
Itβs great to have goals, but sometimes we focus too much on getting our ponies to do stuff for us. So every now and again spend time with your pony without putting any demands on him. Iβll grab my laptop and just sit outside the stable or in the field for an hour or two while I answer emails. Better still, why not spend the whole day hanging out with him. You can find out what he gets up to and how he interacts with his fieldmates β youβll learn loads about him!
Play a game
Youβll find it easier to reach your end goal if you break it down into lots of easy to achieve pieces. Treat each of these little steps as a game, and itβll encourage your pony to want to learn. Take loading, for example β rather than marching a pony straight to the ramp, Iβll think how I can make things easy and fun, So, Iβd show him that being in an enclosed space is OK by leading him between barrels, then Iβd walk him over a tarpaulin so heβs happy stepping onto different surfaces. Itβs about using your imagination and coming up with new ways of doing things.
Make him feel like a winnerΒ Β
Itβs great when you praise for something youβve done right. You feel like youβre on top of the world. Itβs the same for your pony, too. So, when heβs done something well, make him feel like heβs won a gold medal at the Olympics! Give him loads of fuss and tell him how wonderful he is. Thisβll make him realise that trying his best is absolutely worth it.
Top topΒ Whatever youβre working on with your pony, always make the first step super-easy.
Show him the benefits
If you think about it, why would ponies even want to do some of the things we ask them to? Especially things like loading, which go against their natural instincts. Always think about what you can do to help your pony enjoy something, so heβs eager to do it again. When youβre doing loading practice try hanging a tasty haynet inside the lorry or trailer, for example.Β Let him munch on it for a few minutes and heβll think being in there is awesome!
Keep a positive vibe
Life would be boring if everything went to plan first time! If something does go wrong, donβt feel down, but smile and laugh instead. Just look at it as another fun challenge ahead of you and your pony. Youβll get there in the end, and having a positive attitude will make all the difference.Β
Top topΒ If your ponyβs not getting the hang of something, try asking for it in a more fun way. Β
Go for quality over quantity
Ponies never forget anything, so you shouldnβt have to rehearse something again and again. Say you want to teach your pony leg-yield, and after a few tries he gets what youβre after. Instead of repeating it over and over, give him a pat and turn him out in the field or go for a relaxing hack. When you try leg-yield again, youβll find he remembers what you want him to do. Obviously, if it takes a few tries to get something right, thatβs fine. Keep persevering until you do, then move on.
Top topΒ Itβs important your pony stays calm and relaxed when youβre working with him. If heβs fidgety or worried, you need to stop and work out what could be bothering him.Β Β
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