We’ve all heard the saying “under 14 hands is the devil”. When it comes to ponies there are a lot of negative stereotypes and the smaller the pony the bigger the reputation! But then you see that kid at the show with that perfect little pony. The one who packs around and seems like it would never do anything wrong. So clearly someone out there has figured out how to get ponies to behave themselves. I have had the privilege of working with horses of all shapes and sizes. And having taught hundreds of kids, more than just a few of those mounts were ponies. I have taken notice of what seems to cause ponies to get their bad reputations while others seem exceptionally perfect.

Why are ponies difficult?

The belief that ponies are rotten little beasts is commonly held among riders. As with most stereotypes and myths there is some basis of truth involved. The absolute biggest struggle with ponies is to find appropriate real work due to their small size. Few competent riders and trainers are small enough to safely ride smaller ponies and not everyone has interest or equipment to drive ponies. Secondly, people don’t tend to view ponies like horses. It seems they expect ponies to behave better with less training just because they are small. Don’t underestimate the little “Napoleons” of the horse world! Because of their small stature ponies tend to learn to be either fearful of larger things, or extra bold to compensate. They often seem more geared toward lashing out to protect themselves; and also have a wicked spin and bolt maneuver when they decide to leave a scary situation.

Here is my take on ponies –

They were bred for real jobs originally. They pulled everything from mine carts to milk carts and plows. For a small horse to be capable as a work horse while also doubling as a family pet they must possess tenacity, heart, intelligence and personality. All of these traits can be endearing – and equally infuriating! As ponies are usually very smart, they like to connect with just a couple of “their people”. This is common for larger horses too but for ponies seems to be more prevalent, in my experiences.

Some of the biggest pony problems for kids:

• Pony is pushy on the ground and when handling hooves
• Pony dances around when tied and otherwise acts herd bound
• Pony doesn’t respect reins for stopping and steering
• Pony is spooky which can contribute to all of the above behaviors

So how do you get a good “kid’s pony”?

Firstly, young ponies are rarely trustworthy for children. If you would not put your child on a green broke three-year-old horse, do not do so with a pony. Any horse will need handling and training from a young age but who does the work and how must be carefully judged. An inexperienced child will inevitably be easy to get over on and bad habits will develop in your pony.

Start by creating a daily handling routine. Though it might be easier to just chase your pony into the stall, take the time to catch and lead him. Handle his feet every time you have him in. Practice tying your pony for extended times, even if you are not directly paying him attention. Leave your pony saddled and bridled while tied. And don’t skip teaching him to lunge nicely. Basically, treat him like any other horse in training. For an outline of basic training landmarks to aim for, visit my post “Basics Every Horse Should Learn”.

Groundwork Options

If you don’t have many small riders around to help with putting good miles on your pony, investigate groundwork solutions. Groundwork can help build good ground manners and get your pony looking for what you want. Liberty work and trick training are great channels for intelligence and can be a lot of fun, even for adults to work on. You can also start your pony to drive to create some work ethic and discipline before riding. Full driving gear can be quite pricey to get ahold of, but ground driving only requires a surcingle with girth, bridle and something to use as long reins. I have improvised a lunge line for this use.

Ground driving is a HUGE help in working through the kinks with your pony – even if they are well broke and just feeling a bit spicy. In fact, ground driving receives a lot less attention as a training method than it deserves. The biggest benefits of ground driving are the ability to teach a horse or pony to mind the reins. Secondly, I find it a good way to get trail riding miles on your pony without risking a child rider’s safety. You would just need to follow along walking behind your pony – great exercise for everyone! Because your pony is not mindlessly following a leader, he must learn self confidence and also to look for guidance in the reins and voice commands.

Desensitize

Big, big must-do here – Desensitize to things flopping around the saddle, hanging off the saddle, and things above the pony’s head and behind him. I have seen people use oversized stuffed animal toys tied to the saddle as beginner rider simulation. I’ve used a bucket hung off the saddle horn and tarp tied to stirrups while lunging for other desensitizing tools. A rider halfway unseated and hanging off the side of a horse or pony is a big trigger behavior unbecoming a child’s pony.

If you have a chance for your pony to serve in a summer camp for mileage, that’s like boot camp for ponies. Keep in mind that camp or lessons are mileage, not really training. Make sure your pony is well started before throwing him into these situations.

Ponying

I also find that ponying my daughter’s ponies from my larger horses is very humbling for them as they simply can’t push the bigger horses around (try as they may). This of course requires a well broke horse that neck reins proficiently. Having horses well accustomed to ponying is a great way to help kiddos get some saddle time until they are ready to go solo.

Lastly, patience, patience. Smaller ponies commonly grow for a year longer than horses and don’t begin to settle in their minds and behavior until around age 10. If you have a five-year old child looking to start riding, don’t buy a three-year old pony. Your child will likely be ready for a full-size horse before the pony really settles into a life as a fully functioning child’s pony.

Final Thoughts

Like children, a pony’s energies, need to be channeled in productive ways. Keeping your pony busy and putting in the time is the only real way to get a pony or any horse to learn their job. Groundwork is an enormous assist in making progress until you can get some smaller capable riders on board as opportunities present. Until you have built a “pony operating protocol”, less confident riders will just need to be kept on a lead for a long time – years if needed.

The absolutely best way to get a pony to be good is just enjoy playing with your cute little bundle of equine mischief. Remember that the “perfect ponies” are usually fifteen years or older and were started in training around age two or three. On the bright side, ponies commonly live through and even past their thirties. It may be a long time in coming but once you have one working well, it will probably live just about forever.

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Testament Farm – Training and Lessons