Horse Problem - Ponying a Horse - What is "ponying" a horse and how do you do it?

There are many great training benefits to ponying a horse. I pony most all horses at a certain point in their training, usually after all the ground work has been taught to them and they can lead well, too (they yield to pressure well). The benefits of ponying a horse:

• Ponying a horse in training allows them to get used to the human "up high" before you ever ride them.
• It allows them to learn to have you in each of their eyes one by one (as you change sides -- pony him on both sides of you, taking turns).
• It allows you to do further desensitizing, but up high now to help him build confidence.
• If he's in saddle when you are ponying him off your horse, you can reach your leg over and tap his saddle to get him used to that, too. All kinds of things you can do while ponying them! I like to do more despooking of that ponied horse as I go along there.
• You can take them on their first trail ride by ponying them off your horse, so they can get used to the sights and sounds that are on the trails and he builds confidence because he's riding beside a calm, confident horse.
• I find it's very helpful to pony horses especially that have eye changing problems -- here's more about eye changing problems: Eye Changing Problem - What is an eye changing problem all about/how is it manifested? - With horses that have eye changing problems, it's very helpful (after doing the ground exercises to help with that there/that link I directed you to there) to first pony them on their preferred-eye side, then stop. Back my own riding horse up, toss the lead rope over the front of my horse's head, turn and now start ponying the being-trained horse on the other side. The horse with an eye changing problem at first is going to resist switching sides, to having his "least preferred" eye on you. If/when they resist, I just turn my own horse I'm riding INTO the ponied horse, forcing that ponied horse to move away from pressure there and turn in a tight circle, keeping his least preferred eye on me. He starts learning then that he CAN handle having his least preferred eye on me, and settles down. It is much better (and safer!) to fix an eye changing problem on the ground and then during ponying, before ever riding the horse! Unfixed eye-changing problems can lead to bucking/rearing/runaway horses if we ride them before fixing that problem!

So...ponying a horse is a very valuable training tool, I feel. I use it a lot in my training program. It's important, however, to have a very solid, well-behaved riding horse to pony another horse off of, because your riding horse is going to also serve as a role model to the ponied horse. You don't want the riding horse misbehaving and teaching the ponied horse the wrong things (like spooking or refusing to go, etc.)! My horse Gabe is an old pro at ponying horses I train. He's a real partner with me there! He knows exactly what we are trying to accomplish there because we've done it together hundreds of times, and he makes sure that the ponied horse minds his manners and listens to directions.

For example, if the horse I'm ponying beside me suddenly stops and digs in, refuses to go, my horse Gabe sometimes starts off with shooting a "dirty look" glance at the stuck horse. If the horse ignores that reprimanding glance, Gabe will take his tail and smack that ponied horse on the butt to get him moving again! Gabe demands that the ponied horse follow directions and learn what he's supposed to learn there and it's great! But he also ignores the other horse when that horse is acting up too much, and allows me to be in charge of getting the other horse under control again without interference. Gabe is my partner in training all the time. And horses respect that kind of leadership in another calm horse and so they learn faster.

So...you only want to use as your riding horse there a very well-trained horse, to pony another horse off of. You can't have "the blind leading the blind" there! You need a well-behaved horse, who doesn't spook, and always listens well to your directions, to assist you with the ponying job of the horse in training!

To practice getting good at ponying a horse off of your saddle horse, do it in the safe confines of an enclosed area first, like a round pen or arena. Hold the lead rope loosely in your hands -- Never wrap the rope around your hands and don't wrap it around the horn on your saddle either! You want to be able to let go of the rope in an emergency if needed, which is why it's good to practice this in an enclosed arena first. Wearing gloves can protect your hands there, as well, if ever needed. Especially if you're new to ponying.

The following are pictures of me ponying a horse I have in for training here at my training center, so you can see what it looks like. Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words!

Here I'm riding my  rock-solid quarter horse, Gabe, and starting the ponying exercise
with a Rocky Mountain horse. Here I'm getting the ponied horse accustomed to pressure/release,
teaching him to yield to the pressure of the lead rope, now from up in saddle.
I bring him forward, I back him up, until he softens and understands what is expected of him here.
Note my horse Gabe's calm demeanor as he allows me to school as necessary the ponied horse.

 

 
I'm also working on desensitizing the ponied horse to the presence of my "body up high."
Lots of face stroking/scratching, both sides, before we begin.
 

I keep the ponied horse's head parallel to my knee as we begin the ponying exercise.
The ponied horse learns to follow.



 It's important to pony the being-schooled horse on BOTH sides of you,
so that he gets used to having you in both eyes separately.
 

If the ponied horse balks and doesn't want to go suddenly, I turn my horse Gabe INTO the ponied horse which pushes the ponied horse's head away from me, into an inside circle and unlocks him.
 

Soon, being ponied on both sides is no big deal!

 

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