new pony arrived!!

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Hi there we have done it and bought ist owned pony after many years of loaning. 2 days ago!! ended up going with gut and got forward going fizzy conemara.she is well mannered on ground -gets exited /nervy when in trot. .gets faster and faster if not handled sensitively which means dd can ride her as she is calm and confident and can collect her but sadly i cant as not goood enough . boo .

Any tips re a forward going pony - ?? she came all trusted up in snaffle and flash as well as a gag and a groggle?? for jumping.we wd like to get her off gag.when we took it off she seemed almost sressed - doesnt seeem to know how to carry own head when relaxes down - not used to it as been trussed up ??we have been letting her go on a snaffle and flash for now but are doing lots of neck stretches on long rein to let her know how it feels.history of xc and hunting.

its quite dificult seeing my dd on such a forward going mare!! i feel fearful at times but but dd has managed to slow and steady her using a lot of give and take evry time and she has not been carted off

.any tips etc would be appricited as out of depth ..presume lots schoolig in downward transitions????

ps .Dd desperate to jump her - we have done and she has come down from canter to trot really well ,but have been making sure she does 20 min schooling first to make sure pony listeninng,doing downward transitions etc..thanks all x

I would suggest getting lessons from a qualified instructor.

Good luck.

Def tuition and regular!

Lots of lessons. Not sure why forward going in itself is a problem (DD has a small forward-going pony)? Does the pony lean or take hold?

I would be wary of messing around with tack too early in the day, if pony has only been with you 2 days she's going to be going through a fair bit-even if she doesn't seem stressed. Also, ponies don't always like the bits we think they should and IMO (not shared by most posters here) a snaffle can do just s much damage as a gag. Get fed up of seeing people endlessly circling and sawing at ponies' mouths but thinking it's ok because they're in a snaffle.

Try a continental gag - you don't have to have the reins on the lower ring, just leaving them on the normal snaffle ring makes a massive difference. I've used mine on ponies, hunters and point to pointers! It's not as harsh as a normal gag.

I agree, to some extent, with marialuisa. Don't make big changes to tack while pony's settling in, but I'd have her out of the gag immediately. Take off the flash in a safe environment when you're ready and see whether she opens her mouth. If she does get her teeth checked. Only use a flash if the pony is genuinely evading the bit.

When I got my mare the person I bought her from was riding in a flash because she was opening her mouth, yet the woman knew that her teeth were neglected because she negotiated the price when she bought her because of it, then didn't get them done. Teeth fixed, no problems (sorry, bit of a rant there)

What you're describing about her head carriage is probably the result of her being ridden in a gag which exerts poll pressure and pulls the nose in rather than creating a correct self carriage so she needs to learn to lift and work through her back, engaging the hind legs. The way to control a forward going pony is through seat and legs, not hands so make sure dd has a good deep seat and encourage a long leg. This will aso help to develop the ponys way of going.

Your instincts are good, transitions will help and your dd is dead right about neck stretches, pony needs to go long and low and reach into the contact as the first stage to learning self carriage.

Re being forward going, that's a good thing as long as dd can remain in control, which she sounds as though she can, but I know what you mean about it being a bit scary as her mum. Don't worry, as you get to know and trust the pony you'll relax.

Keep us posted, she sounds lovely, and your dd will love her. GD's connemara/tb was a bit like this when we got her, and she's much softer now. Schooling, lessons, more schooling, more lessons and lots of hacking if it ever stops raining. And some jumping for fun, but only after a good schooling warm up. (I think you have good instincts and know more than you're giving yourself credit for)

What everyone else has said, and I would add trotting poles. If your DD is desperate to jump, get her going over trotting poles, then put the last one up a foot, etc so that pony learns not to rush and to concentrate on where she is putting her feet.

THANKYOU all so much.Trebles thankyou so so much for your comment re using our instinct and that our instincts seem good as i do find it hard to trust myself with scant knowledge plus its a big change. !!!!!

We got an instructor to come last night - very lovely lady and she concentrates on something called bio dynamics of riding - i think- !!Its all about the confirmation of the rider and pony i think??.She adjusted dd legs to further back so that she looks like she is sort of kneeling on the horse leg shape wise ,or imagine that the legs are in a an arrow head type shape if you can picture it .this also involves the pelvis bing more foward. ...

the pony seemed to change her back shape and relax - although she was relaxing and blowing out with dd prior to this - but i did see a change in back shape when dd changed her seat .looked good.However dd has been taught since age 4 to sit back with long leg.

This change in pelvic position makes dd feel she is sitting forward as in jump is h position, and she is concerned that after year s of riding in her way she will always de fault to it.

The reason the instutor told her to sit like that - i think- was to allow pony to re gain a beter position and increase core strength of rider as she has been held in a gag and a tight lot of head gear. Ponys muscles are v srtong inbottom of neck were she has pulled and held head up near mane not so.

Dd feels that she should do her ways which wd be- use very gentle hands ,take and give,ride from seat to stop then hand,but NOT alter her position as its too much to re learn
.she knows she has to keep her feet v still as not to give anything that may be mistaken as a n aid to go faster.i think the new position does keep the foot away more and dd underatnds this but it feels too strange to do.

Im trying to take the long view but i dont want to put dd off in meantime and i realy want to ask is dd approach, as a comprimise to what instuctor wants ,going to help or hinder this pony...( Whe n dd did it wholly instructor way the pony body shape did change in her back and she was the instructor said engaging her tummy muscles- i dont know what this means tho but the pony also seemed to relax exept for back shape when dd was riding her her way)

Is there a happy medium as i think this instructor good- but i dont want my dd to reject her ideas AND DD FEELS JUST TOO MUCH TO CHANGE HER BODY SHAPE . iFeel dd should take the long view but if i push her at 13 to ride differently from way she has always in first week of new pony then i may undermine her.help is there a middle path!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ANY ADVICE MUCH MUCH APPRICITED.PS pony seems happy so far.very good on ground ,whinnied when saw us one day.thankyou so much agin i so want to get this right for this pony and dd am scared try to hard but its so hard when there is stuff i dont know and am ttorn bet instrutor and a 13 yo dd a bit - they are not at loggerheads instrutctor lovely but resistance in ddx

apologies poor spelling - i have v poor typing ability !!!!!!!!depend on spell check at work !!!xx

I think it is a good idea to leave new ponies for a week before we ride them - they do take a bit of settling in. Don't try too much too soon! It can take months to form a bond.

Tilting the rider's pelvis forward slightly and letting the weight drop through the knee turns the seat aid from a forward aid to a stop/collect aid. The rider should keep the front of their body long but soft.

The advanced aid for extended gaits is to tilt the pelvis back slightly and drop the weight through the heel.

Your DD has the right idea to use a 'give and take' check rather than getting into a pulling contest, but to ride a half-halt correctly (which is what she should be aiming to do) you need to do so through your seat aids not just rein aids, otherwise you are sending conflicting messages to the horse.

It is not wholly clear from your post I'd this is what the instructor is trying to get her to do, but it sounds like it might be. Your DD will need to be open to adapting her riding to suit the pony, not vice versa.

I think if your dd continues to ride in her old way it will really limit her. I see loads of children riding as you describe, leaning back with legs shoved forward, and it's basically wrong. It is hard to change your position, but if she wants to be the best rider she can be, she's going to have to persevere. She cannot engage the back end, get the pony working through its back in a soft, swinging outline, unless she works on her riding. Sounds like she has a super pony, instructor sounds sensible, it will all be worth it! And most riders, myself included, have had their position pulled apart and put back together again in a lesson. Makes you feel like you can't ride, really insecure in the saddle and soooo tempting so slip into bad habits, but a month down the line she and the pony will be so much happier.

thankyou all - i just needto keep dd on track and not dig her heels in so to speak!!!!.she is passionate about this her fisrt pony and i think wanting to do it her ways naturally after years of one way but i will persevere.....

It will also take a long time for the pony to lose that peacock neck. My boy had it, tho with lots of long and low working under saddle and on the lunge he soon changed. I'd suggest a couple of lessons a week if you can, as it will help your DD stick with the new method and help the pony improve.

I would get teeth back and saddle checked ASAP. Being anxious and rushing in trot and faster can often indicate discomfort and the horse trying to escape from the discomfort by rushing. Leave the bridle as it is for now, if it is a saddle/back problem chances are once it's fixed you may not need all the complicated head gear! If its not back/saddle, then look at teeth/poll problems. Once you have ruled out physical discomfort you are looking at learned behaviour which is much harder to sort.
Totally agree with everyone who has mentioned an experienced instructor regularly!

hi roger- thanks - she isnt now rushing exept in canter and this is just on one rein.......i wonder if it unlearing behevour- her trot has slowed from rush to steady.