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MINI MAG
Apr 2021 £3.99 Issue 876
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PONYMAG.COM
Scales of Training
set it straight Learn how to ride accurate lines on your pony
D
little oes your fave pony ever feel a ? Maybe he him g ridin ’re you le crooked whi or pushes drops his shoulder to the inside, on a ’re you n his hindquarters out whe e som awe of s load circle? Well, we’ve got to him h teac can info on how you is the become super-straight, which ! ning trai of le sca fth fi When you’re pr actising straight lines at home, put two jump blocks or cones at D and G to ride throug h. It’ll help you see if you’re rid ing accurately, and the smaller you make the gap, the harder it will be!
Top tip
Collection Straightness Impulsion Contact Suppleness Rhythm
Straightness is a really important part of your pony’s schooling, but be sure to check out past issues of PONY mag to get to grips with the other scales of training, too. You can can buy the issues online. Visit: ponymag.com/shop
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PONY magazine
Off the scale ess is high up on the scales of training, you
Even though straightn ’s schooling. This is still need to work on it early on in your pony hs or years to crack. It’s because true straightness can take mont straight so... me important that your pony learns to beco ht will be distributed weig his as , work • he stays sound for ridden leg or part of his body evenly, preventing wear and tear on one rately • he can perform school movements accu ligned misa • your riding position doesn’t become of a fence, rather le midd the over • he finds it easier to jump right or left than drifting to the
did you know? Straightness doesn’t just apply to lines! You can also work on it on a curve by making sure your pony’s body is aligned with the shape you’re riding.
Straight pony: His body’s aligned from head to tail, so his hindlegs can take steps that line up directly with his front legs
The straight and narrow
Straightness is when your pony’s body’s completely aligned from poll to tail. Plus, his hind feet should follow the path that his front feet set. Ponies are often stronger on one side of their body than the other – like how we’re left- or right-handed! So it takes lots of schooling to help them build their muscles evenly. This can be done using suppling exercises, which you can read about in the February issue of PONY mag.
Crooked pony: His shoulder’s falling out, and his hindquarters are curved in. This means he won’t feel very balanced to ride and his hindlegs will step further out than his front legs, which means he isn’t moving straight
Enter at A Sir Mark Todd riding a leg-yield
In all directions
Another great way to help improve your pony’s straightness is by heading sideways! Lateral work will help strengthen both sides of his body and improve his suppleness, too. It’s good for working on responsiveness, as he’ll learn to move away from your leg when you apply it. That way, you’ll find it easier to correct him if he becomes crooked while on a straight line. A good lateral exercise to start off with is leg-yield. This is when your pony takes a few
One of the biggest straightness challenges is to ride down the centre line of the arena. It’s super-tricky to be completely straight, but the best way to help your pony is to... • Look up and ahead in the direction you want him to go • Hug his sides with your legs so he stays travelling forwards, which discourages him from drifting left or right • Keep your elbows by your sides but widen your hands to help channel your pony forwards and support his shoulders to prevent them from drifting steps sideways, while flexing slightly in the opposite direction. To ride a legof yield you should... this video Check out a w o 1. Start leg-yielding on the centre line h e to se Mary King hen w or three-quarter line. k o lo ld ou / leg-yield sh 2. Position your body so there’s a little ! Visit: bit.ly it e d ri u o y D L IE more weight over your inside hip. Y G G_LE MARY_KIN 3. Press your inside leg against the girth to ask him to move sideways. 4. Keep your outside leg slightly behind the girth to keep him moving forwards. 5. Open your inside rein to encourage him to bend from poll to tail. 6. Keep your outside rein steady so he doesn’t Turn over fall out through his outside shoulder.
Top tip
PONY magazine
7
on the
right foot Learn all about laminitis
L
aminitis is a painful disease that affects a pony’s hooves. Some breeds are more prone to getting it than others, but
Trigger point
All horses and ponies are at risk of getting laminitis, but it’s most likely to occur when... • a pony’s overweight • his diet’s too high in sugar and starch • there’s a lot of concussion on his hooves from fast work on very hard ground • he has underlying health issues that could trigger it, like Cushing’s disease (PPID) • he’s feeling very stressed due to a change in his environment, such as moving yards, or travelling for a long period
Inside info
Your pony has tissues inside his hoof called laminae. The laminae are what attach his pedal bone (the bone inside his hoof) to the hoof wall. When laminitis is triggered, the blood flow to the laminae is affected, which makes them become inflamed. This is really painful because of the increased pressure on your pony’s hoof – it’s a bit like having a bruise under your toe nail, but much worse!
Keep watch
Top tip
Some early signs that your pony could have laminitis are... If you’re worried • lameness your pony might have • rocking back on his hindfeet laminitis, call your to relieve pressure from his vet straight away. front feet • lying down and not wanting to get back up • walking with more weight on his heels • heat in the hoof wall
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PONY magazine
it can affect any type of pony. With the right management, you can help prevent yours from getting it.
Keep it at bay
There are some easy ways you can alter your pony’s daily routine to help prevent him getting laminitis. Preventing it before it happens is way better than treatment because, if a pony has laminitis once, he’s more likely to get it again.
1. Track his weight
Keeping tabs on your pony’s weight is really important, as you’ll be able to take action early if you notice he’s piling on the pounds! You can do this by condition scoring him regularly, which is where you assess the amount of fat coverage on his body by looking at him and give him a score from 0-5 - the ideal score is around 2.5. A score of zero means a pony’s in really poor condition, and five means he’s very overweight. You can also find out your pony’s weight by wrapping a weight tape round his middle, or standing him on a weigh bridge at the vets. Discuss a diet plan for your pony with your vet or a qualified equine nutritionist. They’ll come and assess your pony’s condition, then tell you what’s best to feed him. You can find out more info by visiting: bit.ly/CONDITION_SCORE
2. Monitor his diet
Ponies have evolved to walk long distances each day and eat low-quality grazing – not lovely rich grass. So, it’s important to monitor how much grass he has access to, and section off his paddock if you think there’s too much. You can do this by strip grazing, which is when you section off a bit of his paddock with electric tape, and move the fence back regularly so you can control how much grass he eats.
It’s super-important your pony has a balanced diet so he gets lots of vits and mins. Giving him a hard feed is the best way to provide him with extra nutrients. While he still needs a balanced diet, the lowest calorie option that still gives him the energy and nutrients he needs to stay healthy is the best option. Having the right nutrients in his feed will help him build a good immune system and strong hooves.
3. Manage his hooves
Make sure your farrier comes to visit your pony every 6-8 weeks so he can keep an eye on the condition of his hooves. They need to be regularly trimmed and maintained so they stay healthy, whether he wears shoes or is barefoot.
4. Keep him fit
It’s super-important that you keep your pony active so he doesn’t become too fat. See p.16 more tips about fitness! You also need to be mindful of the ground conditions you ride your pony on. If it’s too hard in the summer, or very uneven, the concussion could cause damage to your pony’s hooves.
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