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Let’s get ready to ride!
brilliant balance Discover everything you need to know about keeping your pony working in a good balance!
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eaching your pony to stay balanced when you’re riding is really important. Whether you’re not sure how to achieve it or what balance actually means, we’re here to help.
What is balance?
ing an equal amount Balance means carry r legs. However, of weight over all fou more weight on rry ponies naturally ca a rider sitting near their forehand. Add in u can see why they their front legs and yo lanced! ba need some help to be
did you know? An unbalanced rider can make a pony unbalanced, so it’s important to work on yourself, too.
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Why does it matter? Good balance benefits you and your pony in lots of ways… • A balanced pony feels much nicer to ride. • You’ll be able to perform better turns, circles and shapes. • It reduces the risk of injury because less pressure is placed on your pony’s forelegs. • Your pony will work straighter through their body, meaning they’re not putting more strain on one side of their body. • When your pony’s in good balance, they’ll feel more confident and relaxed. • You’ll find it easier to sit to the trot and canter when you get the balance right. • A balanced pony can jump better, and bigger, than an unbalanced one.
Figures of eight
Riding figures of eight can help with balance because you’re constantly moving on a curved line, which helps to keep your pony’s hindlegs engaged. Starting at A or C, ride a 20-metre circle then, as you pass over X, change the rein and ride a 20-metre circle the other way.
Ride the figure of eight a few times, aiming to maintain your rhythm. If your pony starts to get quicker, or becomes heavier in the contact, a half-halt is a great way to rebalance them. To do this, keep your legs closed around your pony’s sides then close your fingers At first you might need around the reins before to make lots of half-halts releasing again. to rebalance your pony, and
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that’s fine. With time, they will learn to stay balanced without so much help from you.
Top transitions
There are two ways to ride transitions… 1. Between the paces, such as walk-to-trot or canter-to-trot. 2. Within the paces, such as working trot to medium trot or working canter to collected canter. Staying on a 20-metre circle, ride several transitions between and within the paces, mixing them up so your pony doesn’t anticipate what’s happening next. Make plenty of changes of rein so you work your pony evenly on each side and include some halt transitions, too. After a few minutes, check your pony’s balance. Do they feel lighter in the rein contact? If so, give them a scratch and have a rest.
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Squared up Have a go at Meg Elphick’s awesome grid layout!
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If you don’t have enough poles, build just one fence, remove some of the ground lines, or use small blocks or standing fillers as fences.
ooking for some jumping inspo? I’ve got the perfect exercise that’ll help you polish your turns and supercharge your pony’s straightness. Let’s go!
Set it up Great gridwork Coming up with fun, effective jumping exercises that suit the different levels my ponies are working at can be challenging. I love some sort of gridwork layout because it’s a great way to work their minds as well as bodies! Plus, grids are super easy to adapt if you need to take a step back to rebuild confidence.
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To create the exact same exercise as this you’ll need 15 poles and two pairs of wings. Start by setting up a one-strided double (two fences 6.1–7.3m apart) on the centre line. Then place one pole as a ground line between the two fences, and two more poles pointing towards the second element to create an open triangle. Place another pole approximately 3m in front of the first fence, then the remaining seven poles in a t-shape as shown in the picture to guide your turns.
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Be consistent with your aids – it makes things clearer for your pony. However, if you don’t get the response you want after a few tries, ask your instructor for advice. It may be that you need to adapt to help your pony understand what they’re being asked.
The benefits • The square turn helps keep your pony’s body straighter, which means they’ll be less likely to drift through their outside shoulder and lose balance. • The ground poles your pony get the correct stride and stay in a positive canter rhythm. Plus, they can make them more nimble on their feet, too! • The open triangle keeps channelling you straight and gets your pony thinking about where their hooves are – very important for clean jumping!
Making progress It’s wise to work your way through this exercise slowly and start with poles on the ground, instead of fences. It gives your pony the chance to get familiar with where they have to go and the athleticism that’s required later on! Progress to raised poles or crosspoles when you’re ready, then add in an upright or oxer later on when you feel confident.
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Tack up like a pro Make light work of tacking up your pony with our top tips and advice!
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acking up can be a bit of a fiddly job. From how to ensure your pony’s tack is in place to being confident enough to deal with ponies who aren’t so easy to handle, we’re here to help.
Top tip
When you place your pony’s saddle over their back, lift the saddlepad into the gullet so it doesn’t press down your pony’s back.
Step-by-step
When you need to tack up, here’s what to do:
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Put on your pony’s headcollar and tie them up somewhere safe. Stand at your pony’s shoulder, facing their head. Undo the leadrope but leave it through the tie-up ring.
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Unclip the headcollar, place the reins over their head, then re-clip the headcollar to the leadrope. Undo the headcollar and fasten it around your pony’s neck.
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Fasten the throatlash and noseband, making sure you can fit four fingers between the throatlash and your pony’s cheek and two fingers under the noseband. Re-fasten the headcollar over the bridle and tie up the leadrope again. Standing on the left side, gently place the saddlepad, then the saddle over your pony’s back slightly further forward than it sits when you ride.
Slide the saddle back into place. This makes sure the hair is lying flat and in the right direction underneath. Fasten the girth straps, then go around to the right side. Gently lift the girth so it is in contact with your pony’s tummy. Slowly fasten it, loosely at first.
It’s important the girth is done up on the same, or similar holes on each side – this helps distribute pressure evenly, so adjust the girth on each side as needed. Pull down the buckle guards to protect the saddle flaps, check the saddlepad is in the correct place and ensure the keepers on the bridle are in place. Remove your pony’s headcollar and loop it through the tie-up ring so it doesn’t dangle on the floor and hey presto, you’re ready to ride!
Take hold of both cheekpieces in your right hand. Using your left hand, guide the bit to your pony’s mouth. Gently hold it to their teeth and wait for them to open their mouth, then slide the bit in by lifting your right hand up. Lift the bridle up towards your pony’s ears. Use both hands to gently guide each ear between the headpiece and the browband.
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