Rollingwoods Farm Pony Breaking

By Michele Harn, MS

The weekend between Christmas and New Year’s is an annual right of passage for the coming three-year-olds and a few older ponies at Rollingwoods Farm. Owned by three of the four Wilburn sisters, (Dr. Ruth Wilburn, DVM, Sally Ross Davis, and Joanna Wilburn), Rollingwoods is a United States Equestrian Federation recognized breeder of excellence in Welsh ponies. The farm typically produces 4-10 Section B Welsh foals annually. The mares, a few stallions, and babies are kept with Joanna on the main farm in Olive Branch, Miss. Yearlings spend time on the rolling hills of an associate’s farm in Northern Mississippi before coming home to prepare for training.

Rollingwoods ponies are evaluated during the pony breaking weekend for several aspects of readiness to move forward in their training. The atmosphere of the weekend is intentionally busy to replicate the conditions a pony might experience at a competition. The ponies are tied to the walls in the massive indoor arena while older ponies are ridden and others are worked in a round pen. “It’s important for young ponies to learn patience and stay calm despite lots of activity around them,” explains Joanna. Ponies are individually worked in the round pen, initially without a saddle then progressing to saddle and if ready, to a rider in the saddle. Ponies wear a halter, but the focus is on forward movement in the round pen so the rider sits quietly while Sally Ross directs the movement of the pony. Her philosophy is to “let the pony talk to you; do what they’re ready to do.” Some ponies enjoy the new challenge and are deemed ready to move on. Of these, some will go to Sally Ross’ farm in Ruleville, Miss. and a few stay with Joanna in Olive Branch. Some ponies may go back to the rolling hills for some time to physically and mentally mature a while longer before being reassessed. This weekend is really for evaluation of the pony’s readiness with no pony being pushed beyond that.

Anyone who follows Rollingwoods on Facebook knows there is a herd of Junior riders as well. These kids are an integral part of the pony breaking weekend. They lead ponies around, play games like inhand pony soccer, and introduce the ponies to saddle pads, saddles, crowds, and lots of laughter. The older youth who are advanced riders are privileged to sit on the ponies in the round pen. These are youths who have been showing with Rollingwoods for many, many years and have shown their advanced ability to sit quietly and calmly on a young horse. The young riders are learning right along with the ponies.

For the ponies who show readiness to move on with their learning, they will be brought along at an easy pace as they show continued readiness to learn more. Most ponies get a break after only a few weeks of training. The development of the ponies’ minds is of utmost importance as most of these ponies will go on to be children’s mounts. Rollingwoods ponies have a reputation for being easy going, willing learners who excel at many disciplines. Several RW ponies qualify for USEF Pony Finals yearly and are national champions in the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America show circuit. Rollingwoods trains for the long game, so each pony determines its timeline for learning and advancement.

Sally Ross is a firm believer in lifelong learning; “If you ever stop learning then you need to quit.” Their particular style of training has evolved over the years as they gain knowledge from their ponies and also from other trainers’ techniques. Sally Ross explains, “Each pony learns differently. You can learn from anybody, even if it’s something you don’t want to do.” Having fun along the journey is an essential element to the Rollingwoods Way. “If we can’t laugh and cut-up then we don’t want to do it. I don’t care what ribbon you get, there is always something positive to say,” notes Sally Ross. Over the years there have been upwards of 30 kids who grew up with Rollingwoods ponies and now second and even a third generation of “kids” are finding their ponies at Rollingwoods Farm.

It may be called Pony Breaking weekend, but it is truly an exercise in team building, camaraderie, and pony development.