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18 CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN Yes, really, read her first column!

29 JESS TALKSTop show jumping insight from Jess!

60 EMILY WARDShe’s the show jumper to watch!

REAL LIFE

54 READERS’ REAL LIVES! “I only have my memories.”

64 READERS’ REAL LIVES! “Bullies made me give upmy pony”

BE A GREAT RIDER

6 JUMPING PROBS Fast or slow? We can help!

10 MOUNTED GAMESMore games to try!

12 30-MINUTE SCHOOLINGIt’s a plan! So do it!

38 QUIT N CROSS...... your stirrups

Contents!

No prizes for guessing who’s the most famous

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whole planet right now – everyone knows it’s Charlotte Dujardin! Turn to page 18 to read the first of Charlotte’s brilliant columns for PONY. It’s an amazing PONY scoop!

And there’s plenty more to get excited about in this month’s PONY!

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26 PONY ACADEMY

6 JUMPING PROBS SORTED!

12 YOUR 30-MINUTE SCHOOLING PLAN

18 CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN WRITES FOR US!

22 HOW TO CATCH A PONY

55 THE GREAT PONY POETRY COMP!

ON THE COVER

68 HOW WOULD YOUR PONY RATE YOU?

DUJARDIN WRITES FOR US! WRITES FOR US! WRITES FOR US!

PONY CARE EXPLAINED

4 TEAMWORK! Meet Eva and Shilas20 LUMPS ON LEGS

22 CATCH A PONY

24 SURE ABOUT INSURANCE?

26 PONY ACADEMYTake your first paper and gain a Feeding Rules certificate!

Quiz!

Look, no tack! Cover stars: Ellena & Riley by Lucy King

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Copyright D J Murphy (Publishers) Ltd 2013.

Who’s who?

BE A GREAT RIDER

6 JUMPING PROBS Fast or slow? We can help!

10 MOUNTED GAMESMore games to try!

12 30-MINUTE SCHOOLINGIt’s a plan! So do it!

38 QUIT N CROSS...... your stirrups

Here comes spring and, hopefully, good weather for

riding! But before you dust off your boots

and jodhs let’s start the

season afresh!

Keep riding, be happy!Available in hot pink,

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Brand new Hoodie in the PONY shop!

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BIG Spring Clean!

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tee-shirt tee-shirt form! Don’t form! Don’t

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Who’s who?

OTHER STUFF!16 NEED TO KNOW30 JUST THE JOB32 HEAD START34 HOLIDAY QUIZ!47 NEW STUFF52 TRY IT! POLO!65 PONY CROSSWORD68 DUGGIE’S QUIZ!76 POLICE HORSES!

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14

4-5

Spring 2013

60-61

Teamwork!

00

Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!Teamwork!

4

Eva Roemaat is no ordinary horsewoman. Prepare to be amazed as Eva, from Holland, introduces us to her Hafl inger horse, Shilas, and explains how they got into natural dressage*!

Finding Shilas“My mum’s friend Silvia owned Shilas, a Halfl inger gelding. He was bold and a bit dangerous – he used to buck a lot – but when Silvia asked me if I wanted to take care of him I said yes! But this was before I watched Cavalia, and I rode Shilas just as I had learned before! The week after seeing Cavalia I tried things I had seen in the show. I learned to ride without a saddle – and even though Shilas accepted this it

was hard. I fell off his back at every corner!” Eva also played with Shilas at liberty. “He responded to this very well, and offered to play with me,” she says. “When I walked through the pasture, Shilas would come running up to me, as though saying, Come on Eva, let’s play, let’s run together! I tried riding Shilas with just a neckrope and was amazed how responsive he was. He did his best to learn and work with me. This was the beginning of everything.”

Learning from the best!Eva says her best teacher was Shilas! “He responded to everything I did,” she explains. “If I did something right he would work with me. If I did something wrong he would run away or buck me off to tell me, No Eva, that wasn’t correct!” “In March 2009, after our fi rst public performance

together, my parents gave me Shilas. I cried with happiness! The moment I started handling horses another way everything went positive, Shilas was no longer a cheeky horse, but a joy to work with. He has taught me how to work with energy and body language. It took me years to develop this kind of sensitive training but basically, all I’m doing is transforming myself into a

horse, and interacting with horses in the same way they interact with each other.

Still working!When Eva began natural dressage, searching for information about it drew a blank, “So I decided to ask Shilas to help me,” she explains. “First of all I asked him to circle around me and Shilas got

excited, arching his neck and lifting his front legs high. I praised him as much as I could, saying, Shilas, you danced with me, well done! By making the exercises harder and asking for a little more each time, Shilas improved with each training session. Today, we are still working on our dressage, and improving all the time!”

Inspiration! Eva used to ride in the usual way until she went to see the performing riders and horses in the equestrian show Cavalia, which had a profound effect on her. “I was blown away,” Eva says. “How could these people ride horses with no tack, or make them bow and sit? I cried during the

whole show because I was so touched and moved. I was watching friends and team mates, rather than riders and horses. Afterwards, everything I thought I had been doing right felt wrong. I used to pull the horse’s head into the desired position and, if a horse refused to listen, I used a whip. Cavalia made me realise this was completely the wrong approach.”

00

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Spotlight on ShilasEleven-year old Shilas is a born showman who loves to be around people and entertain a crowd. Intelligent, bright and friendly, he can sense when someone feels down and tries to cheer them up by kissing them, only stopping when he hears a giggle! His fave things are to eat, learn, perform and play with his friends. This talented Halfl inger spends a lot of time sleeping in the sun and nibbling hay with his best friend, Shetland pony Flip.

It’s a blast!“I know Shilas enjoys natural dressage because he joins me voluntarily,” explains Eva. “He always comes running after me to have some fun! Shilas tries many new things while I am riding, even when I don’t ask him to, offering me the beginnings of new exercises which we can develop. This makes training a blast as I’m not the only one thinking about what to do – we’re thinking about it togther.”

Eva’s top training tips● Be patient and build a team with your pony. It’s all about having fun and experiencing things together. ● Spend time together. Normal lessons can help a lot as well, but be open to what your pony wants to offer you. ● Training horses means stopping at the right time, rewarding at the right time and knowing what you want to teach your horse. It’s much more effective to train for 10 minutes every day rather than for hours. If your horse comes to you and offers to play however then that’s fi ne, of course!

Don’t miss next month’s PONY Mag – we’ll be meeting up with Eva’s amazing performing Shetland ponies!

5*That’s dressage without any tack! Yes, really!

ponymag.comfor more about Eva and Shilas,

and more pictures! ponymag.com

Click on to

It’s a blast!

Flip with Shilas

A training session – but

who is the trainer?

Jumpingprobs sorted!

Help... my pony is a speed freak!What’s the problem?When you’re jumping is your fave pony totally under control and listening to you? Does he usually approach fences at 100 miles an hour? If you answered no to the fi rst and yes to the second question then something isn’t quite right! A pony that jumps too fast can be both scary and dangerous. If your fave pony comes fl ying into jumps like a bat out of hell there must be a reason for it:

❀ He’s anxious or worried ❀ He hasn’t been trained properly ❀ He’s in pain❀ He’s just naturally speedy and excitable ❀ He’s trying it on with you

If you’re worried that your pony could be in any pain or discomfort, it best to tell an experienced person straight away and possibly call the vet. However, if your pony is being speedy for any other reason, it can hopefully be fi xed – yay!

Try any combination of these top 10 exercises and get control of your whizzy pony!

Jumping Jumping Jumping Jumpingprobs sorted! Jumpingprobs sorted! Jumping Jumpingprobs sorted! Jumping Jumpingprobs sorted! Jumping Jumpingprobs sorted! Jumpingprobs sorted!

Part 1:

Speed freaks

and go-slows!

3 RelaxDo you feel like you need to ride differently as soon as the jumps come out? Well you don’t, you ride exactly the same as normal! Don’t clamp your legs round your pony – that will just make him go faster! Wrap your legs around your pony and stay relaxed through your body.

Also, remember to breathe – it sounds silly but it’s amazing how many riders jump a whole course of show jumps without breathing at all! They fi nish their round looking as red as a tomato!

33 Relax Relax

2 Calming infl uenceRide with another pony who is a good

infl uence and who can give you a lead

into fences so your pony can’t go faster

than you want him to.

4 Grids are goodGrids and polework are brilliant as they encourage your pony to back off and stop rushing. Keen ponies often see a fence and lock onto it. A placing pole can help to redirect that attention. Raised poles and bounces are particularly, helpful but they require quite a bit of athleticism so don’t push your pony if he’s young or inexperienced.

1 Sitting pretty?Be honest now... could all your problems be fi xed if your position were better and stronger? Is your rein contact consistent? Is your lower leg secure? Are your shoulders back? Your position is key when riding a fi zzy pony.

Sit still in the saddle, and maintain a strong position. Don’t simply tug on the reins to slow down, use your other aids, too. Your seat is very useful – think of it as your back brake. Ensure your seat bones are fully in contact with the saddle, but be careful not to drive the pony forward with your seat.

✔

✘

6

7

Jumpingprobs sorted!

8Don’t anticipate what he’s going to do... break the

cycle

6 Half-haltsBanish tug-of-war-matches with your pony. He’s bigger and stronger than you and is bound to win! Instead, massage the reins through your fi ngers and remember to use your half-halts. A half-halt is an aid used to steady and re-balance your pony and bring his attention back to you. To ride a half-halt sit up tall and sink your weight deep into the saddle. Close your hands tighter on the reins and close your legs around your pony’s sides. Hold for two seconds then release. That’s it! It is much more effective to ride a series of half-halts than it is to pull on the reins.

7 It fi gures!School over a fence on a circle or fi gure of eight. That way, every time your pony tries to rush into the fence you can circle away or ride past it. Do this several times and your pony will forget about jumping the fence. Then you can quietly steer him to the fence and pop over. Changing his way of thinking will help him to stop anticipating the fence, and wait for direction from you.

10 Work on your get-awayDon’t let your pony whizz off after the fence as if his tail is on fi re! Maintain your rein contact over the fence – never drop your pony – and gently but fi rmly ask him to come back to you as soon as you’ve landed. Sit up tall and get your shoulders back. Collapsing forward onto his neck just says go!

More over the page...

Having trouble with your jumping? In this two-part series we tackle four common jumping worries and share the secrets to

overcoming them

66

5 Give yourself lots of time

Don’t be a whirlwind around a frisky pony!

Even the way you handle him on the ground

can affect the way he behaves when ridden.

Always handle, groom and tack him up

quietly and mount up slowly, insisting that

he stands still and waits until you say ‘Go!’

9 Walk into fencesLet your pony have a good look around the

arena at all the fences so he doesn’t have

the excuse to be spooky at anything. Then,

once you’ve warmed up, you could try

walking into fences and only breaking into

trot or canter a few strides away.

Circling away will focus his

attention on you

Remember to praise your pony when he

does as you ask

IMPROVE YOUR RIDING!

10

Mounted Games are such a fun thing to do and are a great way to improve your pony’s schooling and develop your riding skills. Garth South Pony Club Mounted Games team show us how it’s done – why not have a go at home!

* Greta Dare is 10 years old and she rides Poppy, an 11.2hh mare* 10-year-old Toby Dean owns Yogi, who’s 11.1hh* Simon Bowdler is 11 and he owns 11.2hh Patch* Amy O’Hara is eight years old and owns 12.2hh Pippy* 11-year-old Kitty Munn owns Bugsy, a 13.2hh mare

Meet the team!

Flag raceWhat is it? Riders must transfer fl ags from one cone to another. Two cones are placed in the lane, one half-way down and one at the far end. The middle cone contains four fl ags. The fi rst rider starts with a fi fth fl ag. They must each gallop to the furthest cone, place their fl ag into it, ride around that cone and gallop back. On the way back, they pick up another fl ag from the middle cone to pass to the next rider. This continues until all fl ags have been successfully passed between members, and the four fl ags have been transferred from the middle cone to the far cone, the fi fth fl ag in the hand of the last rider. If a rider drops a fl ag or knocks over a cone, they must dismount and start again. What’s it good for? This game is excellent for improving the rider’s hand-eye coordination, and it teaches the rider to steer and control the pony one-handed. It improves the rider’s ability to look where they are going and not down at their pony in order to pass the fl ag successfully. Balance is also very important in this race.

* 10-year-old Toby Dean 10-year-old Toby Dean owns Yogi, who’s 11.1hh

Simon Bowdler is 11 and

Amy O’Hara is eight years old and owns 12.2hh Pippy

11-year-old Kitty Munn owns Bugsy, a 13.2hh mare

owns Yogi, who’s 11.1hhowns Yogi, who’s 11.1hh* Simon Bowdler is 11 and Simon Bowdler is 11 and he owns 11.2hh Patch* Amy O’Hara is eight years Amy O’Hara is eight years old and owns 12.2hh Pippyold and owns 12.2hh Pippy* 11-year-old Kitty Munn 11-year-old Kitty Munn owns Bugsy, a 13.2hh mareowns Bugsy, a 13.2hh mare

How to vault on!If you watch an expert vault on a pony they make it look so easy. Sadly, it isn’t! It takes a lot of practice but most riders are able to learn if they put their mind to it. When vaulting on a pony, two things are key – speed and accuracy. Speed is required from the pony because you need the momentum in order to leap on! Accuracy is required from the rider to leap on at the right time in the pony’s stride.

Your pony needs to be trotting in a straight line with you running next to him, just behind his shoulder. Put

1

Run with your pony...

Mug raceWhat is it? Four bending poles are placed at equal distances apart along the lane. Three metal beaker-style mugs are placed on three of the poles. Each rider must move each mug from one pole to the next, then ride to the fi nish before the next rider can go. What’s it good for? This game is also good for hand-eye coordination, and control of the pony. It is essential to be able to ride in a straight line, with your pony between your leg and hand. pony between your leg and hand.

7

MG FACT!A good games pony is responsive to the leg and

not too strong or diffi cult to control. Welsh ponies

and Arabs excel but any type of pony can do it, as

long as they are under 14.2hh.

MG Fact!

Leather or webbed reins are ideal for

mounted games but rubber reins are a bit too

chunky to tie in a knot, and are more diffi cult

to ride with one hand.

MG FACT!In Pony Club Mounted Games only snaffl e bits are allowed, but martingales can be worn.

and Arabs excel but any type of pony can do it, as

long as they are under 14.2hh.

To fi nd out more about Pony Club Mounted

Games visit www.ponymag.com

2 3Run with your pony...

... bounce once on the ground...

your right hand over the saddle and grab hold of the front of the saddle fl ap on the right hand side. Your left hand holds the reins and lightly rests on your pony’s neck. As your pony’s near-side foreleg touches the ground, jump with both feet and bounce once on the ground then spring upwards, and swing your right leg over the saddle, transferring your weight onto your right arm. Your right hand supports your weight and guides you into the saddle.

It will seem really tricky at fi rst but practice makes perfect! Practice with your pony as often as you can and remember a good rider can mount from both sides... that goes for vaulting, too!

... then swing your right leg up and over!

UP YOUR SKILLS!

Legs – they’re complicated The lower half of a pony’s legs is made up entirely of bones, ligaments and tendons. There is no fat or muscle tissue at all so it’s not surprising that they are very prone to damage.

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is one of the most common causes of lameness in horses and ponies. It can manifest itself in different ways, some of which we’ll talk about here, and can happen for a number of reasons including:

❀ Poor conformation ❀ Poorly trimmed/cared for hooves❀ A knock ❀ Work on hard ground/concussion ❀ Long periods of being overweight and/or under exercised

Not so swell!

Lumps and bumps

on ponies legs are

not uncommon – but

do you know what’s

serious and what’s

not? Part two looks

at bony growths.

Splint A bony enlargement on either the cannon bone or on one of the splint bones. While ponies are still young, their splint bones are attached to the cannon bone via a ligament, which means they are prone to damage and tearing. Therefore youngsters can be very prone to splints just from tearing around the fi eld and playing. In older ponies, the attachment becomes more fi brous or even turns to bone.

Any knock to the leg causes the periosteum (bone surface) to become infl amed and grow new bone. The pony will probably be lame, but four-six weeks rest should see a full recovery. Once the infl ammation has gone down, gentle massage may help to reduce the size of the swelling but the bony growth will remain.

cannon bone or on one of the splint bones. While ponies are still young, their splint bones are attached to the

means they are prone to damage and tearing. Therefore youngsters can be very prone to splints just from tearing around the fi eld and playing. In older ponies, the attachment becomes more

(bone surface) to become

pony will probably be lame, but four-six weeks rest should see a full recovery.

SplintSplintA bony enlargement on either the A bony enlargement on either the cannon bone or on one of the splint bones. While ponies are still young, their splint bones are attached to the cannon bone via a ligament, which means they are prone to damage and tearing. Therefore youngsters can be very prone to splints just from tearing around the fi eld and playing. In older ponies, the attachment becomes more fi brous or even turns to bone.

Any knock to the leg causes the periosteuminfl amed and grow new bone. The pony will probably be lame, but four-six weeks rest should see a full recovery. Once the infl ammation has gone down, gentle massage may help to reduce the size of the swelling but the bony growth will remain.

SplintSplintA bony enlargement on either the A bony enlargement on either the cannon bone or on one of the splint bones. While ponies are still young, their splint bones are attached to the cannon bone via a ligament, which means they are prone to damage and tearing. Therefore youngsters can be very prone to splints just from tearing around the fi eld and playing. In older ponies, the attachment becomes more fi brous or even turns to bone.

periosteuminfl amed and grow new bone. The pony will probably be lame, but four-six weeks rest should see a full recovery. Once the infl ammation has gone down, gentle massage may help to reduce the size of the swelling but the bony growth will remain.

Lumps on legsLumps on legs

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Bone spavin This is the term for degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis of the hock. Often, both hocks are affected making the horse look stiff in general. If only one hock is affected, the horse will be more obviously lame. It is fairly common in dressage horses and show jumpers that have not been trained correctly, or have been put under too much stress.

Horses with bone spavins can develop back problems due to the restricted movement in their hocks

and the abnormal way in which they move. If only one hock is affected, the hindquarters may become uneven as the muscles develop differently because the horse is favouring one leg. The horse will usually develop a swelling on the inside of the hock which, although it feels very hard, is not a bony lump. Abnormal wear on the shoes is also a good indicator of bone spavin because the horse moves oddly.

The degeneration of the joint starts with the cartilage and later progresses to the bone.

Because cartilage doesn’t show up on X-ray it is very diffi cult to diagnose the condition in the early stages. As the cartilage breaks down the body tries to stabilise the joint by causing more bone to grow where the cartilage once was. These new bony growths are what appear on the inside of the hock.

When new bone is forming the horse is likely to be lame. However, once nature has fused the bones most horses come sound, albeit with restricted fl exibility in the joint.

Side boneSide bone is ossifi cation (hardening) of the collateral cartilages of the pedal bone. The pedal bone has cartilage on both sides which is strong but elastic. As some ponies get older the cartilage calcifi es and turns to bone.

It is very common in the front feet of heavy breeds and cobs, and the horse is often not lame at all. In some cases, the side bones can actually be felt around the coronet band.

It is very common

Not so swell!

RingboneThis is the term for degenerative joint disease or osteoarthritis of the pastern or the coffi n joint. Ringbone can occur in both the front and hind legs and lameness will vary from pony to pony, but will be less obvious if it is in both legs.

Ringbone can occur spontaneously or because of an injury. Once well developed, bony growth can be seen and felt around the pastern joint and the pony may resent having the joint moved or fl exed too much. It can be very diffi cult to diagnose without the help of X-rays but like all bone degeneration, once ringbone has started there is no way of stopping or really slowing down the process. Often, the pony can still be lightly ridden but will most likely be lame and need box rest and painkillers when new bone is forming.

In severe cases, the growth can encircle the bones, hence its name. The bone can be surgically fused to stop the on-off lameness

and pain but the joint will be signifi cantly restricted and only very light work will be possible.

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