18 / Sport and Trail Magazine
My pony horse, David
As head counselor here at Camp Cowpoke, David has only one edict with a brand new camper: to be able to ride closely alongside them. Yeah, that’s it, a horsey handhold of sorts. A young horse is hard-wired to find courage within a herd, even if it's only a herd of one other horse. And it’s that simple, except many young horses won’t necessarily cooperate with that plain communiqué at first because A) They don’t know David, so they can get intimidated and foolish i.e. kicky or jumpy (remember the pecking order—somebody has to salute), and B) They don’t always just stay alongside when the rope pulls tight (that first big puddle you have to cross through is either going to stretch their neck or your arm), so it’s important to go slow until they learn to stay by the pony horse’s shoulder. Always remember to never step back on a ladder to admire your work until you’ve returned home; stay focused and go slow. The mindset must be “I’ve got all the time in the world” when it comes to safety. Here is where your best buddy earns his oats.
David’s distinct pony horse model* came out of the factory quite right, which brings our second quality up for discussion. It’s good to
competently around an unbroke. An overly tall horse can be too towering and too leggy to get up and under a pushy unbroke. A too small horse could get pushed around. This ain’t a tight rule, like two coats of paint, but a consideration. Not everyone because
realize a pony horse needs to be within a certain size range to be able to navigate encounters this, but as a professional, all sorts of temperaments and training conundrums come up my driveway looking for help.
I can’t worry about the mules, I have to just load the wagon. None of the horses know me or my trails, so you have to ride these new campers smart until the dust settles.
A pony horse doesn’t have to be super self-assertive (meaning he can step into an unbroke to stop them, or push into them) but he does need to be able to stand his ground, and be perceived as the unwavering leader for his little camper-ettes.
One monkey doesn’t stop the circus, but David does his job well.
There’s a reason he does his job well. I’ve used lots of different types of horses. I’ve used Morgans from my herd that had just learned to wipe their noses a week before the ones they were ponying, but the best ones are obviously the seasoned horses, the ones that have been around awhile and know the ropes. They are the slick ones—slicker than grease off dinner. That is because of their God-given temperament, but also because I am able to steady them through my seat and hands.
We are, after all, riding partners.
Photo by Andrew Wilson