Ponying Horses

Today I want to write a bit more general about one of the training methods I strongly believe in: Ponying along horses.

Ponying a horse means leading a horse alongside the horse you are riding. The horse which is ponied along is also called pony horse (in racing the term is used for the horse leading the race horse to the starting line) or hand horse.

Now why is that useful in the training of young and old horses equally?

I mostly pony along my youngsters but I also do it with older horses to be able to train two horses at the same time. This saves me time, particularly if I do mountain training. Riding one horse and ponying another means I can train two horses instead of one.

Sometimes I need to bring two or more horses to a certain place and that is when the training comes really handy. In fact I strongly believe that every trail horse should be used to getting ponied along in case of emergency when one rider is unable to continue the ride and needs to be taken to hospital y helicopter or ambulance.

It is also the perfect way to get an inexperienced horse used to the trail or some special feature on the trail, crossing a river for example.

Sometimes I am taking along a child or an inexperienced rider and for additional safety I pony them along so I have a measure of control to keep them safe and comfortable.

Also, when a horse is recovering from an injury and needs to be walked but not ridden for longer and longer times. Rather than walking with him I can also pony him along and give exercise to two horses at the same time.

So, you can see, ponying a horse comes in handy in many different situations, but of course especially while training young horses about which I will talk more further down this article. It is definitely a skill which comes in handy and every horse rider should cultivate.

The Equipment

Let us first talk about what equipment you need, to pony along a horse. The most important thing is a calm and obedient riding horse which can be ridden with one hand, is used to a rope touching his body and legs and not opposed to have another horse following closely. It should not be spooky or nervous as this would affect the horse you are ponying along. You should be able to ride him at a different speeds if necessary.

Your riding horse is ridden in normal equipment, just as you would normally do. I would not really recommend a treeless saddle or a bareback pad however, as the weight distribution of the rider is not perfect in those and if the horse you are ponying along tugs or pulls at the rope, it might create pressure points on your riding horse. 

The horse you want to pony along should also have a basic training. It should be halter-broke, used to being led and respond to the basic commands, stop, walk and trot. It should also be fine with a rope dangling between his legs and body and have learned to disengage its hindquarters and back up.

I personally prefer to pony along horses in a rope halter and use a long horsemanship rope, either 9 or 12 feet long without a metal snap. 

I never use a normal halter for ponying as the halter shifts around the head and you cannot give any clear cues as you never know where the pressure is going to be delivered. I also never use a bridle or connect my rope in any way to the bit. If any of the horses shies or jumps, this would result in a bad tug in the mouth of the horse I am ponying along. Also, sometimes the horse might stop to poo and I might not be able to stop my riding horse quickly enough. Again, there is a risk of injury in the soft tissues of the mouth. Also, I want to keep my horse’s mouth as soft as possible so ponying him along on a bit would risk him becoming totally dead in the mouth in a short time. Technically a cavesson would work as well, however if you use one with a metal chain or piece on the nose, again the risk of injury in case of a spook, pull or tug is there. I also use the cavesson to work with my trained horses as the cavesson is a great tool to deliver very light cues to my horse. If I use the cavesson to pony my horse along, he might get unresponsive to it. As a result, for me personally, the rope or knot halter is my preferred piece of equipment to pony horses. It should fit well and have the knots at the right place. If it is too big, it will slide around the head and your cues will become vague and unclear. But if it fits well, you can deliver light and efficient cues, you have a good measure of control over the horse you are ponying along and you can keep his mouth soft and sensitive. 

The lead rope should be long enough if you need to lead the horse you are ponying along at a bit of a distance if it becomes necessary (for instance if you ride on a path which is only wide enough for one horse and your pony horse needs to go behind your riding horse) and it should be long enough to allow for a jump of either of your horses. If the lead rope is too short, you will quickly get into troubles if your pony horse stops suddenly or jumps to the side. If it is too long, it will be difficult to manage it and you risk having it dragging on the ground or having a horse step on it. A normal horsemanship rope of firm quality is a good compromise. I prefer one without any metal hardware which might hurt your horse on his head if you need to wiggle or shake the rope. There are ropes which have a lope on one end so you can tie them on the halter without the need of a metal snap or hook.

The question of whether to use a whip or not is a controversial one. I don’t use a whip as I have not really needed it. Sometimes a whip can come in handy if the horse you are ponying along is lazy or reluctant to follow your riding horse. A whip helps you in giving him a bit of motivation here and there. However, it also means you have yet another item in your hands and it quickly becomes difficult to handle your reins, the lead rope and the whip. Also, if the whip is not long enough, it is not at all effective as you will not be able to reach the right spot on the pony horse. Furthermore, a whip is only effective if used in the right moment to reinforce your cues so that your horse will become more reactive and lighter which means that eventually, you will not need the whip anymore. Most riders are overusing the whip as a shortcut rather than properly train the horse which means, the whip will become more and more ineffective as the lazy horse is taught to ignore it.

So better than bringing a whip along, work on getting your horses light and responsive so that you will not need the whip in the first place.

Preparing Yourself and Your Horses

So now that we have talked a lot about the equipment, how can you start, if you have never ponied a horse along before?

First practice riding your riding horse with one-hand, if you have not done that before. Make sure you can ride turns and transitions easily with one hand just with the aid of your legs and weight. If that works, you are ready to start riding with two horses. The first couple of rides should take place inside a fenced arena so that if something goes wrong, both you and the horses are in a safe and confined place. Mounting your riding horse while holding your pony horse can be a bit of a challenge, so you might want to ask someone to hold your horses for you to mount.

Once mounted, position the pony horse on the appropriate side of your riding horse. You would usually lead your pony horse on the side facing away from the traffic. However, I would always teach a horse to lead on both sides as there might be situations you might want to lead him on the other side if there is something scary. Also, your pony horse should be used to walk behind your riding horse if your trail narrows and you can only ride one horse behind the other. But in general, the position of the pony horse should be with his head on your riding horse’s flank on the appropriate side (in the USA, in Germany where traffic drives on the right side of the road it is the right, in GB, in India, in South Africa where traffic drives on the left side of the road, it is the left side). This position is also known as foal position as foals follow their mothers in exactly this spot. Thus, it is natural for horses to stay in this place.

Hold the reins of your riding horse in one hand and the lead rope in the other, never tie the lead rope to the saddle of your riding horse or wrap it around your hand or arm. Start by cueing your horses to go forward, your riding horse with your legs, your pony horse with your voice either by clicking your tongue or. by giving the command. Start riding in a big circle. If you feel comfortable and your horses and relaxed and responsive, start doing turns and transitions. You might want to position a couple of poles or cones and ride over and around them to make sure you are in full control of both of your horses. Once that works at a walk, start trotting. 

Your pony horse should always keep his position, whether you ride turns or change speeds or gaits. In practice, most horses will fall a little further back and might be more comfortable in a position with their head on your riding horse’s hindquarters or even a little bit behind, depending on his relationship with the riding horse. 

In general, I personally don’t mind that. I prefer the pony horse to be rather a bit further back than too much in front where he might start to take matters such as direction or speed into his own hooves and overtake your riding horse. If that happens, send him back to his place with a determined shake of the rope and a strict voice command.

If he falls too far back however, you will not see him anymore and he might be inclined to stop following or drag his feet until you end up pulling him along which is also bad. So, the position does matter even if it can vary to a certain extend on the character of your horse. Generally speaking, you want a lazy horse a bit closer to you and a forward-going horse rather a bit further behind.

Once you are confident and comfortable riding with two horses in walk and trot, you can start going for rides outside. I personally walk and trot with my horses outside. If that works well, I would try out if they manage a canter. Most horses are fine with that, however make sure you stay at a controlled speed, otherwise, your horses might end up racing each other and it might be hard for you to stop. Remember you have two horses you will need to slow down, so don’t overdo it and stay on the safe side. There could always be the one person on a bicycle suddenly appearing forcing you to having to stop.

Ponying Young Horses

I love ponying along my young horses as a means of training them. I usually start before they are saddle broke when they are two years or older. I start slowly and gradually at first, not too often and not too long in the beginning and then increase first the duration and then the speed over the following months.

As I have mentioned before, the young horse must be halter broke and should lead well. It should be used to the rope all over his body and legs and it should be knowing the basic commands for stop, walk, trot and back. I usually play the Seven Games with my youngsters before I take them along as hand horse and go for walks, making sure, they walk well with me have no issues. They should be able to turn on their haunches and disengage their hindquarters. If they can do all this, then they are ready to be ponied along. In the beginning, I take them on rides 2-3 times a month for around 3-5 km or maybe 30-60 minutes just walking. Gradually I increase up to 10 km walk and when I feel they are ready, I start trotting. Make sure you give them rest time after taking them out on rides so their muscles have time to grow and they are not overworked. Never underestimate the strain an easy 5 km ride can put on a young, inexperienced horse. Maybe you encountered a tractor or a herd of cows, a mental and emotional challenge for your youngster. Particularly if a young horse has never really been worked, does not have a huge turnout with plenty of other horses on a hilly pasture, you start with zero and have to make sure you very gradually build up stamina and muscles.

I cannot stress it enough here, one must always make sure, young horses enjoy these rides and are never stressed or tired. If you want to keep them motivated, they should enjoy these rides at the side of a calm and friendly riding horse. This makes it easier for them to deal with unexpected encounters and monsters such as cars, tractors or cows.

Taking them as pony horses, gives them the chance of experiencing plenty of new things they do not see on the farm or in their yard from colourful umbrellas to flapping cloth lines, scarecrows, barking dogs or traffic without the additional burden of being ridden. They always have the company of an older, experienced horse which will give them confidence and guidance. Your youngster will get used to all these things even before you ride him and will be bomb-proof when you sit on him for the first time!

He will also learn to be directed from a position above his back. Horses are generally scared of things coming from above as predators would jump on their backs to bite their throat. So, ponying them helps them accepting being led from a person sitting above them, even if it is not yet their own back. You can also touch them on their back and neck while you pony them to teach them, that this totally okay.

Last but not least, it is also a great muscle and stamina training without putting undue strain on the young horse. The rides will gradually build muscles in his back, hindquarters, neck and will improve his general stamina. Here the emphasis is on gradually work on distance and speed and not to overwork your young horse which will tire him and take away his motivation. Frequent grazing breaks are also a good way of making rides more fun.

And this is what it should be all about, making it fun and showing him the big world outside. Young horses are curious by nature and love to explore and experience new things.

One thing you should however keep in mind when you pony your youngster along, even though there is no weight on his back yet, he might require a hoof protection. You do not necessarily need to shoe him yet (something I would always try to do as late as possible), sometimes a pair of hoof boots might do the trick if the terrain you are riding in, is hard and rocky. Always check his hooves after taking him along on rides and if you feel, the wear is too great, consider putting a pair of boots on him, even if it is just temporary. Not all hoof boots fit to all horses, so it helps if you can try out a few different ones to find a pair which fits well and does not get lost after each and every canter, which is more than annoying.

Safety Issues to Consider

Before I finish, let me elaborate on a couple of safety issues. I have already pointed out, never tie the lead rope on your saddle or riding horse or even yourself. Never ever!

This is an invitation for disaster! If one of the horses bolts, the other one will be pulled along and both horses will edge each other on, even if one is willing to stop. Also never wrap the lead rope around your arm, thinking, you can drop it easily. If there is a sudden pressure on the rope, you will not be able to get it off easily and might get dragged off your riding horse and pulled behind your pony horse should it suddenly decide to bolt.

Always hold the lead rope in your hand, ready to drop if necessary. We certainly do not want to drop the lead rope, but if you get into serious troubles, it is better to drop it rather than risk bodily harm to yourself or all the three of you. Horses usually stay together, so if you drop the lead rope, there is a good chance that your pony horse might run off a short distance if he gets frightened, but then stops and returns to your riding horse.

I have dropped the lead rope on a few occasions as it happens. One of my youngsters had the habit of suddenly stopping to poo. This could be out of a walk or a trot and usually always when I least expected it. So, she surprised me a few times and I had to drop the lead rope. She never took off or went anywhere. She just stopped and once she was done, she would come up to me again and join my riding horse at a short distance. If that happens, you can even retrieve the lead rope without having to dismount. You can just ride up to your pony horse and take the lead rope at the halter, pull it up and continue your ride. The most important thing is to always remain calm and not panic. If you do, your horses will feel that and might get nervous.

So best advise to prevent losing your lead rope is always keep an eye on the horse you are ponying so that you notice when they stop to poo or getting up to stupid ideas.

Sometimes the pony horse might get naughty and bite your riding horse. This might be meant in a playful way but can have dire consequences as your leg might get in the way and it might end up biting you instead or your riding horse might kick out and both horses get out of control. So put up a strict front to all attempts at biting or naughtiness right from the beginning. You can do that by giving your pony horse a firm whack with the rope if he tries to bite your riding horse, accompanied by an equally firm “NO”! This needs to be done the same moment not five seconds later, so be alert and keep an eye on both horses all the time. Biting or fighting is an absolute no-go and if you put a stop to it right in the beginning, you can efficiently prevent any naughtiness there and then.

The same goes with stallions or geldings trying to jump on your riding horse. This is super dangerous for you and for your horse and you can end up with a hoof in your kidneys! Horses with a tendency to do that should not be ponied along, especially if you are not confident enough to put a stop to it!

Having said all that, I want to conclude that ponying along horses can be fun and a great way to increase your equestrian skills. And when you have a young horse, you are training, it is a great way to show him the world and prepare him for his life as a riding horse.