Free Training Resources
PonyPros posts PodCasts, writes EHow Articles, and posts YouTube videos as a gift to all who love horses. Please send us a thank you if these resources help you with your horse or pony. We maintain 4 different YouTube Channels- Instructional Vids Focusing on Kids & Ponies (new logo), Sales Ponies and Instructional Vids (original logo), Footage from PonyPros Horse Show Circuit (PlayWithPurpose), and Rescue Horse Training Videos (CIEStudies)
First, a little about us...
Click Here to See a Slideshow PresentationWe try to be recreation for our horses since they are recreation for us. Our program is bitless. We mostly ride in bareback pads. We use natural horsemanship methods and clicker training. We warm up with ground work every day before we ride to start thing out on a good note and create partnership. Our activities are balanced between migrating on the trail, synchronizing in the arena, and games/tricktraining indoors and out. New students start out doing seatwork on the longe and do not ride off the longe until they are confident in their balance, which is usually about 5 lessons. We do not coach our students on their position, but set up situations that allow them to find natural balance and a natural position. Our ponies get to pick between bareback, treeless saddles, and treed saddles - they all have their individual preferences and we honor them. When a pony is having trouble while being ridden, first we try asking without a saddle, which usually works, the we get down and show them on the ground rather than fighting if they're still confused. We do not support equestrian sport or traditional horse shows. We host natural horsemanship horse shows that are designed to be fun and valuable to a horse, and to provide vacation-like enjoyment for riders. Most horse show activities are not fun for the horse and ask for activities most recreational riders cannot do without treating their horse like an obstacle to be surmounted on the way to the top. A student said it best, "Who cares if you can do all the fancy stuff. If your horse doesn't like you, what's the point?" Our horses are our friends.
Presentations
What's a PonyPro? - short animated moviePonyPro Quizzes PonyPadawan on Synchrony, Migration, and Play - short animated movie
PonyPros Principles
Why We Do Groundwork
Overview of the SMP Model - Synchrony, Migration, and Play
Tack
Just for PoniesTack Whole Sale
DuraTech Pony Blankets - Great buy
Blanket Fitting & Sizing Estimates
Halter/Bridle Fitting & Sizing Estimates
Rare Equus
Ozark Mountain Mini Tack
Silver Dollar NH Equipment
Horse Tack Co
Treeless Saddles
Video Showing Why Our Program is Bitless
Bitless Bridle Options
Horse Training DVD Rental Sites:
GiddyUpFlix.comBarnSweetBarn.com
YourHorseMatters.com
Recommended Reading:
We tend to recommend academic materials for reading and to suggest YouTube videos for easily understood examples
Articles:
PonyPros EHow ArticlesThe Rein Aids We all use our hands with horses and somehow things get done. Learn the names of the aids so you can easily communicate the way you are using your hands.
Lateral Movements You will find tons of useful illustrations here and dressage (training) explained in lay-persons terms.
The Leg Aids
The Whip
The Seat
Pos vs Neg Reinforcement
Almost Every Horse Will Have Ulcers at Some Point in His Life
World Cup Dressage Rider Uses Clicker Training
Clicker Training vs Pressure Release
Books:
Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen PryorReaching the Animal Mind by Karen Pryor
The Revolution in Horsemanship and What It Means for Mankind by Robert Miller
Guide Horse for Blinkd
Online Groups:
These folks are really good about sharing information freely. Lots of different opinions, but most of it you can use. There aren't a lot of NH groups that are very helpful, unfortunately. The clicker people are more willing to offer specific advice because they come at things from a behaviorism standpoint.
PonyPros on Facebook
EQxpressionists on Facebook
HorseClickerVideos on YahooGroups
PNHclickers on YahooGroups
ClickRyder on YahooGroups
Parelli Naturally on YahooGroups
Positive Reinforcement on Facebook
Art of Natural Dressage Forum
Clicker & NH with Leslie Pavlich on Facebook
Peggy Hogan on Facebook
ClickRyder on Facebook
YouTube Inspiration
Classical Equitation - Direct Rein, Indirect Rein, Shoulder-in, Half Pass Craig Stevens
What's a Parelli Level 1 Horse?
Oz Welsh Cobs
What's a Parelli Level 2 Horse?
Kasia & Gigant
What do they do at a Parelli tour stop?
Parelli Naturally
How to incorporate clicker training into teaching the Parelli games-
Kim and Van Sturgeon with Tempo
I can't read my horse's body language. What is he saying to me?
PonyPros Body Language Study During Foot Training Session
PonyPros Foot Training 2
Cause Your Horse to Love Being Caught - Clicker Train Your Horse to Halter! We used this method to teach 9 rescue stud colts with minimal handling how to halter. It was a major accomplishment given that they were all loose in a three acre pasture. It only took three 20 minute sessions to have them trotting to us to put their halters on.
Kim Sturgeon and Tempo
First Time Clicker Trainer with a First Time Clicker Trainee Pony! - Clicker training is easy to do. Don't let being a newbie stop you. Even a pony who is nervous about being caught and haltered can be retrained by a first time clicker trainer.
PonyPros Haltering
A gentle way to get your hands on a horse that has never been touched-
Leslie Pavlich and Bobby Dee
Causing Your Colt to Want to be Ridden for the First Time-
Ellen Ofstad and Destinadas
PonyPros Using the 'Jump Up' Method
Why should I teach my horse to target?
Beginning Targeting
Intermediate Targeting
Advanced Targeting
PonyPros Colt Starting in an Arena with Targeting
Trail Riding with Targeting
Bring that body part to me
How can I teach my horse to ground tie?
PonyPros Ground Tying
What is longreining, longlining, or grounddriving? Teach your colt to steer before you get on!
Ellen Ofstad
PonyPros Ground Driving
What are some tricks I can teach my horse?
Beth Bliss and Ivy
Beth Bliss and Ivy II
Georgia Bruce and Rumba
Who is Linda Tellington Jones and what is TTeam/TTouch?
Getting More Impulsion Under Saddle
TTouch Demonstration
Calming a Nervous Mare Under Saddle
What is matching/mirroring/dancing/mimicking?
Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling
Ok, I'm inspired. Now, give me some tasks. I need a recipe!
Here are some great YouTube vids made by Parelli followers and other natural horsemanship students. The links are broken down into the four savvys: Online, Liberty, Freestyle, and Finesse. There are 10 levels in the Parelli Program, with 10 being highest. We recommend purchasing the Parelli dvds.
Parelli L1
Friendly GamePorcupine Game - Back Up
Porcupine Zone 2 - Move Forequarters
Porcupine Zone 4 - Move Hindquarters
Driving Game - Back Up
Driving Zones 2 and 4 - Forequarters and Hindquarters
YoYo Game
Parelli L2
7 Games with an Obstacle - Kasia and Gigant7 Games with an Obstacle - Kasia and Gigant continued
7 Games with an Obstacle - HoofingMarvelous
YoYo Over Pole
Squeeze Over Jump
Lead by Foreleg
Sideways
Circling Game - Change Direction at a Trot
Send Into Trailer
Hold Horses Tongue
Cause Your Horse to Smell His Tail
Extreme Friendly Game
ONLINE - ground work with 12', 22', and 45' lines
Even little boys love natural horsemanship (Online L1)
Walk in the Forest (Online L2)
Playing in the Field (Online L3)
Natasha and Wild Billy (Online L3)
LIBERTY - no tack whatsoever, horse is "at liberty"
JF Pignon and his herd at the beach
Mikey Plays with Red Sun
Honza Blaha
Stick With Me Game in the Arena (Liberty L3)
Really Advanced Liberty Play in Arena (Liberty L4)
Viky and Karin - 14 year old girl and pony
Nevzorov Haute Ecole
FREESTYLE - Progressing to riding bareback and bridle-less
Freestyle (L3)
Freestyle (L3++)
Amazing Freestyle (Olympian David O'Connor doing dressage and showjumping bridle-less)
Stacy Westfall Bridleless
FINESSE - Precision riding for performance horse sports
Finesse (L3)
Clay Wright
If this page is helpful to you, please send us a thank you! We thrive on positive reinforcement :)
Have training questions?
Email us to see if we can help.info@ponypros.net