"Just ONE More!" Maddie

My name is Maddie. I am 10 years old. My pony, Peanut, is four years old and he is a Section B Welsh pony. When I first met Peanut, he was the most beautiful pony I had ever seen. His fiery red mane was blowing in the breeze. Sometimes our work together can be frustrating, but over time there has been less frustration and more fun.

Peanut has taught me many lessons which will be useful in life. The most important lessons are these two: first, always be in an open frame of mind when you are around horses and ponies because, otherwise, the horse or pony will reflect your negative or stubborn attitude. Second, be patient when your pony is learning a new task. Instead of getting frustrated with your horse or pony when doing something scary, you should calmly support him/her. This helps him/her feel comfortable trying something new.

When I am at the barn, I start with grooming and tacking Peanut up. After I put the jumping hackamore or bitless bridle on and saddle him, I lead him into the arena. Before I get on Peanut, I warm him up on the ground by first playing The Circling Game (lunging on the line) to the left and right at the walk, canter, and trot. Then, I play The Porcupine Game (applying pressure to hind and front ends). Next, I play The Sideways Game. This is a dressage move, where your horse crosses his front and back feet at different times.

After I finish my warm-up, I get on Peanut. The first few steps are very slow and, in a way, relaxing. Then it is time for the pace to speed up. I start off with a small figure eight at the walk. Whenever Peanut gets a little stiff, I disengage his hindquarters by turning sharply, but not suddenly. I do the walking figure eight for five to ten minutes. For the next five minutes, I trot around in a slightly larger figure-eight. When his trot is slow and his turns are soft, I ride him into the center and let him rest for about 20% as long as it took him to soften his turns and slow his trot. When I come out on my own, Peanut and I do this cycle for about three or four times, depending on his energy level. In lessons, sometimes we will work on reining, dressage, or NH patterns, jump, or work on transitions. Then I take the saddle off and play with him in the cordeo (a rope around his neck instead of his halter). When I am finished working with Peanut, I give him a shower sometimes, and braid his tail so he is dry when I return him to the pasture.

Working with Peanut has given me self-confidence. For example, when I was learning how to jump barrels bareback one day, I stopped to fix his halter. While I was fixing his halter, he gave me a hug with his neck, as if to say "we can do it."

When I am on my way to the ranch, I feel peaceful and happy. We are not a pony and a girl anymore; we are one.

Kali and Les, my instructors, are two of the best role models I have ever had. They are brilliant, their explanations are clear, and they are like family to me. They have organized many cool activities such as including me in teaching a natural horsemanship workshop in Vancouver, BC and training yearlings and 2-3 year old Welsh ponies in Joseph.

- Maddie

Videos:
2010 Juniper Trails Adventure
2010 4th of July Parade
Maddie and Peanut Montage
2010 Day in the Life of a PonyPro
2010 Trotting Crossrails Bareback with Celeb
2010 Catch Riding Twister for Vid
2010 Learning to Canter Bareback on Markey
2010 Learning to Kneel on Peanut
2010 Catch Riding Percy for Vid
2010 Riding Wallie Bareback
2010 Maddie and Markey Play with Ribbons
2009 Lunging Rosie
2009 Teaching Peanut to Lay Down
2009 Lunging Beau
2009 Helping Evaluate Beau
2009 Jogging with Sam
2009 Innovate with Peanut
2009 Riding Marley
2008 Targeting with Nina

2010 Photos:

2009 Photos:

2008 Photos:

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