The PONY Collab

24/03/2025

Giselle and Swift at the Teams ODE at Mangere PC on Sunday. What a great result 👏

We had a difficult week as Giselle was flooded with anxiety and expectations to do well.

It's fairly hard as a parent to boost your kids confidence when your child believes you're not objective.

It made me super sad to watch her consumed with the idea that people are judging her negatively. That she watches a 5 or 6 year old jumping a metre on her dad's horse and measures herself against that rather than the reality that at just 12 years old she is competing on a pony that she trained herself from scratch. In fact below scratch because he was a 5 year old unhandled stallion and she was 8.

But this weekend was gold because she was surrounded by a great team who she admires and looks up to. Who made her feel like she deserved to be there and her score counted in the achievement to come 3rd overall.

Double clear on SJ and XC and dressage is a work in progress 😊.

Just wanted to shout out to the team including her friend Sammy the draft rider, for their success and their support of each other. 💖

15/03/2025

Things are progressing slowly with the crew as Giselle has dreams of getting to HOY next year. She got Swift competing at 1m. It's not perfect yet but it's coming along.

She has Zadel starting to jump and he is willing so that's great.

We are still trying to get Maemae and Nevada use to the saddle process. Maemae is great to saddle and lean on but not relaxed enough for me to think she's ready to get on.

Nevada is ok to get on just not with a saddle. Hopefully today there is progress. Their leading however has greatly improved and we can catch them straight away and pick up hooves easy.

Next step will be getting the dentist out.

Amaro has his first solo ride and he was perfect. No drama. Taking it easy with him and building his confident. The 3 Chestnut boys just looked stunning yesterday so I had to snap that Pic 😍

03/03/2025

Breaking in ponies isn't rough or raw or loud or busy. It's patience and timing.

Some people flood and flap and put so much pressure on, so the ponies just have to get over it and that works in a way but not in what we are trying to achieve. We have seen ponies that are literally trying to kill themselves rather than stay under the pressure and that's a risk we are not willing to take. If your pony is willing to harm itself to get away from you then your doing it wrong.

This is a slower approach it takes a long time and some believe you put pressure on in small amounts or big it's all the same but it's not. When we started this - just walking around Maemae not even touching her she was flying in panic away from us. So we take a step back slow it down and try hard to get the timing right.

We don't want her to feel like she has to get away from us. We want to build her confidence because if we don't when she is under pressure her first thought will be to bolt. That makes the actual break in part dangerous.

Some people expect there to be bucks and bolts and hijinx but that's not great when kids are the ones doing the hard yards. We need Maemae to know we are listening, we are building trust and a partnership with her. She will get confident and she will learn that she is allowed to get worried and let us know without the drama.

Ponies only become dramatic when you haven't listened. They can give you subtle clues, an ear flick, tight lips, stop blinking, a tail swish and you miss it and suddenly your bolting across the paddock holding on for dear life.

Learn the language and the aren't so unpredictable and you are a lot safer and they are a lot happier.

Ponies can also put up with so many things when they have been flooded to the point they are literally broken...in. the things we know or have heard they have suffered through and never said a word is heartbreaking. Their pain threshold is off the charts and people abuse that without even knowing it.

So we take it slow for their sake and ours.

02/03/2025

Giselle definitely has a unique approach to breaking in ponies 😄.

Can't fault her though she's trained 100s and always turned them out pretty beautifully.

Nevada was not phased by this approach and shes on her way to being kid proof 😊

01/03/2025

Wonderful progress today. The girls and ruffy have only been getting handled once a week as we have been so busy. Now with Delta, Misty and Autumn gone we are concentrating on the projects we have and won't be taking on anymore till we have finished with what we have.

So this week we have worked on saddling the girls and getting the babies perfect with their hooves.

Everyone got a trim today and Nevada even picked up her fronts for me which is massive.

Both girls got their saddles on and Nevada accepted Giselle lying over her. Great progress. We are hoping to have them fully broken in to lead rein before winter then turn them out and bring them back into work by spring so they will be ready for rehoming by the end of the year along with their darling little foals which can go when they are yearlings 🥰

05/02/2025

Delta has someone interested in her and who wouldn't be. This horse is the best. We rarely get horses to sell on behalf that don't require a little work... or a lot of work, to get them to where they need to be. But not Delta.

Aside from an abscess that took awhile to surface this girl is gold ✨️ 💛 👌 in every way.

05/02/2025

Miss Autumn has found a new home with kids and other horses, it sounds perfect. We will miss her a lot, she was the type of mini you could only hope for, for your kids, full of fun and adventure and totally kid proof.

01/02/2025

* I'm not suggesting anyone rides like this. It's just how you should feel (if not straight away then eventually) on your horse.

I love learning, I love seeing what other people can do and if it's something I can adopt in my riding / Horsemanship.

I love discussing different ideas and thoughts because everyone is different and sometimes we get stuck in our ways or on a loop we can't get off.

Sometimes our ego gets in the way so we can't see another idea or opinion or we are afraid that maybe we aren't as good or know as much as we think we do.

Today my friend stopped in for a quick ride. Giselle took Delta. I was taking kitty but kitty is so hard to ride with others. Fine on her own. No one really enjoys me riding with them when I'm on her because she is jigging and jogging and if you think canter your doing it. I call it the fast and furious when I ride her.

My friend jumped on Misty which was a bit funny since he's 5ft10 Misty is 13hh but she is very wide and we were going for a quiet ride. Anyway we didn't get far before he told me to swap.

I was glad to. Don't get me wrong I have no fear riding Kitty, she has no brakes and can turn on a dime but I've never felt afraid.

I rode Misty ba****ck for about an hour over the farm. She had been quite upset when someone came to see her yesterday and had played up but for me, my friend and Giselle who rode her yesterday she was quiet. I found it interesting I could ride with relaxed contact and there was no trouble from her. She was awesome i would have felt safe to put anyone on her.

My friend did rollbacks on Kitty till she settled. It was a hard work out for her but eventually she understood.

I never thought to do rollbacks. I'd try to keep her mind occupied and her feet moving when she got hyper. I tried to time my release so she knew what I was asking but we had little to no improvement.

My friend rode her for less than an hour and she started to change.

2 things.

Misty likes a relaxed rider, doesn't have to be gutsy, could be a complete beginner as long as they aren't snatching at her face, that they get to know her and don't try to "get up her" be patient and this pony will do anything for you. She was so awesome today over the farm.

Kitty needed clearer information and boundaries. My patient approach didn't work and it took another person to show me.

If you're struggling with your horses I encourage you to stop, breathe, take a step back, get someone else to try, maybe not one type of riding suits. Maybe they need something else.

When people came to see Misty her behaviour shocked me a bit, I made excuses for her but in actual fact they rode differently.

When pressure was applied because she didn't understand what they were asking or didn't feel confident with them, she reacted. Not badly but not great if your nervous. She would prefer you knew nothing and learned how she likes to be rather than you know so much of one style and try to change the way she has been taught on your first ride.

It's a lot to expect a pony at her age who hasn't had many riders just adapt to every person who comes along. We need to slow it down. Shes a brilliant brilliant pony and whoever gets her has a friend for life and safe one at that.

❤️

31/01/2025

Another question 🤔

Where are all the calm riders? The ones on a loose rein, the ones who aren't balanced on their hands?

That breathe down for a halt and relax or are able to steady their legs and seat independently?

I'm full of wonder at the moment watching people ride and then thinking maybe our relaxed approach to riding isn't normal?

Maybe the ponies we train are so use to loose reins and feeling the rider that when they get to have other people on them, they can't cope?

Arya is the poster child for no contact. She doesn't even use the reins to get on a 15.2hh horse. Quaid was only holding flash because there was thistle in her tail and Arya had to stop and take it out but she rides with barely a breath of contact.

Why do people clutch so tightly to the reins? Why aren't we teaching kids to breathe in and out of transitions? Why are so many people stiff from hand to elbow, elbow to shoulder.

Just relax, stop asking so much. If your tight at a walk Why trot? Go back a step, lower your expectations.

It's suppose to be enjoyable remember that.

31/01/2025

As the school holidays end and we get back into the swing of things a curious question has been stuck in my mind.

Why do people growl at their horse, whip it, slap it or boot it at the jump/ obstacle or after it?

The jump is where you want the horse to be. They don't have a brain function to decide to "be naughty " at the jump. There is a reason they are not being compliant and 100% it's not because they are naughty.

Friends, food and comfort are all they think of so it's one of those 3 things.

Why are they not allowed to have feelings, why do they have to put up with our inability to communicate with them in a positive way and get called naughty and get punished because we don't understand them?

When someone treats you the way you treat your horse at an obstacle or a jump does it work?

If someone wants you to do something, is growling at you right at the second your going to do it going to encourage you? What about if they slapped you or whipped you?

If the answer is no, you don't find that approach helpful, why would your horse?

How about some words of encouragement? What about a pat not a slap.

Man I'd love to see people take more of that kind of approach.

After the jump why hit it or yell at it then? Again does that work for you? I don't think it does.

Most of times when I see a horse "misbehaving " after a jump it's rider error, yanking the reins, landing hard, unbalanced, wrong approach to the jump. Very rarely is it the horse. Maybe they get excited but maybe they aren't, can you tell if it's you or them?

I'd love it if people videoed themselves and started reading the horses body language so they can pin point the moment it goes wrong. Is it them? Is it?

Young, green, new horse, new rider, different situations I can understand but if it's the horse you ride regularly then maybe there's something else going on.

Or maybe get a different rider because some times a different rider with no previous expectations can show you a different outcome. Wouldn't it be nice to see your horse do what you want and understand what it needs to do it.

Other riders can help, find one that's not necessarily better but different in a positive way, everyone can learn from that.

At any rate. Jumping shouldn't be so stressful, go out have some fun with it and try to relax. Please stop growling and slapping your horses. Fear should not be the training process you use to get your horse to do something.

Try a pat, words of encouragement not only is it better for you, it's better for them. Whips are for training not punishment. It's amazing what you can get those beautiful animals to do for you when they trust you ❤️

26/01/2025

We sold Tinks awhile ago now over a year and wow what a home she went to. Giselle and Swift have spent a lot of time over this summer with them and we could not be happier.

Tinks was pretty good when she was with us but in her new home she has excelled. They went to a Taco bell in Taupiri, they went to the gas station they have been to farms and schools and the beach a few times and now shopping at Raglan and they were even posted on the Raglan page and praised for their riding and picking up their 💩.

This is what we love to see when ponies leave us. Going to homes that give it all and take what we do and make it gold ✨️.

We can only give you the platform the performance is up to you 🥰

26/01/2025

Misty is back with us so I thought I'd share a little clip I made of her when she was with us.

A little rusty because she's been on lead rein mostly but getting there pretty quick.

If you are after a great pony for a beginner or even a quiet second pony then check out the clip and get in touch.

We are always willing to help any ponies that have been through us, find a new home because we stand by the ones that come through. We are especially willing to help those which were ours to begin with.

My children are not technical riders they won't go out and win show hunter or dressage competition for correct riding. Giselle is insanely shy when people come to try ponies out so she won't show you what she can actually do or what she can get them to do but the videos say it all.

They produce ponies for kids to be kids on.

Because kids need to be able to be kids on ponies. It's suppose to be fun, it's suppose to be safe, your suppose to learn a bit and gain some confidence, not get a pony too big, too experienced, too capable because you hope your child can grow into them or they can teach your child.

At this height and age it's about the love of a pony not winning ribbons. Success in riding should be measured by your enjoyment for it not your ability. Save that for those who want to compete, for the majority of kids it is fun. Check it out

Misty is our lovely Andalusian cross Welsh mare who we sold last year but sadly the new owners have had a change of circumstances and need to sell her and ob...

25/01/2025

Autumn is officially available. Her registered name is Totara Creek Identities Best Deal. Shes 5 and just as cute as a button.

Great little kids pony to start on lead and move to off lead. We are starting to get the jump so anything and everything is possible with the right support.

Get in touch if you are looking for a lead rein pony for a pony crazy kid.

20/01/2025

Here they are both Misty and Delta. Both will be officially up for sale this week.

20/01/2025

I will pop up a video but here we go. Took Delta out on the farm today I was excited to have a ride on her but it lasted all of 5min because Kevin was completely out of sorts.

So Arya swapped and she took Delta. She really is a very steady trust worthy horse.

We also got Misty back to sell on behalf. Her owners had a change of circumstances and they are very very sad to have to part with her 😢. She hasn't been ridden in 2 months but you wouldn't know it. Giselle hopped on ba****ck rode out on the farm did gates went into paddocks by herself and cantered around and Misty was foot perfect.

If you are looking for the ultimate 13hh pony then Misty is it. Get in touch as whoever gets her is going to have a lot of fun on this versatile girl.

19/01/2025

Autumn is the best. Fantastic day at Port Waikato 😀

15/01/2025

We have 3 horses coming up for sale.

You may remember Delta who we got in just before Christmas, now she ended up with an abscess so we have nursed her through that and we are out the other side.

Today she took one of our friends who is only 11 and been on a horse 3 times before this. 3 of the girls took off at one point and Delta didn't bat an eye.

She is a big solid unit of a horse but totally reliable. Over the weekend we hope to get her to do some flat work and then if that's looking good then she will be available

We also have Autumn and one other coming Sunday.

If you are looking for a beautiful safe big solid girl who can do it all then Delta is the one. She is absolutely fabulous 👌

13/01/2025

And here is the finished product. We have done a beautiful job breaking Autumn in. She can do off lead as well, all the buttons are there except canter but you never know we might get that uploaded too.

She is really really calm and unflappable. Perfect kids pony.