You can do some of the ridden exercises with the ponies and not some of the others. I have utilized both Pat Parrelli and Clinton Anderson techniques while ground driving (you get plenty of line experience ina BIG hurry that way) and also while driving to a 2 wheel sulky cart. Of course, you can't do the exercises that require you to do rein work with the pony's head around to your leg or the actual leg exercises (actualy - as you become more effiecient with whip and lines, u can use the whip as your leg, drap the lash down where a leg would be and bend them around. I'm not that good, LOL).
The exercises this works best with are the type that involve steady forward movement and turns - both in opposite directions and the same direction (the Cloverleaf, the Daisy). I found while ground driving I either had to get really good at getting my hands up to get lines over the barrels or that I had to turn the barrels on their sides (we were using barrels at a friends' place that day). I've done these exercises at a walk, a trot and for short periods (because I'm not able to keep up, LOL) at a canter/lope. Trust me - 10 - 15 minutes of steady work at one exercise like that - really calms the pony down.
How old is your brother? How big? You say that you want to get pony ready for him to ride... So get the pony used to the saddle, lounge and ground drive with stirrups flapping and with them secured under belly. Get pony used to you on both sides walking and hold your hands as IF YOU WERE IN THE SADDLE riding and do one rein stops and bending exercises. CA shows how to use hands on stirrups to touch them in the right places to get sideways movements - have sitirrups adjusted to your brothers length.
Then take pony and getyour brother mounted ON A LEADLINE. Have brother get comfortable with mounting from both sides and dismounting (my kids and lessonkids - also got practice getting on and off bareback from either a mounting block, a cooler, a bucket - ponies held, straight tied and/or crosstied). Have brother get used to turning loose of horn - touch pony neck, touch poll, pony neck hug, touch back of saddle, touch dock.
YES, this requires turning loose of part of saddle - but can hang onto you or other parts of saddle. Teach him to pick up and hold onto chunk of mane. Stand in stirrups and sit back down. Take feet out of stirrups - find them again. Have him get used to picking up the reins AND DROPPING THEM. Then do "rein work" - practice holding reins (of course since you mention that you are doing NH - you have connected or contest reins adjusted to pony size with a child) and picking up first one side to tip head around, then releasing (not looking for pony's response but teaching your brother how to do the maneuver, right now). All this while standing STILL. Then when pony and brother comfortable - walk on. Do all again at a walk. You switch back and forth leading pony and able to support (or grab) brother.
Only you will know when it's time to let the leadline out and go to lounging. Do the rein exercises to the inside (since you are holding the loungeline - needs to turn towards you). By the time you are ready to remove the loungeline, pony will be "broke to ride" and brother will be ready for more advanced exercises... Some of the best exercies for both pony and brother - CRUISING (can do cruising on loungeline, too) and utilizing "obstacles" on ground to practice turning around. Gets turns and rein handling down pat really well.
I had a pony that was already broke to ride that I gave lessons on to a 9 yr old girl - she got pretty effective with reins and was doing cruising and turning around obstacles by 2nd riding lesson (from me - her grandmother had had her on the backs of her arabians in previous years so she wasn't dealing with fear or timidity) - while on the loungeline (I had to move quickly a couple of times when she went wrong direction - pony would have come unglued if line had wrapped around her haunches or under her tail).
PICs?? Go here
Purplepaintpony Albums and check out D, J & V rides (3 seperate albums at the bottom of page) and Stuffy 2009 riding lessons. Also on our website, you can check out the pictures of Magic, AJ, and Patty (individual pages - mares and stallions). My personal email is
[email protected] if you'd like to ask specific questions or just talk.
Another GREAT resource is Pony Pros - they are on the west coast and use Pat Parrelli exclusively with their pony training and lesson kids - GREAT VIDEOs thru Youtube.
YEP, ponies are mischeivious and cantankerous, but O SO MUCH FUN - especially when you have a prospective little rider that can do what you are asking about! Thank you for asking for another way to do things, I think it's awesome! Some of our pics show no helmets - that was the choice of some of the adults who were in charge of the children, not by my choice. I recommend a properly fitted helmet and boots ( lace up paddock boots offer the best support for little people, IMO).
