INSIDE: News, Herbie’s Horsebox & Much More! September 2012

Does YOUR Pony get bored?

Find out inside!

The Pony Post INSIDE:

A Day Out at

Shy Lowen!

2

Hello!

News—Members Special A Day at Shy Lowen

Yawn! Do Horses get Bored?

Herbie’s Horsebox

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

3

4

7

9

Liz

Editor & IH Recommended Associate

Does your horse get bored?

Find out on

Page 7

This month, I'm happy, happy, happy! For a start, I spent a day at Shy Lowen and had just the best time ever (as I always do when I go there). The whole place totally inspires me, and I hope the article in this month's Pony Post inspires you too! I'm also happy because we've got YOUR news and photos this month. As the IH Kids members for some reason seem to be very shy about sending in photos and stories, it's really great that this month we've got some great ones to share. Maybe that'll inspire you too, and you will also send us some pics of your pony, or maybe tell us what you've been up to this summer. It'd be great to share more of your stories.

Contact Us! Intelligentkids@hotmail.co.uk

Do you have a story or photo to share?

On the cover: This is Vicky and Toby—

read about them on Page 4

3

News—from IH Kids Rosette Winners!

Katie achieves the FIRST IH Kids Red Rosette!

We are VERY VERY pleased to announce that we have our first IH Kids red rosette winner! Woohoo!!! Well done to Katie, who has worked incredibly hard to earn every single one of the 7 rosettes. I know she's now going to learn more about horse training and will be reading her mum's copy of the IH Magazine.

We are very proud of you, Katie!

Happy Birthday Izzy!

I know we don't wish you all happy birthday individually - I wish we had time! We do have

to say a belated happy birthday to Izzy, though, as we have to show you her cake. Isn't

that A-MA-ZING??? Izzy passed her white rosette with such flying colours that we'd like

to share it with you - watch out for it next month!

Meet Phoebe and Lola Another new member, 4 year old Phoebe, also sent us a photo

of her riding her pony Lola. Lola has just started doing horse agility with Phoebe. I bet they'll have great fun and I hope she

gets in touch later to let us know how it's going! And… on top of all that, Phoebe has passed her white rosette

too!

Well Done Phoebe!

4

A Day at Shy Lowen

Shy Lowen Horse and Pony Sanctuary in Liverpool is the IH Charity

of the year. It is the most amazing place! All of the horses and ponies

have been rescued - many have had bad lives and many arrive at Shy

Lowen with all sorts of problems. Some are sick, many are afraid,

and all need the Shy Lowen magic.

What makes Shy Lowen different from other rescue centres is

that a lot of the work is done by the kids. They come after

school, at weekends and during holidays - some are there every

day. Most of them had never seen a horse close up before

starting there, but they soon learn how to muck out, feed,

groom and train.

Did you say train? Do you really mean that kids who haven't

been learning about ponies for years can train wild and

difficult horses? You bet!!

That's part of the magic, you see. Some of the kids come to Shy

Lowen with problems just like the horses but soon learn IH

ways of working that let them discover a lot about themselves

as well as about the ponies. They learn to respect, to listen, to

be patient. Above all, they learn the main Shy Lowen motto -

Violence is Never the Answer.

Some of you who have been IH Kids members for a while

will remember Toby, the pony who had been kept on his

own and who had become very aggressive about food?

He now lives at Shy Lowen and has found a real friend in

Vicky. Things that he still finds difficult with other people

are ok for him if Vicky does them. He even lets her ride

him! They're so great together, we thought they'd make a

perfect front cover for this month's Pony Post!

As well as ponies who have been badly treated, others ar-

rive at Shy Lowen completely wild. Cash is an 8 year old

wild Cardennau pony. Sian is working with him and both

of them are learning lots! Cash is learning to trust Sian

and at the same time Sian is learning how to be patient,

very very patient.

5

A Day at Shy Lowen … continued

Sometimes the kids work together, with the older ones teaching

the younger ones, and then working as a team to teach the

ponies. Megan has been going to Shy Lowen for a few years and is

helping Jasmine, who only started a couple of months ago, to

re-back the very pretty but nervous Merry. Watching them is just

like watching professional trainers! Here's how they go about it:

After tacking up carefully, Jasmine took Merry over

to the mounting block. She stood on it for a little

while, so he could see her above him and know it

didn't hurt.

With Megan holding the lead line for safety, Jasmine

then lent over Merry's saddle. Megan let him watch

so that he could see it was Jasmine, and know he

could trust her.

Once Merry was happy with that,

Jasmine mounted carefully, making sure

her leg didn't accidentally touch him as she

swung it over his back. Megan stood the

other side to hold the stirrup and make

sure the saddle didn't get pulled round.

6

A Day at Shy Lowen … continued

Even though Merry has been ridden by Jasmine a couple of

time, because he is still nervous sometimes Megan continued

to lead him for a while until everyone was happy and

relaxed. Jasmine makes sure she sits comfortably for Merry,

beautifully balanced and not interfering with him, so that

riding is something he finds easy. Megan makes sure she

doesn't interfere either - you can see the line is slack and

she's not making him tense by holding on tight.

Finally it's time for Megan to unclip and for

Jasmine to ride without the lead rein. She again

makes sure she sits quietly, keeping just a light

contact to talk to Merry so he knows she's doing

the steering. And all that work is worth it - for a

nervous pony, he certainly looks very chilled!

And remember, Jasmine has only just learned

to ride!

Well done girls :)

At the moment, there are about 40 horses and ponies living at Shy Lowen.

Because they don't have much grazing, they eat a LOT of hay, £17,000 worth each

year, and that's as well as all the other bills. If you would like to help the IH fundraising

appeal for Shy Lowen, you can either donate money directly through the Shy Lowen

website or contact Liz through intelligentkids@hotmail.co.uk if you have any

fundraising ideas.

www.shylowen.com

7

Yawn!—Do ponies get bored?

Ponies stand around in fields all day long doing... erm... well, nothing much! Ok, they eat

and sleep, sometimes groom each other and sometimes even play. The rest of the time the

just stand there, don't they? Aren't they bored?

Some people worry that their ponies are bored if they are not working. You hear people say

their pony prefers to have a job to do, and that if the are turned out without being ridden

for a while they get bored.

Hmmm... let's think about that. If our own ponies get bored when they are not being ridden,

does that mean wild ponies are bored all the time? Or that ponies who are either too young

or too old to be ridden are bored?

I don't think so.

And here's another question for you - what does a bored pony look like, so how do you know if your pony is bored?

Which of these do you think look bored?

Answer: None of them!

The horse in number one is yawning. That might mean that he's stressed about something

(horses sometimes yawn when they're stressed) but as there doesn't seem to be anything

stressful happening it probably just means he's tired.

In photo number two, the grey horse is sleeping while the brown horse stands watch and in

photo number three the foal is just lying down resting

8

Yawn!—Do ponies get bored?... Continued

Unless a pony's field is very dull - with no grass, no hedges, no friends and nothing to see at

all - he won't be bored if he is just turned out. That doesn't mean he might not get excited

about the idea of a hack, and it doesn't mean that he might not seem more alert if you ask

him to do some Trec obstacle training. It just means that it's not a problem for a horse not

to be doing those things.

There are times that ponies might get bored though. If you do the same schooling every day,

just trotting round in circles for example, he might get bored with it. Then it would be the

same as your teacher asking you to read the same page of a book every lesson.

Horses who are kept in stables for a long time, on box rest for example, can get bored,

especially if there is nothing to look at and maybe not enough to each. If your pony does

need to stay in a stable, it's always a good idea to stand in there as well and ask yourself

what your pony will have to look at and think about.

This horse is at Shy Lowen and he has lots to look at,

especially as he has a window at the back of his stable as

well as the front, and he has low partitions either side of

his stable so he can talk to his friends next door. If he

was on his own, though, you might want to get him a

treat ball, or maybe a stable mirror.

So, don't worry if you go away for a couple of weeks, or

if you have exams and don't have much time for your

pony for a while. As long as he is turned out as much as

possible with other ponies, and also long as he has food

and drink, he'll be fine.

IH KIDS—Top Tips:

make sure your pony is out with his friends as much as possible

if he has to stay in, try and make his stable

interesting don't worry if your pony stands around doing

nothing sometimes, it's normal!

9

Herbie has gone all pink and creative with this month’s crossword to test your knowledge on tack! Let us know how well you do!

Herbie’s Horsebox Herbie’s Tack Crossword Answers: 1. Down: Bridle, Across: Blanket

2. Down: Stirrup, Across: Saddle

3. Down: Reins

4. Across: Girth

What do you give a pony with a cold? Cough Stirrup!

In Your Next Issue……

My Pony Diva, by Izzy Let's Talk About... Dressage! And more puzzles from Herbie!

Herbie’s Tack

Crossword!

When do vampires like horse racing?

When it’s neck and neck!

What did the waiter say to the horse?

I can’t take your order. That’s not my stable. How long should a horses legs be?

Long enough to reach the ground!