Q: My pony gets very distracted when we ride in the warm-up with other ponies. How can I help her to focus on me more?
A: Riding with others can be pretty tough for ponies, especially if they need to do it in unfamiliar surroundings.
To begin with, start by riding at home with just one other pony. Gradually bring your ponies closer together, but try to keep your pony focused on you by asking for lots of transitions and direction changes. If she loses focus, just ask her to do more transitions or turn her onto a circle. Keeping her mind on you using exercises like this will really help keep her focused, on whatever is happening in her surroundings.
Once you feel your pony works as well with one other pony as she does alone, you can do some training sessions with a couple more ponies at home. Adding a few more ponies creates an environment like a warm-up for a competition, but at home where your pony is more likely to feel comfortable.
Once you have mastered working with a few ponies, the next step is to do the same exercise away from home. It would be great to go to a nearby arena to do this or to hire an arena for an hour. You want to be away from home, but ideally not in a competition setting for the first few times you practice this so that you don’t have to handle any additional pressure. Again, as before, first practice working away from home with just one other pony and then repeat the exercise with more ponies until you are sure that your pony is comfortable in this environment.
Then you’ll be ready for the warm-up at any show!
