CANADIAN PONY CLUB OCT 2016 The MANE ISSUE Meet a Member– Melissa Bayer I have been in Pony Club for 15 One of my proudest moments found my way, but the judge years with the Appleton Branch outside of pony club is bringing also got lost! I rode the test in SLOV and have achieved my my young horse from the backwards as per her RA. ground up to Third Level instructions. At the end, she I am currently taking Equine dressage. We competed on the rung the bell and admitted her Remedial Therapy at a mistake. We had to ride the private school in whole test again. My horse Edmonton, Alberta. It is a 4 was so understanding and year program where upon willing. At least we got to completion I will be able to correct some of our treat horses using multiple mistakes! modalities including My advice to other pony club cranial-sacral, massage, members is to take every acupuncture, osteopathic, opportunity pony club can homeopathic, and present to you. Take kinesthetic taping, just to chances, apply to national name a few. I am loving and international teams. See this program and am currently in the country and the world. my 2nd year. Pony Club gave Gold circuit and on our first outing at this level we were the One of the best experiences me a huge leg up in the course, was when I represented CPC in I was miles ahead of my only pair to remain in the 60's through all three tests. He was Kentucky for Quiz. Spend the classmates in anatomy and money on an experience rather horse knowledge. one of my mounts for my RA testing. than just another ribbon at just another horse show. One of my most embarrassing moments in Pony Club would be the regional dressage Melissa championships in 2011, I believe, I was coming down the centerline and blanked on the test I was to ride. This was my 2nd test of a back to back ride, and for the life of me I couldn't remember where to go! I eventually THE MANE ISSUE PAGE 2 Testing Tips— Emily Lindsay Emily Lindsay is a C1 riding/C2 sm member from Rising Star Some- branch in COR thing Testing, something that most that you of us find very stressful and will hear sometimes more of chore over and than something we want to over do. Testing is the very thing again is; that makes pony club unique, be pre- testing is a way for us to learn pared more about horses for our and give benefit. When studying for yourself your test try to understand lots of what you are learning about time to don’t just memorize the ex- study for pected answers, learn the your why behind the questions. test. Giv- Learning and understanding ing your- pare you for how a typical test the concepts being tested is self time to study allows you will proceed. I have recently what is going to help you in to more fully understand the become an examiner myself the long run when you are out concept so that at your test its and I run mock tests for all of Pony Club and have to easy and you will find it easier the lower levels in our branch make your own decisions as you move up the levels. to get them more comfortable about your horse. The best way to know what to in a test scenario. I have also study is the workbooks and started to realize that the eas- the testing requirements that iest marks to get or lose are CPC makes available on the turn-out marks for both the website. The best ways to ride and SM portion. They are find the answers you don’t freebie marks if you put the know are the manuals. effort in to make yourself and Each manual covers differ- horse clean, neat and tidy ent topics to different levels. those marks are yours for the Having “The manual of taking. Also when answering Horsemanship” is a good questions project confidence start along with the USPC if you act like you know what manuals. As you move up you are talking about we are the recommend readings are less likely ask further ques- also valuable sources of in- tions into the subject. Don’t formation. stress about the test, have fun and answer to the best of your ability, it doesn’t matter if If you are struggling with a you pass or fail you will still part of the test, get your learn something that will help branch to run a mock in your next test. test. This will help identify your strong points and your weak points. It will also pre- THE MANE ISSUE PAGE 3 Breed Basics - Pottok The Pottok or Pottoka is an endangered, Its traditional range extends west as far as the semi-feral breed of pony native to the Biscayan Encartaciones and east roughly as far Pyrenees of the Basque Country in France as the Saint-Jean-le-Vieux area. In 1970s there and Spain. were roughly 3.500 purebred Pottoks north of the Pyrenees and approximately 2.000 purebreds to The name Pottok means “A prehistoric animal the south, a considerable drop from historic hunted by cavemen”, or “tubby or chubby” populations, linked to an overall drop in the number of horses being bred and used It is considered an ancient breed of horse, commercially. Competition with sheep and more particularly well adapted to the harsh recently commercial forestry has also infringed on mountain areas it traditionally inhabits. the Pottok's natural habitat. The traditional core habitat are the mountains of Navarre from about Once common, it is endangered through 1.500m upwards, generally on poor acidic soil habitat loss, mechanization and and limestone formations. crossbreeding but efforts are increasingly made to safeguard the future of this breed. It The Pottok measures between 11 to 14.2 hh and is considered iconic by the Basque people. weighs between 300 to 350 kilograms. (It has a It has lived in the area for at least several large, square head, small ears, short neck and thousand years., and is genetically closest to long back with short but slim legs, and small, breeds like , the Losino, the Galician , the sturdy hooves. Landais, and the Monchino horses. Tests have revealed considerable genetic differences between populations in the Northern Basque Country and the Southern Basque Country, leading some to consider them separate breeds. The winter fur (borra) is one of the key characteristics of the Pottok and can reach up to 3.9 in in length on young horses. The typical coat colorations are in bay, brown and black range with no patterning. Although piebald and skewbald colouring appeared in the breeds in the 1850s. In the 20th century, piebald Pottoks were bred, particularly for circus use. THE MANE ISSUE PAGE 4 Super Ponies (& Horses)- Fifa ( Fee Fi Fo Fum) -written by Heidi Hatch Clinical signs section was copied from an article written by was won by a rider in an English saddle and Sonia Gonzales – Medina DVM, CertAVP (EM) MRCVS bridle. The next season we had western tack. and Dr Jo Ireland BVMS PhD CertAVP (EM) MRCVS As Fifa got more comfortable with jumping she and Chloe went higher and higher. She did a In September 2011 I took my 11 year daughter to clinic with Selena O Hanlon and jumped all the see a 13.1hh pony for sale. The pony was in cross country jumps the bigger horses did, she Massena USA. She seemed very green, lazy and never refused anything. It was us that told her not my type at all. In the car though my daughter when enough was enough. Sadly by 2014 Chloe said “I love her”. I wasn’t so sure, really, we was outgrowing her ‘super pony’. That year she couldn’t get her to canter and she seemed so, did her C testing on her and passed. Not only is dull. But Chloe knows her mind and I agreed the Fifa a brave little jumper, but she is fast. She won pony did seem safe and she had always wanted a many speed rounds and was nearly always clear. paint. She seemed healthy, so we bought her. As Chloe moved onto a bigger horse Fifa moved onto Meiling. Fifa has instilled confidence in Meiling, and participated in all the things Chloe At home she was super cute and I could tell did with her. straight away that she would be a good all- So in May this year when Fifa got sick I told our rounder. Over that winter Chloe started jumping vet that this was our super pony and we wanted to her, I wouldn’t let her go over 18” because I didn’t save her. What first appeared to be a tying up want to scare or overface a pony who had clearly incident was later diagnosed as a case of never jumped before. We rode a lot of trails that poisoning which was causing tying up symptoms. winter and Chloe and the newly named Fifa really She was rigid and in stress for almost a day, then got to know each other. She was not spooky at all and seemed to take everything in her stride, water, snow, bareback, jumping and traffic. I was very happy with Fifa because above all she was a very reliable safe pony. She did have her pony habits though.