PPL Pony Academy

Well, the PPL Pony Academy has officially begun with the arrival of "Rusty". Rusty is a UK Miniature Pony. A scared little pony standing just around 34" high, he came to PENZANCE to learn how to live life without being aggressively frightened all the time. After all, a "proper" Personal Ponies Ltd. pony can't be running around kicking out at humans and biting the hands that feed him! So, what better way to christen our new Pony Academy than with a frightened little pony who is just aching to be loved and hugged?

He arrived without fanfare; a bit nervous but very subdued. No aggression exhibited and Crackers and Cider met him with soft eyes and squishy nostrils. There's something to be said about little, squishy pony nostrils. Especially with 3 sets of them all smooshed together in greetings! Being only 2 years old and just recently gelded, Rusty is a bit cocky but in that "little boy" way. He met the big horses, too, with nothing more than a curious sniff and wonder. As we ventured down back, the goats and the chickens all appropriately welcomed Rusty with their various voices loud in welcome. A bit intimidated by Flak, the duck, Rusty was not so eager to meet the funny feathered critters or those with the big horns coming out of their heads! So, we continued to his paddock without any insistence on meeting ALL the Penzance farm family.

The lower part of the paddock is sheer ice from rains that froze solid. The dead leaves and pine needles lent a bit of traction for crossing the slippery terrain but Rusty wasn't too sure about it at all. What normally takes maybe 45 seconds to cross took probably 10 mins as we encouraged the little bugger to follow us without donning ice skates. He finally made it! All the while we "helped" him overcome his fear with positive reinforcement using tiny alfalfa pellets for his rewards. Being briefly previously introduced to our progressive reinforcement teachings Rusty understood what our "Good!" bridges meant - and the small treats for his rewards were enough impetus to keep trying. How brave he was. The next hurdle was the stall inside the BIG barn with the BIG horses just outside the gate in the aisleway. Being just about as tall as the TB's knees, Rusty was quite the picture standing just outside the barn's back door while 2 of the biggest horses pressed up on the center barrier to get a sniff of this little troll. But, keeping the energy pathways open for him, one step would reap a "good!" and a pellet. We made it into the stall, one step at a time, where there was a humungous pile of fresh hay waiting for him next to his bucket of cool, fresh water. He immediately sniffed the water and took a sip, took a nibble on the hay, then circled the stall several times before picking JUST the right spot on which to pee and mark his place.

Yesterday morning after the big blizzard, Rusty was calm and cute in his big stall. A full sized horse stall gives a miniature pony, smaller than some dogs, plenty of room in which to play. When I opened the back of the barn, Rusty quite anxiously wanted "out" as he repeatedly reared up so he could see over the stall door. I decided that this was not desirable, impromptu behavior so why not take advantage and teach the cue for the rear? Rusty would rear, I'd point my two fingers upward and tell him, "UP!" then Good! and treat. Took about 4 times of shaping this before he would take his cue ... two fingers up, "Rusty, up!" and up he'd go while I told him "Good!", then he'd bounce back down onto all 4 hooves and get his reward. No more rearing after that unless he was asked! He's a smart pony ... and going to be a wonderful student. We've had one nipping incident at which time I became a VERY big human and chastized him by chasing him away from me. He immediately swung to face me and dropped his head down. "Good!". Treat. He's not offered to spin and kick or otherwise exhibit any fear responses ... we'll see how well it lasts. The behaviors may return when he's a bit more acclimated to Penzance but, on the other hand, if he's taught that his good behaviors reap him his "bridge word" and his "treat" then perhaps this behavior will be long forgotten before it even has a chance to take root here.