What is Pony Share?

​

Pony Share is designed to give young people a chance to

experience what it is like to have their own pony, whilst being

supported and developed in a safe and understanding

environment. 

 

Each person will have pony/horse that is ‘theirs’ on the day

they come. During this time they will participate in all aspects

of horse care to ensure the wellbeing of the pony and they

have the opportunity to have horsemanship lessons if they

wish. Our aim is to teach each of our pony sharers how to

be a good partner and leader for their horse and equip them

with the skills and confidence, whether that's own their own

horse one day, look at a career in the Equine Sector or just

be safe and have fun with horses. 

 

As part of Pony Share you will learn:

 

* Natural horsemanship Skills

 

* Stable Management - How to care for a horse including 

   budgeting for their upkeep

 

* Equine first aid, horse welfare and foot care

 

* An introduction to competing (English and/or Western)

​

* Horse Behaviour, Physiology & Psychology   

​

* Training their horse - Including fixing vices and working with rescue horses

 

* How to be a good leader

 

* And most importantly how to have fun with their horses!

​

Please note: We are not a riding school. We teach our pony sharers Natural Horsemanship skills, which generally does not include ridden skills.

​

Equine Partners CIC is dedicated to education and will be supporting people in gaining the skills they need if they wish to gain Equine Qualifications.  We also organise visiting instructors and equine professionals to come and give talks/lessons and demos, so that our pony sharers gain a wide range of skills and experiences.

​

​

Our training method

 

We use the Parelli Natural Horsemanship method of training with all our horses and ponies.  Everyone handling a horse or pony is shown how to play with them in this way. We find that this approach and the ethos of Parelli fits well with what we do and supports the young people with many positive qualities and life skills such as clear communication, patience, a sense of justice and a willingness to constantly learn and improve.

 

It is import to be clear that we do not 'teach' Parelli as we are not Parelli instructors, we simply support our Pony Sharers on this journey if they wish to take it. 

 

Our staff have regular lessons with a Parelli instructor and we can arrange for them come to teach them on request. If you want to find out more about Parelli please have a look at their website www.parelli.com

 

Disclaimer  “Parelli Natural Horsemanship™ is a trademark of PARELLI NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP, INC. which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site”

Who is it for?

​

Pony Share is for children, young people and adults who want the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with a horse but where circumstances or financial reasons have made this impossible.  The places for this programme are either funded by the attendees, part scholarship, or full scholarship.

​

No horse experience is necessary, we will show you everything you need to know.

​

What are the benefits of Pony Share​?​

​

Through the Pony Share programme we provide long-term opportunities for children and young people, who would not otherwise have the chance to do so to have continued access to horses and personal development opportunities. This enables those who join the scheme to build a long term relationship with the horse and in doing so develop personal characteristics and skills of responsibility, commitment, keeping safe and to manage their own emotions especially frustration and anger.  They learn how to communicate effectively and work with others and in a group setting.  We also support education, return to school or going on to college.

​

Some of the ways we use Pony Share

​

• To develop confidence and initiative as young people begin to make decisions (with support initially) for themselves about what they are going to do

​

• To develop self-esteem as we set them up to succeed and they flourish in receipt of positive feedback

​

• The development of patience and learning to cope with frustration and anger. Horses do not always understand or do what we ask of them. It is a valuable life lesson to learn how to cope with this in a calm way (shouting or swearing at a horse has never been known to make it do what you want)

​

• Learning to be tenacious.  When working with a horse we will not allow a young person to give up. It is bad for the horse to stop before something is finished on a positive note. Sometimes this involves tears and ‘i can’t do it;’ ‘he won’t do it’ and invariably they both do succeed and the smiles say it is all worth it

​

• To enjoy being out in the fresh air. To enjoy physical activity and rejoice in the things their bodies can do. To understand the importance of keeping healthy for them and their horses (where appropriate this can lead to conversations around the risks of drug and alcohol misuse)

​

• To participate in positive activity and have a focus to sustain them even when they are not at the stables

​

• To learn to relax and take things at a steady pace. To enjoy breathing deeply and removing adrenaline from their system

​

• Time free from electronic gadgets. The young people soon leave their phones behind as they find they don’t want the constant interruptions

​

• To provide listening ears for when life is difficult and to help them work through tricky situations that may arise in their daily lives

​

• To support children who are on the autistic spectrum, have asperger’s syndrome or adhd. To enable them to participate in positive activity in a sympathetic environment (we have horses who will match their energy or teach them to work in a calmer quieter way)

​

Through the Pony Share element of the programme, EP provide long-term opportunities for children and young people, who would not otherwise have the chance to do so to have continued access to horses and personal development opportunities.

 

This enables those who join the scheme to build a long term relationship with the horse and in doing so develop personal characteristics and skills of responsibility, commitment, keeping safe and to manage their own emotions especially frustration and anger.  They learn how to communicate effectively and work with others and in a group setting. 

 

We also support education, return to school or going on to college.