Starting in the summer of 2009, I am going to be starting a new business venture. I am going to be offering my services to people wishing to purchase a Chincoteague Pony. I was recently thinking about things I could offer that other people can’t. Looking at Cricket, and realizing what a special and amazing pony she is, I think I really have something to offer in this venue. Buying a Chincoteague Pony can be daunting. Especially for the novice horse person, the experience of attending the auction, selecting a pony and getting it home can be overwhelming. That’s where I can help.
I will be offering a variety of services to Chincoteague Pony purchasers. First, for anyone who would like, I can help them to select a pony. It can work one of two ways: if they themselves travel to the Pony Penning & auction, I can simply offer a consultation with a potential purchaser. We can visit the pony pens, check out the bloodlines, and make a variety of selections based on expected prices, popularity & suitability to the intended purpose. For someone who cannot (or chooses not to) themselves attend the auction, I will, based on a profile they provide me, make a list of potential ponies.
Which leads us to the second part. For anyone who would like help purchasing their pony, I would be happy to bid on ponies for them as a proxy — based on the list I/we have created, I will bid amounts appropriate to the purchasers budget until a pony (or ponies, if that’s their wish) have been purchased on their behalf. I would be happy to do this for someone who was at the auction, or certainly for someone who cannot be there.
Also, I will help a purchaser secure transportation of their pony. Eventually, I’d like to provide transportation myself, but this may not be available in 2009 (hoping for 2010 at the latest).
Getting the pony home, however, is only the beginning of the overwhelming part of owning a Chincoteague. The trailer pulls up, drops off your pony, and leaves. And here you are, in many cases alone, with a completely wild foal. Chincoteague foals, when they first get home, are untrusting of humans, usually uninterested in food and impossible to catch. This can be frustrating or even dangerous for a new owner. For any new Chincoteague owner who would like, I will offer training services. These services will be at one of two facilities convenient to me (board will be arranged separately). The training will include (by the owners wishes) getting the pony to willingly approach a person, acceptance of general touch and handling, haltering, leading, confinement (getting them used to a stall), preparation for vet and farrier, bathing, clipping, introduction to tack, longeing, long lining, trailering, acceptance of a rider, and eventually, work under saddle. Obviously, the longer the pony stays in my training, the further we would progress along in the training. At the end of the training (as decided by the owner) the pony would be shipped to it’s permanent home.
I am so excited about this. I really feel like I’ve discovered something I can do really well, and not only that, but I feel like I will actually be providing a service not just to new Chincoteague owners, but more importantly, to the ponies themselves. So often, new owners get their new pony home and don’t know what to do with them. This often leads to the pony being sold (often at a loss to the owner) or the pony being left to continue to run wild until it can’t be handled. These ponies are sometimes neglected, or even worse, sometimes have to be euthanized. This is such a shame. These ponies are so smart, talented and beautiful, and I am so excited to have the possibility to help them lead better lives. I believe Chincoteagues are some of the best ponies (especially for kids) and I want to help them and their new families reach their full potential.
Now, for my credentials. Besides having raised Cricket from a 2 month old foal into a truly amazing adult, I have also trained Ellie, participated in the initial handling and training of Shadow’s first colt, trained several ponies to take a saddle, bridle and a rider, introduced several ponies to over fences work, successfully showed Pony Hunters for years, taught horseback riding to children and adults for 8 years, ridden for 22 years and been an enthusiastic student of training and behavior in many forms. I believe that the best way to bring along a young horse is to be as firm as necessary while giving the foal it’s time to come to see people as companions and friends, as well as authority figures. This is especially important with Chincoteagues, who are truly wild when they first come home. They are independent, strong, smart and confident, and we have to help them to understand that we only want the best for them. If the experiences with my horses (and my other pets) have taught me anything, it’s that slow & steady really does win the race. Taking the time in the beginning to bring them along at their own pace pays so many dividends in the future. Cricket is the best proof I have.
Anyone who is interested in finding out more details about this service should contact me. I will be taking inquiries for the 2009 Pony Penning season, and I may even be able to take a small number of foals into training this fall (but I can’t commit to that yet). I am so happy to be offering this service, and I am so excited to see how much interest there is. I am excited to help these wonderful ponies get great homes and become good citizens. Please contact me if I can help you.