How do we train our Therapy Ponies?

Today was a learning moment. We went to work at a school and they had builders who were hammering and a cement mixer was churning round and round, whilst the ponies were expected to work calmly with the school children. We took the ponies (as a herd) to watch what was going on, with the support of their handlers.

 

The handlers were calm and the ponies could see there was nothing to be worried about either. Just a normal everyday occurance. Facing the ‘scarey’ thing together as a herd, gives the ponies reassurance where as investigating it on their own can be scarey.

 

Once they had all accepted the noise and machines we then went straight into working with the children and that’s how we continually show the therapy ponies that nothing is a problem.