My road to stallion approval... Part 2

In October, I decided to write up my path to stallion testing.
In my blog series I am going to take you into a world that is strange to me, the NWPCS stallion approval! Because as an athlete and hobby breeder you don't belong there was always my thought. But I hope I can convince you to give it a try! Because it will cost you some years of your life but what a cool experience! Of course, I also share the tips I received! I think everyone knows the outcome of our adventure. And if not, that will come up naturally, maybe even more fun!

Let's get training!

And then the time has come—I’ve decided to groom Jaimy myself. But where do you start? First, put a blanket on him to keep his coat looking its best. I also made sure to keep the lights on longer so he’d spend less time in the hair. And then it’s time to train! Since I have my own training method for raising young ponies, I just went ahead and followed it. First of all, we started by lunging him on a halter.

Getting him used to a bit was the next step, and after that we moved on to lunging with a side rein. Using the side rein helps him learn to accept steady pressure on the bit. After that, we started using the double lunge line—this is my preferred method because it makes it easy to train his entire body! Of course, there are still plenty of people who don’t lunge for a stallion inspection, but I want a sport pony that learns to use his entire body. That’s why I deliberately chose this training method.

And then he didn't want to eat anymore... So what now?

While training, I also made a conscious effort to find the right feed; we feed our riding horses pellets designed for pregnant mares, so I started feeding those to Jaimy as well. Because of its high protein content, it’s also excellent for his muscle development. Unlimited hay and 2 scoops of pellets to start with.

But then came the moment when Jaimy stopped eating hay—we tried everything. Grass pellets and alfalfa, among other things, but he wouldn’t have any of it! Of course, his teeth had been checked, and everything was fine. That was quite a stressful time—he’d still eat his regular pellets, but those won’t make him gain weight! Luckily, after about three weeks, he slowly started eating some hay again! By then, time was really starting to run out to get him back into better shape!

Get Help

In between, I often sent photos to Yorick and Davy Wormgoor. Jaimy was still a bit young, and that worried me quite a bit. Davy told me that I should focus on getting him to gain weight—then everything would be fine. But how do you get a pony to gain weight when he’s a poor eater? You might think training would help, but without enough food, that energy can’t be converted into muscle. So I kept worrying about his condition.

Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with Henk Roel Krol for a brief phone call in between… During that conversation, we naturally also talked about the stallion inspection, and Henk Roel was willing to come by and see if Jaimy was suitable.

I made an appointment right away, and they gave Jaimy a thorough checkup. Henk Roel suggested I try a different food: Dodson & Horrell Build & Glow. A pretty expensive kibble to test on a picky eater! I ended up buying it anyway, and of course Jaimy wouldn’t eat it, haha! But luckily, he was willing to eat it when I drizzled some flaxseed oil on top. By then, I’d already figured out that Jaimy will eat anything with flaxseed oil on it.

Taking the Training a Step Further

Henk Roel also gave me the tip to put Jaimy in a little harness—it helps them get stronger! So I did that, but Jaimy actually let me know he was looking for a bit more of a challenge! Normally, I don’t harness them until the summer they turn 3, but Jaimy was so easygoing that I decided to hook up the cart anyway—we only did this three times, by the way. It went really smoothly, and it gave me a great way to train him while helping him build some extra strength!

Then came the moment when his mane had to come off! Jaimy had a beautiful, long, thick mane, but since that’s not allowed, it had to go! And I don’t think Davy would want to show him off otherwise, would he?.

I had my sister do this; trimming manes isn’t my strong suit, and my sister is really good at it. For the last two weeks leading up to the stallion inspection, we’ve been putting the finishing touches on things—shaving the jawline, trimming the ears, and doing some preliminary washing. And then it’ll be February 6… we’ll continue next week!