Backing my 5yo pony using medieval techniques as an inspiration
Having been given two Dartmoor Hill ponies at the beginning of my PhD research on the breaking-in of medieval horses, I was able to try out some techniques found in a training method written by the 13th century Italian knight Jordanus Rufus. The ponies were 18 months old when I got them and, being Shetland crosses (probably, who knows with Dartmoor Hillies) tiny. Riding them was, at first, out of the question. However, as the months, then years passed, while Topaze, the mare remained tiny, Diamant, the gelding had a growth spurt. I started to think about backing him, not for me to ride him on a regular basis, but to give him additional skills and to keep him occupied: whereasTopaze shows little interest in human interaction, Diamant is always trying to get people's attention or to go out of the field. So I thought, why not back him and then find him a little rider who would take him on hacks. I used a tape measure to get an idea of his weight last Autumn. He was a whooping 270 kg.
