Jethro was a rescue pony from an animal welfare charity and was acquired by Briony as a companion for her two riding horses. As a youngster Jethro had been very badly beaten before he was rescued. He was left with physical issues, including SI pain, stifle trouble and partial paralysis of his mouth and he had a deep dislike of whips and being controlled by his head.

I first started teaching Briony on her riding horses but she soon asked if we could also include Jethro on my visits as he was a blank canvas from a training perspective and as she couldn't ride him, she was interested in teaching him in-hand work according to the principles of EdL.

Jethro had many issues that needed resolving. He could lead and Briony had started to introduce him to lungeing, but he was very asymmetric and couldn't pick up the correct canter lead on one rein. He would kick out violently at the lunge and dressage whip, had a habit of threatening to attack Briony on the lunge if she pointed the stick towards him and would bite when you were close to his head. All these behaviours were Jethro exercising his 'fight' reflex from his terrible past experiences of his abuse by people before he was rescued. At times we had to get quite creative in our efforts to not elicit any 'fight' energy from him but to also ensure we didn't get bitten, but with clear boundaries, patience and kindness it all prevailed in the end.

Over a period of time Jethro began to trust what Briony and I were doing and his in-hand training really progressed. He became more symmetrical and less inclined to try to kick or bite us. He started to become straighter and more balanced on the lunge and more co-operative about close up work!

He can now lunge correctly in all three gaits and inhand he can: do all lateral exercises; walk-canter-walk transitions; spanish walk and has started work towards passage inhand. I've attached some pictures taken over a period of time which shows some of these movements. Like all horses in training, he is still 'work in progress' but there is a lot to like about where he is in his training and the synchronicity of Briony and Jethro working together. The next phase of his training has begun recently with an introduction to 'short reins' (close up long lining) to make it easier for Briony to correct his body balance, position and tempo.

Jethro's training story highlights that even ponies from abusive pasts with behavioural problems can still master a good level of in-hand training with the systematic training approach and of course a dedicated client! Well done Briony and Jethro!