Pippin and Poppy
Well-Known Member
I recently bought a Bungee pad/resistance bands because one of my two 4 year 4 month old Connemara mares has a less robust looking back conformation. At the moment she is beautiful and I would not describe her as dippy backed and I want to keep her this way.
They have only just been backed and after reading veterinary reviews of such resistance band systems it seemed like a kind and effective way of helping a pony to step under and lift their back.
I have tried the pad/bands once on both ponies. Both ponies are very trusting and were happy to wear the bands and the pony who I feel needs this sort of training was completely unperturbed. By the end of a short session she was wearing both bands and moving happily.
I had opened the bands out to reduce resistance and of course they were not tightened, just holding their position.
However when I had just the quarter band on the second pony and asked her to move (again the band was just tightened enough to stay in the correct position and was opened out) it seemed to have a disproportionate affect on her. It was really making her lift her back/step under (at a walk) and she looked like it was a real effort to the extent that I actually felt it was unfair. She has a naturally high, short and strong back. I checked the band to see if it had tightened and it had not. She is built like a flea and is still a little bum high. Having recently seen a photo of a half brother of hers for sale jumping, I am beginning to wonder if she will keep these flea like back legs and also began question if her conformation, at least for now, should be taken into account and make her not mature enough yet for such exercise. Or maybe she is over reacting to the feel of something around her back end and would settle....
My question is only in relation to the bungee bands and whether they should be used on either pony now.
I would appreciate opinions from others!
They have only just been backed and after reading veterinary reviews of such resistance band systems it seemed like a kind and effective way of helping a pony to step under and lift their back.
I have tried the pad/bands once on both ponies. Both ponies are very trusting and were happy to wear the bands and the pony who I feel needs this sort of training was completely unperturbed. By the end of a short session she was wearing both bands and moving happily.
I had opened the bands out to reduce resistance and of course they were not tightened, just holding their position.
However when I had just the quarter band on the second pony and asked her to move (again the band was just tightened enough to stay in the correct position and was opened out) it seemed to have a disproportionate affect on her. It was really making her lift her back/step under (at a walk) and she looked like it was a real effort to the extent that I actually felt it was unfair. She has a naturally high, short and strong back. I checked the band to see if it had tightened and it had not. She is built like a flea and is still a little bum high. Having recently seen a photo of a half brother of hers for sale jumping, I am beginning to wonder if she will keep these flea like back legs and also began question if her conformation, at least for now, should be taken into account and make her not mature enough yet for such exercise. Or maybe she is over reacting to the feel of something around her back end and would settle....
My question is only in relation to the bungee bands and whether they should be used on either pony now.
I would appreciate opinions from others!