daughter's groom
Well-Known Member
Do you remember wormers that came in little drums and looked like pony cubes? To fool the pony?
The heady days of pony fun in the 1970s
- Thread starter Waffles
- Start date
Sealine
Well-Known Member
Lots of bareback riding to and from the fields, no bridles just a headcollar and two ropes and always leading at least two. I was under the age of 11 when I did this 
When riding bareback always used to vault on and was taught to vault on horse from behind leapfrog style by the owner of a BHS riding school.
Bareback wrestling - no hats, half a dozen of us on ponies, object is to push others off of their pony, winner is last person still on their pony.
Lots of water fights and on your birthday got dunked in the water tank head first.
I used to help out on a dealers yard in return for rides. Yard owner would buy a horse at Southall market on a Wednesday. Thursday evening same horse would be at an evening show jumping competition.
6 horses on a lorry, no partitions, no travel boots/bandages. We did use tail bandages though. Half a dozen kids travelling in Luton of lorry.
Always wanted a pair of Stylos buy mainly rode in wellies and jeans.
When riding bareback always used to vault on and was taught to vault on horse from behind leapfrog style by the owner of a BHS riding school.
Bareback wrestling - no hats, half a dozen of us on ponies, object is to push others off of their pony, winner is last person still on their pony.
Lots of water fights and on your birthday got dunked in the water tank head first.
I used to help out on a dealers yard in return for rides. Yard owner would buy a horse at Southall market on a Wednesday. Thursday evening same horse would be at an evening show jumping competition.
6 horses on a lorry, no partitions, no travel boots/bandages. We did use tail bandages though. Half a dozen kids travelling in Luton of lorry.
Always wanted a pair of Stylos buy mainly rode in wellies and jeans.
legaldancer
Well-Known Member
I still have my Stylos - they were the ones with the leather on the top of the inside. I still wear mine occasionally if I have to walk through a muddy field leading a horse I'm about to ride. So easy just to hose off. I believe they became Aigle.
Great thread - I too remember jumping park benches on a village green, and hacking over 10 miles to shows.
Great thread - I too remember jumping park benches on a village green, and hacking over 10 miles to shows.
Cortez
Tough but Fair
Hopping on the ponies from the fence - no saddle, bridle, head collar, hat or fear, and galloping madly about the field. Swimming across the (quite small) river, hacking MILES to the gymkhana. And I went hunting on a donkey, to the complete amusement of the Master; kept up all day and was blooded 
Irishdan
Well-Known Member
Stylo Matchmakers! I think it was because they actually fitted your leg rather than gapped like other rubber boots. Thought I was the bees knees when I got mine as they looked very smart
maxapple
Well-Known Member
Well I learnt to ride in the 80's but it wasn't that different.
At my riding school we used to :
- go for hacks and come home via the turnout field. We would all walk through a small entrance to the field, the instructor would make sure everyone was through and shout go then it was a flat out gallop back to the yard. Tough luck if you didn't want to go fast!
- we used to play hide & seek in the woods which involved 2 groups of riders hiding / seeking then when you found each other engaging in a flat out gallop to an area in the woods. Not actually sure what the rules were!!!
I learn to canter out hacking. I had about 4 lessons in the school then headed off out with the ride and just had to work out how to canter.
I agree with other people - back then riding schools taught people to actually ride. I've had people come to try my horse who have had lessons for years and just can't cope with a non riding school horse.
At my riding school we used to :
- go for hacks and come home via the turnout field. We would all walk through a small entrance to the field, the instructor would make sure everyone was through and shout go then it was a flat out gallop back to the yard. Tough luck if you didn't want to go fast!
- we used to play hide & seek in the woods which involved 2 groups of riders hiding / seeking then when you found each other engaging in a flat out gallop to an area in the woods. Not actually sure what the rules were!!!
I learn to canter out hacking. I had about 4 lessons in the school then headed off out with the ride and just had to work out how to canter.
I agree with other people - back then riding schools taught people to actually ride. I've had people come to try my horse who have had lessons for years and just can't cope with a non riding school horse.
Smitty
Well-Known Member
Most of the above, plus side saddle. This involved crossing your right stirrup over the pommel. If I recall jumping up to 2'6" was possible.
Galloping past elderly (30s +
) ladies on the common to see if they fell off or not.
Jumping anything remotely jumpable and schooling on building sites as the foundations were good for schooling over ditches, there were nice flat rolled bits of earth for flatwork and the drain pipes were also jumpable.
And the hours and hours of hacking, hacking to shows and PC rallies.
And we were all horse obsessed and spent every available moment riding, or with the ponies and hardly did anything else.
Galloping past elderly (30s +
) ladies on the common to see if they fell off or not.Jumping anything remotely jumpable and schooling on building sites as the foundations were good for schooling over ditches, there were nice flat rolled bits of earth for flatwork and the drain pipes were also jumpable.
And the hours and hours of hacking, hacking to shows and PC rallies.
And we were all horse obsessed and spent every available moment riding, or with the ponies and hardly did anything else.
RLS
Well-Known Member
These are great!
I remember riding new pony out on my own (not my pony, first time I'd ridden it) down the side of a main road to meet some friends. It was very strong and kept trying to tank off. Every now and then I'd haul on the left rein with both hands to drag its head into the hedge to stop it.
And the hats with that useless piece of elastic under the chin (which was no longer elastic and the hat just fell off all the time). Brill.
I remember riding new pony out on my own (not my pony, first time I'd ridden it) down the side of a main road to meet some friends. It was very strong and kept trying to tank off. Every now and then I'd haul on the left rein with both hands to drag its head into the hedge to stop it.
And the hats with that useless piece of elastic under the chin (which was no longer elastic and the hat just fell off all the time). Brill.
exracehorse
Well-Known Member
No one owned a trailer. We all used to hack and meet up at the local village shop, tie our ponies up outside, leave them and then go in and buy as many sweets we could for about 10p each. Then all went down to 'Bridgets Field' now a housing estate and took our saddles off, swapped ponies and pretended to be cowboys and Indians. Then went to Mayland sea wall and make the ponies swim in the sea (even if they didn't want to lol), then galloped as fast as we could along the sea wall. How we didn't all die, I shall never know. Then after a long hot tiring day, I would hack home (which took a good hour). In the summer holidays, my face was as brown as a berry with a white mark along the top under my hair line where the hat covered the skin. Not one pony was fat, all were un shod and barefoot, no one had laminitis. Ponies were never sold, just kept and handed down or loaned out to the person in the next village. Brilliant days. xx
exracehorse
Well-Known Member
Forgot to add - and this is mad thinking about it now, I went to a girls private school in Latchingdon, Essex. The garden was over grown that belonged to the school mistress. I used to hack to the school in my uniform on my pony Pippin and we used to put a long chain from his head collar to ring in the ground and he used to go round and round, eating at the same time, then when the grass had been eaten down, he would be moved along, like a rabbit. Then after school, I would throw the tack back on then hack home!