We bought Spike, our Gypsy Cob/Welch C as a harness pony. He was 5 years old, broken to harness but was young, green and did not have much training. My husband and I planned to use him for carriage driving but we also intended to have him put to saddle. Spike was sent to a professional trainer to be put to saddle but I found out fairly quickly that I was not knowledgeable enough to train Spike myself. My husband was a novice carriage driver at that time and really enjoyed driving with our older pony. We had a few people who rode Spike for us but nobody lasted very long as Spike was so difficult to ride, he knew exactly how to turn people away.
The ponies were ajisted in a paddock close to home which had a training track and Spike was put in the carriage as often as we could manage. We moved again to a paddock on a property with a 1.6 km track around the boundary on which we could drive. We were training the ponies in carriage and whenever possible getting a friend of ours to come in and ride Spike but we never knew what we were going to get. It would always depend on how Spike was feeling. He totally had us under his control. Spike needed some form of training but we were unsure which way to go. His behaviour was the most important thing to change so we decided to leave the carriage and consentrate on saddle work.
It just so happened at that time the property owner was organising a workshop with horse trainer Karen White and asked if we were interested in taking part. I went home and started researching. I could not believe I had never found the Mohegan Training Centre website before. I read everything on the website and decided there and then Karen White sounded like the person we needed for Spike. Spike did an Oscar winning performance on the day of the workshop proving how bad his riding behaviour was. Karen suggested we send him to boot camp at Mohegan for basic training and I have to say we have never looked back. Two weeks in boot camp and then taking Spike in for regular training for the last 11 months we have a completely different pony. There is now a light at the end of the tunnel and it is getting bigger and brighter every day. Spike has now gone back into the carriage with great success. Even our rider friend has started having riding lessons with Karen on Spike. Children and adults ride him and there is always someone willing to jump in for a carriage ride.
Spike is about to turn eight and it is fantastic to watch him working now. Karen has done a brilliant job getting Spike to where he is. We cannot thank you enough and highly recommend Karen’s training methods. We have seen the results first hand and watched as she works her magic on the horses and the riders that pass through Mohegan Training Centre.
Karen you are the best.
Margaret, Ron & Spike