Bentley is an adorable pint-sized gelding who is with us for training from the MSSPA. He is 13 hh at the wither, but his small stature means that most of us are too big to be riding him full time. Bentley was a state seizure case, and was unfortunately confined to a small space with not much room to move around. He was gelded in January before arriving at the MSSPA, and is believed to be about 6 years old.
After working with Bentley for several months, we can say that this little pony is about as smart and curious as they come. Once he settled in here, we began introducing Bentley to all of the basic skills a pony needs to know: polite and attentive leading, standing quietly for brushing, the farrier, and bathing, and then work in the round pen. Bentley quickly mastered all of our obstacles, pops over jumps in hand, ground drives/long lines, and happily wears a saddle and bridle. Most recently Bentley has been introduced to carrying a rider, and took this new challenge right in stride. We are currently working on Bentley’s conditioning, and slowly increasing the time we sit on his back. At the moment he is doing a fantastic job carrying a rider at the walk, and a few minutes of trot as well. If the statement good things come in small packages is true, then Bentley definitely has a bright future ahead of him!
UPDATE: In December 2020, Bentley was adopted by an experienced horsewoman right here in Maine. Her plans for Bentley include continuing to bring him along as a riding pony and teaching him to pull a little cart. We are thrilled that Bentley was able to find such a knowledgable, fun and caring home, and we wish him and his new farm family many happy years together.
