Abi's Trainer Handbook

By Abigail Wolfblade (abigail.wayfarer)

"Adopt, Adapt, Improve" -motto of the round table.

Foreword


This tome serves as a sort of journal for myself, but also a guide for new trainers or anyone who needs to refresh their memory. There are a great many things covered in ponyplay, and knowledge on how it all works can often be hard to come by. I originally started writing this when I started to get back into ponyplay mid 2020, and I'm very lucky to have found a welcoming sim full of nice people willing to put in the time to teach me whatever I need to know, but I know not everyone is so lucky. I know I wasn't during my first attempt at being a trainer so many years ago. For every aspiring trainer out there who is feeling lost and confused, this guide exists for you.

Index


  1. Fundamentals
    1. Etiquette
    2. Tools of the Trade
  2. Events
    1. Attending
    2. Hosting
  3. Whip Circle
    1. Basic Whip Circle (V0)
    2. First Whip Circle (V1)
    3. Second Whip Circle (V2)
  4. Carting
    1. Controlling The Cart
    2. Get The Freight Out
    3. Blind Carting
    4. Cart Catalogue
  5. Silent Dressage
    1. Classic
    2. Traverse
  6. Flower Dressage
    1. Modern
    2. Classic
  7. Milking
  8. Polo
  9. Links

Fundamentals

[Index]

What is a trainer? What is a ponygirl? Indeed, what is ponyplay? Ask three different people and you will get four different answers. It really varies from stable to stable and individual to individual. Whether you're a veteran of ponyplay or a complete beginner your interpretation is just as valid as any other, and I laugh at anyone who says otherwise.

While I cannot tell you what being a trainer or ponygirl will mean to you, I can tell you my thoughts on the matter.

Trainer

A trainer is at heart a teacher, a good trainer is always teaching, always thinking about what the pony might not know. It's the key difference between a trainer and groom, at least to me. A trainer needs to be able to explain things to people who may have never even heard of ponyplay before, and that's as much a skill as an art.

As a trainer you must never assume a pony who you have not worked with before already knows how it's done. Find out what she already knows and then test her knowledge on that. Only move on when you are satisfied she understands and then fill in the gaps.

I find it's often best to start from scratch, teaching the fundamentals and etiquette. It's a good excuse to train for training's sake if nothing else, and most ponies appreciate the attention. It's not fun sitting in a stall all day after all.

My focus as a trainer is carting so I normally run whip circle exercises and then move on to carting around the stable. Following up with mainland carting (often using the GTFO system.) But your mileage may vary and you by no means need to copy what I do.

Groom

A groom is a much less intense experience. A groom doesn't need to actually teach anything, only help trainers in their lessons. A groom will also run ponies through exercises they have already learned, return ponies and mares to their stalls, roleplay taking care of them and generally just help out around the stable.

A trainer outranks a groom, but it varies how seriously a stable takes that. Many stables also operate with a “leave them as you found them” rule for grooms, and you must return the pony or mare to the place and state you took them in. For example if a pony was leashed in her stall with a blindfold off you must leash her back to the leash ring in her stall and replace the blindfold when you are done.

Ponygirl

A ponygirl is a livestock style slave, and as such they should be treated like an animal, a beast of burden. Breasts and pussy should be kept uncovered at all times, unless locked in a chastity belt. Talking is strictly forbidden and only emotes may be used for communication.

Mare

The difference between a mare and a standard pony is that a mare is kept in heavy restrictions. Hobbles are standard while not training and they should be kept either leashed by a groom or trainer, or locked in their assigned stall at all times.

Etiquette

[Index]

Bit Gags

A ponygirl is livestock, and livestock does not talk. It's a mindset/headspace that can be hard to get into and stay in, and talking like a person breaks that spell. I'm of the opinion a pony, while gagged or ungagged, should never attempt to speak like a person without the express permission of her trainer (and that permission should be rarely given.)

The rules reguarding bit gags veries from place to place but genreally ponies are expected to be gagged at all times. Wear your bit gag pony, you have been warned!

Leash Discipline

While leashed by a trainer the pony must stand behind her and to one side. The side you stand depends on which hand is holding the leash. If the leash holder is in the trainer's left hand you stand on her left.

In the case of two ponies leashed at once the second pony must stand on the opposite side to the other. The order normally depends on who was leashed first, but it often doesn't matter as long as one of you is on each side. In the case of three ponies leashed at once the third pony stands in the middle of the first two. With more than three, well it's a bit of a mess and I wouldn't bother trying to keep formation since you will be bumping into the others.

When to Bow or Curtsey

A pony should curtsey in greeting to a trainer or groom when they first encounter them, and curtsey or bow again (to say goodbye) when they are dismissed or put back in their stall. It is generally considered polite and many stables are very strict about it.

Whether to bow or courtesy varies, it depends on the stables rules and the pony's owner's wishes. Some owners require their pony to only fully bow to them, courtesy to others.

Tools of the Trade

[Index]

As a trainer you will need a few items that I will briefly cover in this section.

Leash Holder

Firstly you will need a leash holder of some kind, that is compatible with whichever leash system your stable uses. (ask around if you are unsure.) For example at tall tails we primally use our own system via a nose ring, based on the LockMeister protocol and bridles from the real restraint and dhb brands, so you would need a leash holder with scripts for each of these.

Whip HUD

Secondly you will need a HUD or gesture pack to issue whip command emotes. There are many such devices, and they very in features, price and style.

I have made a HUD available for the ponyplay community that can be found for free on my marketplace page and at a few tack-shops at pony stables around the grid. I am of course very biased toward my own design, but there are many others, don’t be afraid to to a few out and see what works best for you.

Riding Crop

Though not strictly necessary you will want to find a riding crop or whip prop of some kind. I personally recommend the Dressage Horsehead Whip from Honey Heart but again there are many options to choose from.

Pony Cart

Lastly you will eventually want a pony cart to call your own, I recommend holding off and just using the carts available at your chosen pony stable to start with. The MG Dogcart and MG Sulky are both good choices for first time buyers. See the cart catalogue section for more information.

Events

[Index]
An event is an activity hosted by a pony stable. Most if not all pony stables host events, they vary in type and length and are normally announced ahead of time in the various pony event groups. (search for “Pony Info”) They can be anything from steeple courses to dressage competitions.

Attending

You do not need to join the host stable to take part, or be part of a pony stable at all. Events are open to the public. You do not need to be a full time pony to compete but you will often be required to tack up, so keep this in mind.

If you are part of a stable I recommend you attend with your relevant group tag active, and if possible consider forming an "away party" with other members of your stable. Events can be very anxiety inducing, doubly so for introverts. Taking part with stablemates can help a lot, plus it's fun to compete against people you actually know rather than strangers.

Some events will only last for a few hours, you should be able to take part if you show up before the listed end time but I would recommend showing up at the start to avoid the queue, and to ensure you get the most attempts possible.

There will normally be a trainer minding the shop to greet new arrivals and answer questions. I recommend you ask your question in local chat before resorting to IM. Hosting an event is a lot of work and a lot to keep track of. They may be ignoring IM entirely and only checking local.

There will often be a companion event for other timezones so be sure to check for these if an event you are interested in is taking place outside of your active timezone.

Other events last a full 24 hours and you can come and go as you please, the only limit is the number of runs you get in the 24 hour period and you will only have to wait if there happens to be a queue. There may or may not be a trainer acting as host. If you have any questions and no host is active I recommend asking in the pony info group. Failing that you might try asking a member of the stable that maybe on sim or joining the stables group and asking in there.

Hosting

A good host will be active and able to answer questions. Greet each new arrival and tell them to get in line if they wish to participate and let them know how many runs they get per turn, what the max number of runs are ect.

At the end of the event thank all for taking part and announce the winners, starting from the bottom and working your way up to 1st. The top 3 positions often win prize money so you want to save that for last. When announcing the first name in last place do NOT announce them as “last,” list everyone off by position. No one likes to be last place and as host you want everyone to have a good time.

Whip Circle

[Index]

There are many variants of the whip circle (also known as a Training Circle) in secondlife ponyplay. They are used for events and training ponies to obey the whip commands used in carting.

The standard tall tails whip circle consists of a leash post in the center and two rings. A larger outer ring and a small inner ring connected by four spokes.

Ponies always start lined up clockwise unless otherwise instructed. The trainer or groom must indicate which ruleset is to be used before beginning the exercise. This can be done verbally or by hand signals. A raised closed fist for basic, and one or two fingers held up for first and second circle respectively.

When working with multiple ponies it's advised you have them line up on opposite sides to each other. For example, first pony at point A, second pony at point C.

Ponies must keep on the path at all times during the exercise and when returning to bow. Never walk on the grass!

Basic Whip Circle (V0)

Basic, also known as version zero, is a ruleset normally only used as an introduction. Ponies start lined up clockwise. There is no running in basic and both direction commands are used to turn 180° around in the direction indicated.

    Whip commands:
  1. Start walking. While in motion, ignored.
  2. Stop walking. While stopped, ignored.
  3. Turn left 180°. Continue walking if in motion, otherwise stay put.
  4. Turn right 180°. Continue walking if in motion, otherwise stay put.
  5. When stopped, return to the trainer and bow. While walking ignored.

First Whip Circle (V1)

First ruleset, also known as version one, is the standard whip circle ruleset. Ponies start lined up clockwise. Turns are done 180° towards the center of the circle. Always turn towards and never away from the trainer/center of the circle.

When working with multiple ponies it's advised you have them line up on opposite sides to each other. For example, the first pony at the first position, marked as A or 1 and the second pony at the third position, marked as C or 3.

    Whip commands (Clockwise)
  1. Start/Run. When in motion 1 signals to begin running.
  2. Stop when walking, when running slow down to walk.
  3. Ignored.
  4. Turn around 180° towards the center of the circle.
  5. When stopped, return to the trainer and bow. When running, ignore it.
    Whip commands (Anti-Clockwise)
  1. Start/Run. When in motion 1 signals to begin running.
  2. Stop when walking, when running slow down to walk.
  3. Turn around 180° towards the center of the circle.
  4. Ignored.
  5. When stopped, return to the trainer and bow. When running, ignore it.

Second Whip Circle (V2)

Second ruleset, also known as version two, is the advanced whip circle ruleset. Ponies start lined up clockwise. Always walking or running clockwise around the center pole, and only in a loop when changing directions via the 5 command.

When working with multiple ponies it's advised you have them line up on opposite sides to each other. For example, the first pony at the first position, marked as A or 1 and the second pony at the third position, marked as C or 3.

    Whip commands (Clockwise)
  1. Start/Run. When in motion 1 signals to begin running.
  2. Stop when walking, when running slow down to walk.
  3. Ignored.
  4. Turn right taking the next path towards the center of the circle and exit on the opposite side, continue clockwise. (Do not loop it!)
  5. Turn right taking the next path towards the center of the circle, loop around the center and exit the way you came in and head anti-clockwise. (change direction) When stopped, return to the trainer and bow.
    Whip commands (Anti-Clockwise)
  1. Start/Run. When in motion 1 signals to begin running.
  2. Stop when walking, when running slow down to walk.
  3. Turn left taking the next path towards the center of the circle and exit on the opposite side, continuing anti-clockwise. (Do not loop it!)
  4. Ignored.
  5. Turn left taking the next path towards the center of the circle, loop around the center and exit the way you came in and head clockwise. (change direction) When stopped, return to the trainer and bow.

Carting

[Index]

Most pony carts are a rickshaw style vehicle piloted by a ponygirl, and controlled at the direction of the passenger via whip signal commands. These commands can be issued in many ways, but usually via a hud. It is important to make sure the pony understands the method to be used and what commands to be expected, every hud works a little differently and every trainer has their own way of doing things. Never assume the pony will know how to adapt to you unless they know you well.

Pre-Flight Checklist

  1. Make sure you are wearing your signal hud. (you'd be surprised how many times I have forgotten oops)
  2. Make sure the pony understands your hud commands and what special rules are to be used before you start. Do not blame the pony for not instinctively knowing what to do, it is your responsibility as the trainer to make sure they understand what is expected of them.
  3. If mainland carting, make sure all ponies are wearing mainland low script tack and they have their RLV relays disabled. It is also recommended they are not kept leashed while pulling a cart on the mainland as this can cause lag and other issues during sim crossing.

Off Road Rules

When there is no clear road or pathway the cart is considered off road. While off road 3 (left) and 4 (right) are commands to rotate the cart in place until signaled to stop, go or to reverse. This can be very useful when attempting to park.

An alternative way to do off road is to turn the cart 90 degrees and stop instead of continuing to rotate the cart in place. This is a trainer preference and you will need to make sure the pony knows which method you will use before you start.

Controlling The Cart

[Index]

Controlling The Cart (Pony)

Please note to use wasd controls you will need to enable it in your viewer settings. (Please refer to your viewers manual for more details.)

The left and right Arrow keys or A and D keys (if WASD is enabled in your viewer) are used to steer the cart. Up and down arrows or W and S keys are used to control forward and reverse. Page Up and Page down or E and C are used to control the cart's speed. While the reverse key can be used to stop the cart it does not work well and it is recommended a pony be trained to use Page Down/C to decrease speed until the cart speed is at zero.

Controlling The Cart (Trainer)

Commands are issued via a series of whip cracks by the trainer, the number corresponds to a given command. You will need a HUD or gesture back to emote these, it is far too much effort and far too slow to type them out each time. Please see the tools section for more detail.

    Whip commands (Off Road)
  1. Go forward
  2. n/a
  3. Turn 90° left
  4. Turn 90° right
  5. Go backwards
    Whip commands (in motion)
  1. Increase speed
  2. Stop
  3. Take the next left turning
  4. Take the next right turning
  5. Go backwards
    Whip commands (at speed 2-3)
  1. Increase speed
  2. Reduce speed
  3. Take the next left turning
  4. Take the next right turning
  5. Go backwards

Get The Freight Out

[Index]

In order to play GTFO (Get The Freight Out) while mainland carting you need two things. A copy of the GTFO system (paid or free version) and a modified mg dogcart with the GTFO api script inserted along with a notecard named "GTFO!DOGCART"

Multiplayer

It is possible to play GTFO with passengers riding on your pony cart, or even the ponies pulling the cart. Passengers must choose the same GTFO hub as the cart owner, and will only receive half the normal profits for a job. This is not deducted from the profits of the cart owner.

It is recommended, but not necessary that everyone taking part chooses the same job, but it is actually only the destination hub that is required to be the same.

Blind Carting

[Index]

There are many ways of blindfolding a pony for blind carting, the method we use at tall tails is the AnaVision hud which I will be covering in this section. Please be aware this is not a full guide on the subject and you should see the readme notecard provided in the anavision package.

Anavision can be accessed in two ways, by chat command on channel 69 or by touching the blindfold on the pony's avatar if worn. The chat command is always the first two letters of the pony's legacy name and the word menu. ( /69XXmenu )

Settings

I recommend setting the blind to 10 metres for a complete beginner, or 5 metres if you want to be mean. Anything below that I would only use if the pony is highly skilled in cart. Medium, thick and opaque is not suitable for carting and should be reserved for ponies sitting in their stall or being led around the meadow via their reins.

Cart Catalogue

[Index]

There are many different brands of pony cart but the most commonly used are:

The majority of carts are piloted by a single pony but some have room for multiple ponies who will control the cart together via shared inputs. Often a pair of ponies but some models support as many as five ponies.

MG Dogcart

By far the most common cart, the MG dogcart by Marine Kelley is a single pony cart with seating for one driver, three passengers and one submissive in a cage below the rear seating. This model is very popular and can be found at most if not all pony stables on the grid. If you are starting out and trying to decide what cart to buy for yourself you want this one.

MG Sulky

I haven't used the sulky much myself but it is quite popular with a few trainers at tall tails. It's a racing cart and very maneuverable.

MG Phaeton

Slow and lumbering the phaeton is the largest cart in the MG range, and a pet hate of mine. It comes in two versions, two pony and four pony. Both versions have two front passenger seats and a large cage at the back for one submissive. It is a bad cart and you should feel bad for using it.

MG Chariot

This is a fun one, the MG chariot is a roman themed cart that supports four pony girls and one passenger. It is a very popular cart but requires a lot of space and gets stuck on things very easily.

Silent Dressage

[Index]

Silent dressage is an exercise intended to be completed in complete silence (hence the name) no direct verbal or whip commands are issued by the trainer, instead the pony is instructed by where the trainer stands on the field and which direction she is facing. It is very important to use an ao that does not feature a lot of movement or wiggling about, it can become very difficult to ascertain which direction you are actually facing.

Silent Dressage: Classic

[Index]

Entering

The trainer will begin the exercise with an agreed upon signal of some kind, this can be anything but the pony must know beforehand what to wait for. When the signal is given both the train and pony count to three then enter the field and bow or curtsy to the judges.

Exiting

When both the trainer and pony are lined up at the starting position facing the judges, both count to three and bow or curtsey to the judges, then walk backwards out of the field to the starting dots, turn and face each other. Count to three and bow or courtesy to each other. This completes the exercise.

Missed dots

If the pony doesn't stop in time on the dot/stone and overshoots the pony should not make a correction and must stand wherever they end up.

The figure eight

Pony counts to 3 then loops around the figure eight 3 times and stops at the dot.

The circles

Pony counts to 3 then loops around the circle 3 times and stops at the dot.

The lines

The pony must always face the judges, and after counting to three walk along the line from side to the other. If walking away from the judges the pony must walk backwards.

The slalom

On the count of three the pony will walk the slalom, away from the trainer and then return to the dot they started on.

Silent Dressage: Traverse

[Index]

Traverse is similar to classic with the main difference being the route you must take is codified.

A for the figure eight.

C, H, D or G for the lines depending on the side of the field and dot.

E or F for slalom, again spending on the side of the field.

The first figure is to always be reached by going clockwise around the edge of the field, without exiting it at any point. The exception to this is the figure eight which is to be reached by walking directly to it. After the first figure rest of the figures are to be reached by the shortest route to them.

Flower Dressage

[Index]

Pattern Generator by Aida Beorn

Flower Dressage: Modern

[Index]

I have a rudimentary understanding of modern flower dressage.

First pattern is always walked clockwise and the pony must take the shortest route possible.

The character separating each letter in a pattern determines directions. Dash “-” means the next pattern is walked the same direction, x means change direction clockwise to anti-clockwise and vice versa.

When used the center circle must always be walked clockwise. Merely touching it does not count as using the center and in such cases the direction rule can be ignored.

Half way rule

At least 50% of a circle must be used for a letter to count as completed.

Flower Dressage: Classic

[Index]

I'm not actually sure what the difference between modern and classic is at the time of writing, but I'm leaving a note here to avoid confusion and to remind myself to fill this in later when I know more on the subject.

Milking

[Index]

Some ponygirls, especially mares, are into milking/lactation play. There are three main milking systems used for this. Mused creamery, Ivory by lab737 and muffin's milkers.

The first two mused and ivory are avatar based systems, the avatar milks themselves via a breast pump attachment and milk is stored in tanks rezed in world. The muffin milker system is a sim based system, involving rezed milking stalls avatars sit on and produce milk that is stored in the sim/dairy's tanks.

Note: I personally recommend the ivory system for this type of play.

Polo

[Index]

Disclaimer: I don't know very much about poloplay, what little I do know will be written here but there are much better guides out there.

Etiquette

If a referee is present each pony must curtsey to the referee before entering or leaving the polo field, and standing in the centre of the field, curtsey to the opposing team. (My understanding if no referee is present this is ignored.)

Each pony will jump once in the air to signal she is ready and the referee will then signal go, usually with a whip. (If no referee is present the match will just start.)

Dress Code

All players must wear either a bikini or pony tack. ( Likely a league rule, and something I was told in passing not part of any lesson. )

Misc

Matches last ten minutes? ( Something I was told in passing not part of any lesson. )

Links

[Index]