traing a rescued Pony

Question
I'm just looking for some basic dos and don'ts about training a pony. It responds well to me so far but seems to shy away when approached. Also it ran on  my daughter today dragging her along.

Answer
Hi Phil, By ran on your daughter, do you mean that it ran her over on the ground or ran away with her in the saddle? Can you give me some more details by posting a follow-up? Tell me about the pony's history, age, temperament, previous training... Also let me know about your daughter's age, how long she has been riding, if she is or has taken lessons with a professional... If the pony was a true rescue from an abusive home or has some psychological scars, it is just going to take more time and patience. Going back to basic groundwork is always a good idea. Get the pony's ground manners and lunging skills down pat before even thinking about going under saddle. Ponies often enjoy a good game of "you can't catch me", so don't chase him/her. Try using your body language to get him/her to follow you. If you have RFDTV, there are some wonderful programs about natural horsemanship on there. You could also get a copy of the Pony Club Manual, you can pick it up very inexpensively on eBay or another used bookstore. Leave me some feedback Phil, a nomination if you wish, and let me know a bit more about the situation. You can always post a follow-up and I am here for you if you need me, the more information you can supply me with, the easier it will be to help you along. Thanks for writing. Be careful and make your daughter wear a good helmet (you can get them for $30 or so), ponies can be sneaky. Regards, Susan