Rider of the month!
This month's Inky Dinky Rider is Arthur, from Cambridgeshire, UK.
Arthur is 2 years old and has been riding since he was just 9 months, thanks to his Inky Dinky saddle!
I ride 3 ponies, the first being Casper, this was the first pony I ever rode, and my mum is convinced he is a real-life unicorn! Casper is a Welsh section A pony who loves rolling in the field… and getting covered in mud just like me! Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to see Casper recently due to lockdown, but we hope to see him again very soon.
The second pony is a sassy Shetland called Merry Berry, Merry belongs to one of my best friends, Bonnie, but Bonnie lets me ride her and brush her. Merry is a bit of a princess, and I love leading her around and feeding her carrots! I also like Merry’s house, she has 2 friends who are really big, but I like giving them carrots too!
The third pony is a 14.3 cob called Apollo, and he belongs to my grandad! It’s quite high up, but my Inky Dinky Saddle means I am super safe so I don’t feel scared at all! Apollo likes it when I ride him, mum says it’s because he is lazy and I just like to walk him up the road… his favourite sort of exercise!
My favourite thing about riding is getting muddy while I am getting ready to ride. I have started to do little bits of trotting too which I think is funny because it’s so bouncy!
I also love water, so before I ride I like to get soaking wet… even in the winter. My mum is a riding instructor, so I sometimes go to a few different yards with her, and I know where the hosepipe is on every single one!
I love riding because it’s outside! I have a new baby sister now, so I can’t wait to go riding with her! I can teach her everything I know... I might even let her borrow my Inky Dinky Saddle... maybe.
If I didn’t ride I think I would spend more time riding my bike, which is my other favourite thing to do!
I love my Inky Dinky saddle as it means that mum doesn’t need to hold on to me (which I hate!) and it means I can ride the big ponies too. I also ate some chocolate on my walk around the village, chocolate is my favourite and my Inky Dinky Saddle makes me safe so I could eat instead of holding on.
My advice to other Inky Dinky riders would be to always take snacks to the stables. Mum always takes agggges and she talks a lot, so I eat snacks and play with water, and it’s great!
Always give your ponies snacks too, they love carrots!