Pony Play Terms

Here is a list of some common terms used in ponyplay. This list is not intended to be comprehensive, but it should have the most common terms used.

• Bio-equine - The biological animal (Equus caballus). This term, along with bio-horse, is used to distinguish biological horses from human ponies. Bio-equine/bio-horse is used since some involved in ponyplay like to be referred to as horses instead of ponies, so the bio- prefix is added when referring to the biological animal.
• Bit - used as an aid in controlling the head via attached reins. A bit is placed in the mouth and held in place by a bridle. There are three main classes of bits: snaffles, curbs, and pelhams. In a bio-equine, the bit rests on the bars of the mouth (a region between the canine teeth and the rear molars in which there are no teeth). In a human pony, the bit typically rests on the molars, depending on how tightly the bit is secured.
• Body Suits (Catsuits) - can provide an aesthetically pleasing cover for the pony's body for public events/play while allowing the pony's tack to be visible. The look and feel of catsuits also plays a large role: some ponies like them, some don't.
• Branding - A hot piece of metal is used to create a permanent mark (usually a specially designed, unique symbol) on the pony. A brand in ponyplay can serve as a mark of ownership. It can also serve as a mark of status since certain brand designs/symbols might only be applied to ponies of a particular breed and even then, perhaps only to ponies representing the best of that breed.
• Bridle - a piece of equipment fitted on the head, which is used to direct the pony. Typically the bridle holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a pony. However, there are bitless bridles ("hackamores") that serve the same purpose (though these are not too common in ponyplay).
• Butt Plug (electrified) - a piece of plastic with attached metal eletrodes (or, less commonly a metal plug with a separate electrode) inserted into the pony's rectum which delivers an electric shock to the pony trans-rectally given a certain stimulus (usually on remote activation by trainer, but sometimes via an attached modified anti-bark dog collar). These can be very pleasurable or very painful: a very useful training tool.
• Chambon - is used to control the carriage of a pony's head. It is similar to a martingale although its use is mostly limited to longeing and driving (as opposed to riding). It attaches in a similar fashion to a running martingale except that it runs through the brownband and along the cheekpiece and to the bit as opposed to direct attachment to the reins.
• Cross Ties - lines attached to either side of the halter or bridle (one line attached to each the right and left side) used to keep the pony standing relatively straight (as opposed to simply tying the pony with a lead rope in which case there may be some shifting/fidgeting/turning).
• Double Bridle - a bridle that has two separate bits (typically a snaffle and a curb bit) and thus four reins. A double bridle is most often seen in (bio-equine) dressage. They are less common with human ponies probably due to anatomic considerations (though human ponies can wear properly designed double bridles if the bits are also correctly sized and positioned.
• Driving Reins - long reins specifically designed to allow guiding the pony from a distance (often used by a trainer when the pony is pulling a cart).
• Halter - fits on the head of the pony and is used to lead to tie up the pony (typically in conjunction with a lead rope).
• Hobbles - placed on the legs of the pony to restrict movement. Often used when there is no convenient object to which the pony may be tied and/or to permit the pony to graze without having to worry about the pony wandering too far off. Hobbles can also be used to prevent a pony from kicking (e.g. hobbling a ponygirl during a breeding scene).
• Injection (or infusion) - Injection/infusion play involves insertion of a standard hypodermic needle under the skin followed by injection or infusion of sterile saline. In ponyplay (and petplay), a pony's vet may inject a small volume (~ 1-5 mL) of sterile saline as a "vaccine". The effects of injection play are mostly psychological (depedning on the injection site and diameter of needle used). However, infusion play involves larger volumes of fluid (up to 1L) and is often administered into the scrotum, labia, or breasts. Infusion play will stretch/inflate the area creating heightened sensation. The saline can take up to several days to be completely absorbed.
• Lead Rope - attaches to the halter and is used to guide the pony and to tie the pony (via the halter) to a post, tree, or other object.
• Lip Tattoos - Lip tattoos are most commonly associated with registered Thoroughbreds where they are utilized for identification of the animal. In ponyplay, a lip tattoo is also often applied to the inside of the lips. However, unlike in Thoroughbreds, the tattoo of a human pony may be on either the upper or lower lip and words or phrases may used instead of the standard codes used on Thoroughbreds. Lip tattoos are not terribly uncommon as a form of body art and can be applied by a professional artist if a pony's vet is not comfortable applying the tattoo.
• Longe Line - attached to one or both (by going around the pony's head) bit rings and used to control the pony when exercising the pony on a circle (with the trainer at the center).
• Martingale - helps control head carriage by preventing head tossing/throwing, and keeping the pony's head at or below a certain height via connection of the bridle to the pony's harness.
• Masks - are most often used to make the pony's head look like a horse's head, and some masks are very realistic and can even be fitted with a separate bio-equine bridle and bit. Of course masks also serve to add a degree of sensory deprivation and add to the overall feeling of bondage.
• Needle Play - involves the insertion of a needle underneath the skin. Usually this entails both an entry and exit point for the needle. If performed in this manner, it is just like having a piercing except that no jewelery gets threaded through. Less commonly, there will be only an entry point with the tip of needle remaining under the skin. One way to incorporate this into your ponyplay/veterinary play scenes is as "acupuncture" treatment for your pony (quite a few bio-horse veterinarians offer equine acupuncture, so this is not an unrealistic veterinary procedure for a bio-equine).
• Newmarket Attachment - Attaches each side of a pony's bit and is used mostly for leading a pony in lieu of reins. It can be made of nylon, leather, or metal (typically called a "Newmarket Chain" if made with metal).
• Piercings - can be used as points of attachment and/or to increase the efficacy of other pieces of tack in controlling the human pony. For example, reins may be attached to nipple piercings and threaded through the bit rings to increase the persuasiveness of the rein aids. Tongue piercings may be attached to bits for effective control of the pony's tongue and mouth. Septum piercings may be used to lead a pony without the use of a halter.
• Polo Wraps - applied to pony's legs for protection.
• Reins - attach to the bridle (most often via the bit) and are used to direct the pony.
• RFID (micrchip) Implantation - Implantation of radiofrequency identification (RFID) microchips under the skin of animals (horses, dogs, and cats especially) is becoming more common as way in which to identify the animal. This can easily be done in humans as a part of ponyplay. This is one of those things that will probably only apeal to a very select few ponies or puppies, but it's worth including for completeness.
• Saddle - is secured to pony's back and can be either decorative or functional.
• Shock Collar - is a collar that fits around a pony's neck and delivers an eletric shock based on a preset stimulus (e.g. loud sounds, moving beyond a specified perimeter, activation of a remote). Most commonly a shock will be delivered via remote control by a trainer. In this case, the intensity and duration of the shock can be adjusted by the trainer.
• Stud Chain - also called a lead shank is a short chain attached to the end of a lead rope used for additional control of the pony. Depending on how it is applied, it can have a relatively mild to severe disciplinary effect when used.
• Surcingle - encircles the waist of the pony and is often used in ground training to assist in teaching the pony proper head carriage, etc.
• Tails - One of the most common pieces of tack, tails are available with many different options such as point of attachment (e.g. integrated into a butt plug or to the pony's harness), material (real horsehair, bylow, etc.), degree of arch to tail, etc.
• Tongue Tie - loops around the pony's tongue and is tied off under the chin. Tongue-ties are most often seen on bio-horses, especially race horses to keep the horse from getting his tongue over the bit. They are not terribly effective on unpierced human tongues and so are not seen very often in ponyplay. However, if a pony has a tongue piercing, a tongue tie can be quite effective in restricting tongue movement.
• Twitch - a loop of chain attached to a stick that is most often applied to the upper lip to distract the pony and keep him/her still to permit performing activities on the pony (often veterinary) that might otherwise be difficult. In human ponies, the twitch might not be confined to use on the upper lip and may be used to inflict pain or distract (whereas with the bio-equine, the intention is to distract and not to inflict pain).
• Urethral Rod (electrified) - a piece of plastic with attached metal eletrodes (or a metal rod with a separate electrode) inserted into the pony's urethra which delivers an electric shock to the pony given a certain stimulus (usually on remote activation by trainer, but sometimes via an attached modified anti-bark dog collar). This is probably the most effective way of controlling a pony since the pain can be immense (they can be pleasurable as well).
• Vet Wrap - a self-sticking bandage material available in a wide assortment of colors. Can be used to restrict movement or even retrain your pony.