I agree with all the previous excellent advice. Add this. Put a breastcollar on your riding horse's western saddle, so it the ponied yearling pulls back like a goat, it won't cause your saddle to slip to the side. It's also nice to ride with a friend the first few times, so they can help you. If they are on a savvy older horse, sometimes that one can "sandwich" the baby, to protect it in case of a car driving by fast, or if it's acting up. They can also form a block in the front, or "push" from the rear. Also...wear gloves, to protect your hands. I used to pony my filly and sometimes felt like that movie "Brave heart"...oh how you can get pulled between two horses. I vote yes on the rope halter and the crop. Sometimes I used a tie rope that had some "boing" to it, it has rubber in it or something, and velcro on the tie end that formed a loop. It discourages them pulling back, and is thick and short. That was after the filly learned how to do the ponying readily. Beth