First you will need the following:
- 1 x meter of chicken wire.
- 2 x lengths of 5 ft overflow piping.
- 5 towels, medium size.
- 1 roll of gaffer tape.
- 6 clips
- 1 old football
- 1 pair of Wellington boots (short)
- 1 pair of Jeans
- 1 shirt
- 1 belt
- 3 metres of cord for attaching to the saddle.
- Several old paper feed bags. (20Kg.)
- A length of baler twine.
- 6 small and 6 large plastic ties.
- Large needle and strong thread.
Instructions
Click on images to see bigger versions.
First tape the top part of the piping.
Cut a piece of chicken wire for the body as a cylinder and fix with baler twine. Place the pipes into the middle and stuff with paper forming a body shape. Close up the top of the body.
Then roll the wire round the piping forming the legs.
Close with gaffer tape.
Fix the legs onto to the body with baler twine and plastic ties.
Then roll a towel around the body and secure with gaffer tape.
Repeat this process around the legs and secure with gaffer tape.
Now roll towels forming arms. Secure with gaffer tape.
Sew the arms onto the wire body.
Take football and stuff with paper and fix on top of the pipe and fix with plastic ties to the wire shoulders.
Nearly There
Now fix boots onto end of legs and fix with plastic ties. You will have to make hole through the boots and this can be done best by heating up an old screwdriver and melting holes in the boots on both sides. Secure through the wire with plastic ties.
Sew onto the end of the arms clips attached with elastic at the arms or cord from the neck. Two cords must go to the front and back of the saddle. One must be fixed to the cantle and one to the pommel. A child’s hand-hold is a good place to fix the front cord and a crupper loop for the cantle.
Put clips onto plastic ties and round the ankles of the boots and these can then be clipped onto the stirrups.
I prefer elastic on the end of the arms then the dummy will have light hands.
Last but not least give the dummy a nice smile. You will be smiling when you use him. (A name is a good idea too)
To attach to the horse.
First jump the dummy up and down next to the horse. Make sure the horse or pony is aware of the existence of the dummy. Then with someone on the off side of the horse lift the dummy over and clip the front and back of dummy’s lines from the neck to the cantle and the pommel. This done clip the feet into the stirrups. Lastly slip the arms onto the bit or the head-collar.
Now your dummy is up and riding. You can long rein using your dummy.
You will find he is a wonderful rider, nothing frightens him.
ENJOY.
