My brother's pony, but he didn't want to ride him, so I rode all 3 of the POAs ,we had on the farm. I was too young to have fear, so I rode, usually bareback, out in big pastures. I'd set up jumps. If they took my bridle or halter away to ground me--I'd simply put a piece of binder-twine around my pony's nose (make-shift hackamore). It's your body language the horse responds to, anyway. Perhaps not so bright to be out galloping in huge pastures with no one home, but myself (age 10-12)--but it was what I lived for and had asked for since the age of 2. Something Divined was up with that. I never got injured or thrown from any horse I've ridden, including a young, green Arabian filly I trained, when I was near 30 years old. The seat I earned as a kid, stays with me. I'm by no means a perfect rider, but it is the one gift/desire I've always had.