Once you get smitten by driving Shetlands, it seems that one is never enough! Many drivers add another and enjoy the extra power and speed of a pair, but there are also those drivers who cannot stop at two and keep adding to their her of Shetland ponies. After all, why not? They are small, easy to transport and economic to keep and all their equipment is smaller scale so in most cases, costs less to buy.

But the main reason for their popularity has nothing to do with these considerations, rather it is the sheer fun of driving these characterful ponies.

Ginny Williams from West Wales is the perfect example of a driver who has the ‘Shetland addiction’ and she has the most wonderful time enjoying her four Shetland ponies in different combinations. She wowed us with her recent social media post showing her driving four ponies abreast to her four-wheeler and galloping across the open beach – so impressive!

Ginny said, ‘Today has been one of those monumental days – a trip to the beach with four abreast, with a bit of three abreast thrown in for good measure. The ponies were awesome, except for the experienced one who thought it might be fun to sit on Marylegs occasionally.  If I only do this once in my lifetime, I’ll die a happy woman. I’m going to be buzzing for days!  Thanks to Alison Payne for coming to hold a rein – I’m not sure this is where she thought she was going to end up and to Alan Payne Photography for the amazing photos.’

‘I am also very grateful to Hitchen Farm Working Horses for training them and encouraging me out of my comfort zone. There’s a huge amount of work gone into this that culminated in today, when it all came together!’

It’s wonderful to have such beautiful photographs of Ginny’s day on the beach. It certainly seemed like a very special experience, so I was keen to find out more about her ‘Golden Girls’ and the progress she has made with them.

Ginny started driving with a single Shetland over 30 years ago but gave up when she got Icelandic horses. But she missed the unique fun of Shetland driving and about ten years ago, when she took up driving again, she got a Shetland pair and it’s developed from there.

She has three dominant mares – the two older ponies who were her pair, Cresta (20) and Marylegs (10), and then her younger mare Dancer (5). Shetland number four is another mare, the gentle Prancer, who is happy to go with the flow. Prancer is now 5 but has been with Ginny for 4 years and brought on carefully to make up her team of four. Marylegs is the only pony who has done a lot of driving as a single because the others have gone straight into a pair or team.

Having a team with three dominant mares can occasionally be ‘interesting’ but is never dull.  Ginny says, ‘Shetlands are sassy and fun; quite single minded but they are very adaptable and love to have a job.’

Ginny has done a lot of indoor driving trials with her older pair and competed at the National Indoor Championships in 2017, 2021 and 2022 which was always a ‘most exhilarating weekend.’ She enjoys drives and dinky camps, and has also put together a tandem. Currently she is focussing on building up the team and increasing the confidence of the two younger ponies.

Ginny and her ponies are indebted to Hitchen Farm Working Horses who are experienced in driving their multiples in all sorts of combinations.  It’s where Ginny and her ponies have gained experience and confidence with their training, and it’s where Ginny became inspired to drive with the four ponies abreast.

‘I had great fun doing this and thought it might be fun to have a go with the Shetlands. We also have a lot of off-road driving round here that is very hilly so it’s ideal for those situations. It’s a bit too wide to drive four abreast on the road. I also did hay making at Hitchen Farm last year and worked six-in-hand. It was a real challenge and I love learning – anything the big horses can do, I’m sure the Shetlands can too, so long as it’s scaled down.’

Ginny can configure her four-wheeler and harness to drive unicorn, team and pairs by using the team harness and then has some adaptions on the carriage.

‘I use the pair configuration and then have outriggers that attach to the side of the pairs unit, which have swingletrees attached to them. This way I can drive three or four abreast depending on what we are doing. I also have a unicorn bar on the front of the pairs unit. I tend to use a bar on the front of the pair as it helps them to go evenly.’

‘The day of the beach drive was the first time driving four abreast.  Where to start? If I am honest, I was nervous, but Mike from Hitchen was with us and he drove them first. Within 30 seconds the reins were put in my hands. The ponies were as perfect as perfect could be! They just lit up yet felt totally in control despite me only having walked them four abreast before.  The feeling of power was tremendous – the steering feels a little delayed when there are four abreast in front of you, but that’s no problem when you have the whole beach and barely anyone on it!’

What an achievement and there’s no stopping Ginny now. She has exciting plans for her Shetlands.

‘We will use the three and four abreast for being out in the forestry, and the unicorn and team for some indoor competitions next year.  They will also be doing some chain harrowing this year once we have done the muck spreading. We also have a sled, so who knows what we might get up to with that.  I want them all to have a great life and enjoy what we do – including never quite knowing what will come next.’