About Me and cPony

Why the site?

The site began (and remains to this day) as a way for me to help others interested in pony play in any way I can. Why you say? Because, when I started pony play, there were precious few resources avavailable (and it wasn't nearly as easy to find them as it is today).

At that time, all I knew was that I enjoyed wearing horse tack, and whenever I wore it by myself, I would imagine a faceless mistress at the other end of the reins, a person who kidnnapped or tricked me into becoming a beast of burden for her pleasure - whether that be pulling a cart, or being forced to show off my body, tack, and movements to others for their pleasure.

While I kept these "strange" fantasies to myself, I simultaneously used the early internet to seek out like-minded individuals whenever I could find them, but I still had no idea how to fulfill my desires, and I lamented that I would never find someone interested in what I believed to be an elaborate and obscure fetish.

For the longest time I felt alienated. I felt sure that I was the only one who found pleasure in such a fantasy. Eventually, I discovered there were others, many others, who shared similar fantasies.

When I realized that were others like me, I gained the confidence to explore and talk about my desires. This was a major turning point for me, when I finally understood that pony play is actually a thing, that there were many people like me, who enjoy the pony/trainer dynamic and who are actively seeking ponies/trainers of their own.

This realization prompted me to start a site of my own (lack of HTML, CSS, and programming notwithstanding) to share my experiences in exploring pony play and how I do, or like to do things.

The purpose of this site is not just to show you how to walk, trot, and, canter as a human pony, but also to show you that there are many, many human ponies who want the same thing. Moreover, there are many would be trainers and owners looking for such ponies. We are not alone in this journey into the world of the human equine. Pony play is a community of many ponies, owners, and trainers, and all of us are eager to welcome new members to the herd.

So, when I'm asked why I started cpony.com, the answer is simple: to let ponies and trainers know they are part of a worldwide community of like-minded individuals who share the love of the human equine. Everything else (how to walk, trot, canter, be lunged, ridden, pull a cart find tack and equipment) is secondary.

Regular Updates to the Site

I try very hard to have a new blog post up every Friday (no later than 11:59PM Pacific time).

In addition to the weekly new blog articles, I also update all the "links" sections (pony play links, hoof boot retailers, bridle retailers, mask retailers, saddle retailers, and hoof glove retailers) at least once a week to add/remove links as needed and to update prices of gear.

Other sections of the site (i.e. everything except the "ponyblog" section/directory and the links pages) are meant to be evergreen, and thus see updates with less regularity. Such articles are updated when the information contained within them is found to be incomplete or inaccurate, and new articles are added if it becomes clear that a new/separate article would be beneficial to someone learning about pony play.

Regardless, all updates are posted on my recent updates page and my rss feed, which are, at this time, the two best ways to stay up to date.

What Pony Play Topics Do I Cover?

My pony play is a mix of both the fetish, BDSM based play and the more bio-equine based role-play. I don't have separate personas for each type, I just go with whatever suits my taste on any given day. Generally, I prefer the fetish based play (more bondage and punishment) when I'm the pony, but when I am the trainer, I prefer play that more closely mirrors bio-equine training (perhaps a natural fallback for someone who owns bio-horses).

I have a page with links to other ponyplay resources, where you can find retailers of pony play gear and equipment along with the personal websites of other ponies, and various other useful links. I realize that your favorite search engine can be used for this purpose, but some of the smaller retailers that sell pony play gear (especially places that sell hoof boots) can be surprisingly hard to find.

For interaction with the ponyplay community, my recommendation is Fetlife (you can find me there under the nickname cpony), which has several pony play groups, the biggest of which is "Pony Play" (two words) with over 5000 members. Moreover, there are regional pet play and pony play Fetlife groups if you are looking for a local scene (e.g. The Stampede for those in the SF bay area).

Who am I?

Even more than 10 years after writing this some things have not changed: I am a male pony (ponyboy). I love ponyplay and BDSM, but they are not the only things in my life. I'm not a 24/7 pony, but I have been a 24/1 or 24/2 pony on occasional weekends. I'll be honest and say that being a pony for 24 or 48 hours is not really as appealing in reality as it is in my fantasies, but it has its moments and can be fun. The main drawback for me is I like to use a real toilet. And frankly, I'm not really a horse; I'm a human who likes to play horse, and I like my human activities and conveniences, so my play sessions are typically on the order of a couple hours with the occasional longer term training sessions and "immersion" play weekends thrown in.

I discovered my love of sexual bondage at a fairly young age. In fact my first experience with ponyplay was what made me aware of my interest in bondage. Following this experience, I experimented extensively with ponyplay and general bondage through homemade tack (really adapted bio-horse tack, but I was fortunate enough to be involved in bio-horse riding so these items were fairly accessible for me). I became much more involved with ponyplay in early 1998 when I bought my first bridle from Stormy Leather. In fact this was the first piece of bondage equipment I ever owned, and I still have it today.

Discovering Ponyplay

I think the tipping point for me was when I tried on a bio-horse bit to see "how it feels". It was a cross between a dare and an exercise to understand the action of the bit from the horse's perspective (though mostly the former). One of my fellow riders held the reins, and gave some light pulls. She didn't get anything sexual from it, and I certainly didn't let on how much I liked it. It was the bridle of one of my horses, so obviously it did not fit in any way. I had to hold the bit with my teeth to prevent it from falling out, and there was no bondage aspect to it, but it still ranks as one of the best "ponyplay" experiences of my life.

After that experience, I remember buying a bit and a pair of hobbles from a local tack shop for my personal use. I thought for sure that my true motives for buying these items would be discovered (since I've never used hobbles on any of my horses and I've never seen them used at any barn where I've ridden or boarded), but of course nobody suspected. I fashioned a very crude rope bridle to hold my new bit, and had lots of fun with that setup until I bought my first ponyplay bridle a few years later.

My Ponyplay Interests

Certainly veterinary play, farrier scenes and such will be nearly identical between english and western ponyplay. Some items of tack, and some training topics will be similar between the disciplines as well (e.g. all ponies shold know how to be led or tied regardless of discipline - providing they are domesticated of course). However, there are significant differences in training beyond the basics, and there are many differences in tack (e.g. saddles). Since I am not as familiar with western ponyplay, I would encourage you to check out the Alternative Pony website, where Pony Girl Drafter does a great job exploring western style ponyplay. Also, The Human Pony Registry is in the process of providing informational and how-to articles on western ponyplay - these aren't up as yet (I will post a direct link to the articles when they are available), but check out their site for some great tips on making your own tack (something I would highly advise all begining ponies and trainers to do so they can figure out what aspects of ponyplay they like before spending a lot of money).

While most of my experience and interest is in english ponyplay, I am willing to try pretty much any aspect of ponyplay. I have been a show pony, cart pony, and four legged riding pony. I have also had a few opportunities to be a trainer, and I have been a groom on one occasion. In BDSM I consider myself a switch, and in ponyplay I classify myself as a bottom leaning switch: I'm almost always a ponyboy during play.

Over the last several years I have been able to understand myself and my interests better. I've also become a little less shy about sharing them, and (for better or worse) I'm also a lot less embarrassed about what I like. To me BDSM and ponyplay are sexual. I find it incredibly hot to be tacked up in full harness and bridle, and I do find the dehumanization to be a turn on.

I enjoy forced ponyplay, where I'm a human forced to become a pony, and thus most of my ponyplay experiences involve a strong element of BDSM and do not necessarily emulate bio-equine training as closely as the ponyplay experiences of a person enjoying equine roleplay. Indeed, some of my pony training (e.g. using spiked bits, being hogtied by my bit, being ridden with a ball gag, "bad pony" pain scenes, etc.) should never be used on bio-equines.

My version of ponyplay, a sexualized, BDSM based pony play, is certainly not the only way to play. It is just my version of pony play. Some prefer very realistic animal role-play/transformation (therianthropy, with those involved being called therians) where there is no basis in BDSM. Often therians believe that they are part animal (e.g. they have an animal or partially animal spirit), and they cannot separate this animal-self from the rest of their person. Thus, to them it is not role-playing. Therians will often be undomesticated animals. There is a third group that simply enjoys animal role-play (i.e. it is roleplay to them; they do not feel that they are part animal) - here again, the role-play is not sexual. I will often refer to this latter group (when playing as equids) as "equine role-play". Equine roleplayers are also very much interested in realism, but they are more likely to play as domesicated animals.

Of course, many ponies are somewhere in between, so don't feel like you have to pigeonhole yourself into one of these broad catagories. While I enjoy a heavy BDSM and sexual component to my pony play, I have found that when in working pony role it is easy to fall into a semi-pony headspace. Moreover, I perform many equine mannerism unconsciously when in pony role - there have been a couple occasions in which I have had to put in a concerted effort to not act horse like.

I'm a switch, and I never like to submit. I think this is one of reasons I love pony play. In pony play I can be the bottom without having to worship or truly submit to my trainer. Sure, I'm in helpless bondage, and I'm dehumanized and treated like an animal, but an animal, especially a horse, does have a mind of its own. A horse will often listen to the one holding the reins and may get punished if it behaves badly. A horse may have no control over what happens to it and may have no real choice in its training, and while it may trust you, it never truly submits to you.

Finally, I am mostly straight, but there is always a little flexibility there. As a switch, I have been both a top and a bottom with female partners, and I have been a top with a few male partners. I've not been a bottom to any males (and outside of ponyplay this not something that would appeal to me). However, the idea of a training session with the right male pony trainer has become more appealing to me as of late (especially if it were a dual training session with a ponygirl).

Well, I guess that's about it for now. If I haven't driven you away yet, give me another chance to alienate you: check out my ponyplay related blog where I put down my thoughts on ponyplay related topics. If that doesn't drive you away, then I give up. Seriously though, I hope you enjoy the site. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas, suggestions, or questions. Also, if you are interested in what's new, you can find recent updates to the site including announcements, upcoming events, new articles, and technical updates.