When is pony play not sexual?
Only when I don't think about it. Okay, so maybe I should elaborate a little...
Pony play for me is typically BDSM oriented, and this is how I typically portray it on my blog (the non-blog portion of cpony (i.e. pages not in the "ponyblog" directory) is geared as a resource for ponyplay, so I cover ponyplay from a more neutral perspective there, albeit with a few tips about how to make it a little more "fetishy" for those interested).
However, what I don't always say is that during some training sessions, I sometimes forget that it's sexual.
I'm not saying that there are times I put my tack on and go into pony space, and all of a sudden it loses sexual appeal: that just doesn't happen to me. Whenever I get tacked up, I get turned on...always, never fail, full stop.
It's what happens after I'm tacked up that sometimes makes me go into a pseudo pony headspace.
This often happens when I'm wearing a lot of tack, and we're engaged in a serious training session. In those situations, where I have on blinders, posture collar, hoof boots, etc., I have to really concentrate on where I'm going and what I'm doing. I have to rely to a greater degree on what my trainer is telling me - through the reins, the crop, and verbally. I have to be very attentive to slight changes in rein pressure. In those instances, I simply don't have the time to concentrate on being turned on.
When I'm putting all my effort into listening to my trainer and executing her commands, I lose myself in the moment. Not purposefully; it's just a product of the circumstances. All I can think about is what I'm being told to do and doing my best to do it for her. For me it really is as simple as that.
It's those times when I'm standing around in pony gear (maybe tied to a post and left to my own, albeit tack-limited, devices while my trainer is nearby getting stuff or whatever) that I have time to think again and realize, this is hot. Similarly, if we're having a relaxed training session, or a "milking the stallion" vet play scene where my trainer is actively stimulating me, then I don't get lost into any sort of pony space, and I can relish in the sexual aspects of the play.
Our training sessions always start out with me aroused, and they almost always end with me turned on. It's the middle part, where I'm doing something that requires more than just some minor concentration, where I sometimes forget (again, not on purpose) how incredibly hot pony play is. I'm not saying this is good or bad, and I'm not knocking either sexual or non-sexual pony play. I'm just telling you how it is for me.
Whenever I have the chance to think about how I'm tacked up or what I'm doing (or being made to do), I immediately get aroused. It's just that there are times during training that I don't have the chance to think about any of those things. I'm not sure if that's pony headspace or not, but it's about as close as I usually get.