Public Awareness of Ponyplay

A couple weeks ago I sat down to write a little commentary on how, over the past 10 - 15 years, ponyplay has had a fair amount of exposure in mainstream entertainment, to say that many, if not most, adults would know the meaning of the term. I shelved the article temporarily due to time constraints, but earlier this week I stumbled upon a thread in a bio-equine discussion forum which completely reversed my opinion and motivated me to sit down again and write the commentary, but with a new spin.

The discussion I stumbled upon was centered on a search for hoof boots (the bio-equine variety) that turned up an altogether different type of hoof boot. As a bio-horse owner myself, I too have googled this term looking for bio-horse equipment and found a fetish page or two interspersed in the results. Anyway, the discussion mostly revolved around how difficult it would be to walk in those boots (a sentiment with which I completely agree), and how the bridle (also featured on the same page as the hoof boots) would not fit any horse they had ever seen - a statement with which I would also agree ;).

While it was eventually suggested that the boots and odd shaped bridle might be used on "human ponies", I found it odd that so many bio-horse people would be genuinely surprised that something like ponyplay exists. I wasn't surprised that it didn't appeal to most of them; rather, I was surprised that most of them had not heard of ponyplay (or animal role-play, or whatever other terms it goes under).

Moreover, even more surprising to me was that the concept of ponyplay had never occurred to many of them. I'm not saying that ponyplay is an extension of bio-horse riding, but I would think that being around bits, bridles, saddles, harnesses, hobbles, etc. every day would give you a couple kinky ideas (it did for me - but I suppose my thought process is a little off the norm).

So why was I ever under the impression that most people would at least have a vague idea of what ponyplay is? Maybe, I've lived in the San Francisco bay area for too many years. A place where a 10 min BART ride can take me to at least 3 different shops that sell, among many other items, ponyplay bridles, hoof mitts (molded rubber fist mitts in the shape of horse hooves), butt plug tails, and even a human pony saddle - all right off the rack, no waiting, and you can even try on the saddle and hooves. They'll even let you wear the hoof mitts while you shop to get a feel for their long term comfort! But I digress...

While I confess that the atmosphere of the area in which I live may have given me a somewhat overbroad perception of, if not acceptance then at least awareness of, the animal role-play fetish, I have indeed seen overt depictions of ponyplay in mainstream channels the last few years. After considering the apparent dichotomy of the portrayal of ponyplay with the lack of awareness by some people, I have since concluded that I must indeed have a perceptual bias due to my own exposure to ponyplay. That is, when I see ponyplay in popular channels, I recognize it for what it is, while those with no familiarity with the fetish see the same thing and think nothing of it beyond "interesting imagery" perhaps.

Although this current article/blog post is no longer about how ponyplay has become more mainstream, I feel I should still point out the various depictions of ponyplay that originally led to believe otherwise. It is at least interesting to see how some designers, writers, and choreographers are able to slip in these decidedly juicy depictions into mainstream entertainment. So let's take a quick look:

• First up, is the TV series Bones, which aired an episode in 2007 titled "Death in the Saddle" (S03E03). The plot of that episode revolved entirely around ponyplay as a sexual fetish. Unlike other crime dramas, which have aired episodes involving BDSM from time to time, this episode concerned ponyplay specifically, with ponies and trainers being interviewed by the team investigating the crime. Moreover, footage of ponies wearing bit gags and being led around by trainers was shown.
• The animated series Family Guy aired an episode, "Perfect Castaway" (S02E12), in 2005, which had a couple scenes alluding to ponyplay: in one scene a character, Lois, is seen leaving her house with a saddle followed by another scene in which she is riding her husband, Peter, in the same saddle while he is neighing and generally acting like a horse.
• Another Family Guy episode (S04E21), this time from 2006, has a scene approximately 5 minutes into the show in which one of the main characters, Peter, puts a rope halter on his maid, gets on her back and rides her to the store. On the way to the store, he encounters another ponygirl (similarly equipped with a rope bridle) with rider and the two race. This is especially interesting to me because this is the second allusion to pony play in this series (see previous point). The first reference was clearly sexual pony play whereas this instance is a little more ambiguous, but I wonder if the writers have a fondness for this fetish (Edit: someone there must love BDSM, even if only for a shock value given the numerous references to it)?
• The TV series Angel aired an epidsode in 2003 (S04E15) involving ponyplay (this series seems to have a couple references to animal role-play).
• The 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes has a brief scene in which a large wagon/cart is pulled by a team of humans wearing bits and bridles/head harnesses. Interesting in so far as the apes had domesticated horses which could have, presumably, pulled the wagon more efficiently.
• Madonna's 2006 tour was heavy with ponyplay and a general equestrian theme. Ponyboys abound wearing saddles, bridles, and bits, and Madonna herself is wearing a bit and bridle in some photos (and even a saddle).
• Cynthia Witthoft's "Mechanical Horse" album cover shows her with a bridle and bit next to a horse.
• NikitA, a band from the Ukraine, known for sexual imagery, has several photos out there with the duo wearing horse bits along with various fetishistic extensions on the equestrian theme.
• CSI aired an episode entitled "Unleashed" (S11E19) in 2011, which related to petplay (puppy play and cat play). It covered the topic of human pets in a fairly positive light. The episode did not feature human ponies on screen though human ponies were supposedly mentioned by one character as another form of animal role-play. Nevertheless, petplay is closely enough related to pony play (both falling under the animal role-play umbrella) that positive public exposure to petplay is a good thing for us ponies.

Overall it seems that ponyplay is finding its way into mainstream entertainment (albeit as minor plot points or cool imagery for the most part), and this trend seems to be increasing in recent years. However, it is my opinion that many of the depictions of ponyplay are only obvious to those who already know what it is, and this makes sense because if you really think about it from a vanilla point of view, ponyplay is kind of out there.

Because ponyplay can be viewed as extreme by those in the vanilla community (ponyplay can involve elaborate equipment and often involves even more elaborate headspaces, coupled with the obvious, but erroneous, conclusion that ponyplay is either somehow associated with or involves bestiality, it is not hard for one to see how members of the vanilla community might make these judgments), I am glad that it is getting more public exposure to take the mystery away and demonstrate that it is a harmless fetish. What's more, with public exposure of the fetish, we might get a strengthening of our herd...the first time I saw someone in pony gear, I was both incredibly turned on and incredibly jealous. The elaborate costumes (and the connotations they entail) seen in ponyplay can have an incredible aesthetic appeal.

Indeed, I stumbled across a quote in the blog of I Am Rad that accompanied a photo of a person dressed up as a horse, which sums up my experience perfectly:

"One of my greatest fears in life is to one day come across a picture like this on the internet only to realize that it totally turns me on. They say you never know what you’re in to until you see or try it. What if I discover I’m into pony play? What kind of life will I have then? All my money will have to go to bits, hooves, and saddles with dildos sticking out of them."

And so it has...