Forget the political pomp – today, MasterMarc saddles up with Rye, a delightful D.C. pony! He spills the oats on why human equines are less common than doggos, the thrill of non-sexual “work” play, and how finding freedom in a halter and reins changed his kinky world. Get ready for a wild ride!
Forget the presidential parade, Kinkfinity is bringing you a real showstopper! While doggos dominate the gay fetish scene, there’s a charming corner reserved for ponies. MasterMarc saddles up with Rye, a delightful pony from Washington D.C., to explore the unique world of human equines. Oats and apples ready? Let’s ride!
MasterMarc: This week was a very special week for people in the U.S., and even more so in Washington D.C. Every four years, the oldest democracy tries to act like an old monarchy, celebrating the “coronation” of a new president with a lot of pomp and circumstance. But if you compare it with London, you can’t see any horse guards. That has to be very sad for a D.C. pony. How do you see that, Rye?
Rye: Hah, honestly after how crazy everything was about two weeks ago, I am glad it went the way it did, horses or no. It has been pretty scary, and now it seems like everyone is calming down, the streets are opening back up and we can start to move around a little more. I am lucky that I live just outside D.C. on the Virginia side, so we were a little less affected. But yes, I think there needs to be more horses in parades. Maybe I will write my congressman about it.
MasterMarc: Do you know if your congressman is a pony player too? I can imagine there are a lot of hidden kinksters at the Capitol.
Rye: I have often thought about following my elected officials with my pony Twitter account, but I have not done it. I don’t think I need that kind of attention, hah. You are right about hidden kinksters (and overt kinksters) in D.C. D.C. has a lot of very active people in the kink and fetish community… I know of and met 7 other ponies. There are hundreds of pups. In my experience, everyone has been very friendly and welcoming; I love it. I am not sure how D.C. compares to other cities; I have only tried to be active in the community here.
Ponies vs. Pups: Why the Difference?
MasterMarc: You’re pansexual, but you see yourself on the gay side of that spectrum. Why do you think there are many more doggos in the gay kink world than ponies?
Rye: Pet play in general is awesome. I think a lot of people get into it like I do, to get rid of my human concerns for a while. Puppy play may just appear to be more approachable for many. A lot of people ask me about pony play (I am a friendly horse!), pups and others. They ask things about the gear, where to get it, how much it costs, and so on… A lot of people think you need to have gear to pony, and because they do not have it, can’t get it, or can’t make the gear, they think they can’t pony.
This is 100% not true. For many, like me, the gear is an important part of pony play and helps me get into the headspace. But you do not need gear to be a good pony. To quote Pony Tromper, “You don’t have to have a lick of gear to be a pony, if that’s what is in your heart.” I think this gets missed a lot. If you need a lot of stuff to get into the headspace, then that is fine. If all you need is a bit and some reins, that is great too.
No pony is going to judge you for not having all the gear; it is whatever you need to get you in the headspace. I think that might be why there doesn’t seem to be as many ponies as pups – people think it is exclusive, it is not. I am making it a life goal to convert pups to ponies, haha.
It might be a preference for activities too. Puppies are more playful and want to have fun. A lot of the ponies I know want to work and be worked. Pulling, running, jumping… that sort of thing.
MasterMarc: Do you think it is possible to do a genetic cross of a dog and a horse, and what would the result be? What are the essentials of being a pony?
Rye: Oh, that is a good question! I have seen a Photoshop of a dog jaw on a horse head, maybe something like that? Maybe something like a wendigo, but that is more deer than horse. Scary either way, maybe an idea for next Halloween.
I think the essential is an interest in pet play and BDSM. Ponies are very diverse, and I don’t think there is a really a standard that makes a good pony. I have a pony friend who is very happy and playful as a pony; they also get into some mischief. I have another friend who will put on the gear and still retain mostly human traits but wants to be worked. So there is a good contrast there: one loses the human persona and role-plays as the horse, the other keeps the human persona and is ‘forced’ to be the horse.
I am kind of a mix. I like to be forced into the role play. When I get the gear on, I go into a role-play headspace and will not talk, only make sounds. I want to do whatever my handler or trainer wants me to, and I don’t want to have any control over those activities.
Sexual vs. Non-Sexual Pony Play: The Spectrum of Pleasure
MasterMarc: How sexual is pony play? A lot of doggos I know are very sexual. Sometimes I think they are a genetic cross of a dog with a bonobo. How sexual are the human ponies?
Rye: Haha. I know many doggos that are like that too. I hate to say it, but again, it depends on the pony. Some are very sexual, some want no sex involved at all; there is a big range in between. Many of my friends treat it as an asexual kink, where they have no interest in sex but they find it sexy.
For me, it is a mix. If I am role-playing as a horse, there really isn’t any sexual activity. I have a task I need to complete for my handler: pull that log, run in this field, that sort of thing. However, if we plan pony play as part of a BDSM session, where I am tied to a post or bed or something, then I am not in the pony headspace, and it can be much more sexual.
One of my best sexual experiences while in pony gear was being tied with my back to a post and my arms above my head while different people were allowed to grab, pinch, and use vibrators on me. That time I was forced to be dressed like a pony but not role-playing as one. That may seem really complicated, but it isn’t. When we plan a session, we discuss this stuff ahead of time so expectations are laid out.
MasterMarc: OK, now you also have to tell us about your best non-sexual pony play experience so that we can see the differences.
Rye: Ahh! So the best non-sexual one may have been the first time I sprinted outside as a pony. I love running, and before that point, I had only ever ponied inside. I told my handler I wanted to see how fast I could go in gear. So she lined me up at the end of the trail and told me to run back and forth as a pony would, high legs and make hoof movements with my hands. I completely failed at running like a horse, but it was so much fun I didn’t care.
Nothing sexual happened the whole time we were in the forest; it was training, being led, doing ground work, staying still when hitched, that kind of thing.
MasterMarc: Oh nice… Have you been seen by some hikers?
Rye: Not yet! Some people did see us during a different trip out. I was changing, and suddenly a truck started coming up the forest access road we parked on. This was in the middle of nowhere, and pretty difficult to get to, so we were really surprised. I panicked, dropped my harness on the ground, and started throwing on clothes over my latex. The truck stopped and slowly backed down the road. We got back in the car and drove past them away from them. As we drove past, I made eye contact with the driver, and I could tell they knew. That didn’t stop us from returning later in the day.
The Workhorse Ethic: Cart, Riding, Show, and Wild Ponies
MasterMarc: Hehehe. The escape behavior makes you a real horse! If you say that a lot of pony players love to work and to be worked, what do you mean exactly?
Rye: Yeah! So there are many different ponies: cart, show, riding, work, wild, and more. A cart pony loves to pull carts, so work for them is pulling a cart or weight to practice. A riding pony wants to be ridden; they are happiest when carrying someone. A show pony may spend their time trying to get their movements perfect. A wild pony will just do whatever they want.
I am kind of a mix between a show pony and a workhorse. My movements need work; my trainer will have me practice moving my legs just right over and over again during a session. A lot of time this will be while lunging, where I will have a lead attached to my bridle and be made to move in a wide circle around my trainer while they give me cues either verbally or with the tap from a lunge whip. Once I get it right, they will have me stop, call me a good pony, pet my mane, then we do it again in the other direction. This is one of my favorite activities, but it is work; at the end, I am normally hot and exhausted. Cool down is getting brushed and then having my mane and tail rebraided.
Another one for me is pulling. I haven’t pulled a cart, but I pulled an 8-foot-long wood beam in the forest with another pony. That is a really different feeling, and real work (the beam weighed about 160 pounds). We had to get moving fast enough that it could be pulled over rocks and sticks, but we also had to keep pace with each other and not run off the side of the trail. It is a lot to think about and do for a simple pony like me. I loved every second of it.
MasterMarc: OK, next time I have garden work to do, I’ll give you a call! I know that you love bondage. Is that part of your sexual life, or can it also be part of non-sexual pony play?
Rye: Bondage can and is a part of both; the context is a little different with the two. On the sexual side, I absolutely love being tied up or cuffed. It gets me hot very quickly. Same with collars; the more fixation points, the better. Every room of my house has a pair of trauma shears hanging on the wall; most rooms have a coil of rope too.
With pony play, it’s more about keeping me put. In my headspace, I will sometimes wander off to get into trouble. So my handler will sometimes tie my reins to a tree or something, but if I am bratty, I will try to get out of that so I can go do something else (normally annoy my handler). So to fix this, they will tie me to a tree, chair, or just tie my arms and legs together. One of the great things about pony gear is that it offers many places to tie onto. If I also have my leather cuffs on, all my handler needs is a carabiner or two to completely disable me and keep me out of trouble.
MasterMarc: Hehe. I can imagine that your outfit has plenty of D-rings! At the beginning of the interview, you were talking about pony play equipment. But do you also have other advice for guys who would like to try to live their pony nature?
Rye: I do! If you are interested in it, one of the best websites (in my opinion) is cpony.org. There is so much good information, really concisely put. It covers more aspects of pony play than I think I ever could. cpony talks about almost every topic from making gear to vet play; it is an amazing resource.
Don’t be shy about reaching out to ponies; most of us don’t bite too hard, and we are always happy to talk about pony stuff. I know there are many ponies on Twitter and Instagram.
What do you think, Kinkfinity fam? Are you ready to saddle up and explore your inner pony? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
