VvB Stiletto Heels - Equestrix Platform Riding Boots V3

Following on from the recent spate of updated VvB branded shoes and boots, the updated riding boots have, yes you guessed it, been improved.

I was surprised as I didn't really feel that these boots could be improved on further, after all, the Version 2 boots were in my opinion, superb.

I rushed out to buy the version 2 set as soon as I learned of them, and was not disappointed. So when I got wind of the updated version, I was there right away.

Viktoria has worked wonders, improving the boots in subtle ways that might not be immediately apparent, but the overall look is simply stunning.

If you want a pair of riding boots that make you look elegant, definitely have a Dominant air to them, then you should kick yourself for not considering these.

The textures are simply remarkable, the 9 inch heels, platform soles, and ankle spurs are beautifully rendered, and the boot shafts hug the calves perfectly.

Add to that the fact that the spurs are re colour-able at the touch of a button, as well as a built in AO and heel click, and you have a pair of boots perfect for wearing while out with your pony.

In fact, it would really be a crime to get these boots muddy at the farm, and let's not forget, the heels would sink into the grass. These boots are to wear, not walk in.

Unless you have a slave who enjoys a little boot worship. In which case, these will keep you both happy, and when worn with your jodhpurs, create the perfect classic English riding style with that fetish flavour.

Still reading this? Why are you not at VvB buying the boots yet? Go on, get over there and get yourself a pair. You won't regret it!

Netsui Kigyo - Pony Bed

Here is another really nice product I bought ages ago, yet have never really used. And that is often a crying shame as the products are wonderful.

It's just I am often so unfocused. So it's a joy to stumble across something while "cleaning my inventory". And this is one such item.

Your pony has a stall, but the texture hay doesn't look very comfortable - and you don't want your prized pony getting cramps in the middle of a cart race?

This bed of hay fits the bill perfectly.

Comfortable and with 3 sleeping pony poses, guaranteed to make your pony look cute while they sleep.

The bed also features a water trough and a feed box which can be rezzed on demand, ensuring your pony remains comfortable and well fed and watered whilst in their stall.

The bed is a reasonably priced L$250, and without the water or hay feeds rezzed, weighs in at just 1 prim.

So why not go visit Netsui Kigyo at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Netsui/197/210/21 and check it out and treat your pony - or yourself.

While there, also check the rest of the store out if you haven't yet been. Lots of interesting, and plenty fun, items there - well worth a visit.

Pony AO from Grinning Moose

I found this pony AO a long time ago and fell for it instantly. The animations are smooth and imaginative, with a high stepping gait for the walk.

What I love most about this AO though is when you stand still. Or rather, that you don't.

The AO includes several standing animations which include slightly wobbly pose - you try to keep perfectly still and balanced while wearing hooves.

The pony shifts weight from one hoof to the other, constantly moving slightly to maintain balance.

Add to that a little hip wiggle which will cause any prim tail to swish, add to this a lovely little mane preening mane flip.

These all add up to give a realistic feeling behaviour AO.

But my favorite animation is again when standing still a while, the pony stomps each hood in turn a few times, shifting weight while leaning forwards, rearing up for a wonderful head toss.

My only criticism of this AO is it has no jump or pre-jump animation, which would have completed the AO to a wonderful effect.

Though having said this, my version is about 2 years old and it may have been updated.

I am having teleporting trouble at the moment, so I can't get to the store to check if this has been updated, but I recall the price was more than generous for the authentic animations included.

Check it out - pose stands were set out at the store to test the animations before buying.

The SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eventide%20East/120/77/37

Mesmerize Dungeon - MD Pony Boots

How could we have a boot week and not include some of the pony world's own? Step up Mesmerize Dungeon to ensure there is a pair to fit the bill.

The pony boots are attractive yet solid, with chunky horse shoe soles to provide that lovely clip clop sound when walking.

The boot uppers are wonderfully styled, with lacing at the front, and a side zip that when the boots are locked is secured with a tiny padlock.

These boots are RLV enabled, so, be careful who locks the boots - you will not just wear these and be running and jumping around SL as if wearing a comfy pair of Nikes.

Oh no, these are serious and restrictive boots, and not for the faint-hearted.

On initially wearing the pony boots, you will hear the zipper being closed, and from this point on, be prepared to work to walk.

Coming with their own AO controller, you can set one of 4 walks, or turn it off and use your regular AO.

First time wearing the boots, you will be asked to set a training level.

This sets the amount of time you must spend walking in the boots to progress. With them locked. And on level 1, be prepared to get frustrated.

Due to the high soles, no heels, it takes time to ogain confidence walking in pony boots - which means you will be walking slow, falling over, and struggling to climb over the tiniest step.

And this is where the boots really excell. And frustrate. Persevere long enough, and level 2 gets you that little bit more mobile.

Just be sure to follow the instructions when updating - your progress can be saved, but, it is easy enough if you go wrong to lose all progress.

I keep these in my RLV folder though my impatience gets the better of me and I don't wear these boots as much as I should. But I'd be lying if I said I hated them.

I love them. And I hate them. Seems I spend as much time on my butt in these as I do walking... The boots you will love to hate, or hate to love.

Either way, a fun and enjoyable addition to your pony tack, RLV folder, or a kinky pair of boots for your fetish closet.

Anthemion - Bridle and 50th Pony Post

I received an IM a few days ago from Anthemion's creator, Lylani Bellic, bringing the bridle to my attention.

Imagine my shock to realise I had already purchased this bridle some time ago, yet failed to mention it even once on previous postings about bridles.

The bridle is simple but effective in design, keeping prim cost low, (106) which is no bad thing.

In full tack with some high prim bridles, teleporting to another sim is nearly impossible.

The bridle is full RLV compatible, and includes blinders or full blindfold, a choice of bit gags, and interestingly, features a snap-on muzzle, ears and plume/mane and nose hook.

The gag prevents open speech and can also restrict IMs, though not to the keyholder.

Addon ear muffs prevent you receiving chat and or IMs... a nice touch to keep your pony from hearing your plans for them :).

Options with the gag allow the pony to speak in IM or open chat if required, and whisper, while the ear mufflers can restrict hearing range from 0-100 meters.

Blinkers or blindfold options are included too - and feature a variety of blindfold thickness settings to restrict or totally blind your pony.

Reins and holder are included, as well as an anchor, and naturally the whole set can be locked, and a timer options is also offered.

A customization menu offers a choice of color combinations as well as the ability to change the size of the bridle to help fit.

Having said that, I had trouble getting this to fit my small head. Thankfully, Lylani was able to help with that, ensuring a better fit than I was able to muster.

Overall, a great bridle and a worthy alternative to the numerous options now available. at LS650, this may not be the cheapest bridle, but compares favorably with others.

Some may find the look of the bridle simplistic, however I have been made aware of updates to come - and Anthemion is a new player in the pony market.

Whilst showing the bridle to a friend, it was noted however that it does require more options with the coloring, so perhaps this might be addressed in a future update.

Most designers in SL are happy to hear requests or ideas to help improve their products and many designers of pony products consult with ponies to get their views on the items.

Vendors can be found at Alikat Stable and also at Stonehaven in the BRATZ BDSM Products shop, or click this link for the XStreet page.

On a different note, this is a landmark posting, representing my 50th article, and it is a full year since I began writing here.

I would like to thank everyone who has read this feature and those who have made it possible.


Deirdre and lelo here :

We're proud to have someone as dependable and experienced as Jaydana for our Pony Correspondent, keeping the SL pony community informed and making the Second Life Fetish Fashion Guide the number one pony blog in SL !

Pony Places: Naughty Angels Stables

Rezzing in here puts you right in the middle of a well laid out stable for ponies.

The usual activities are here to keep any pony amused for some time, including pony polo, steeple, barrel racing, slalom and dressage.

All this is within easy reach of your initial landing. A selection of carts is also found close by.

The stable area is large, and the pathways are wide, to allow ease of carting.

The northwest corner even has a few pony freebies available - perfect for the beginner pony looking for a cheap way to try out pony play.

Close by the freebie corner is a large tack shop, and I would recommend browsing this for some new items that might have missed you.

On exploring further, you will find a blacksmith area in case your pony needs re-shoeing, as well as a wash area to hose the pony after a long run around the sim.

If you get hungry, you will find a burger trailer and a small coffee shop with outside table so you can snack and keep an eye on your pony.

Compared to some stables, this is a small place to go with your pony, but is a haven for those German speaking pony lovers in particular.

Outside of the fenced-in stable are ramps which allow you to go carting outside the stable proper and explore the neighbouring areas.

Definitely a place worth a visit for any pony enthusiast.

Remember, if you know of a pony place or item not yet mentioned, drop me a note-card in world and I'll feature it as soon as I can.

The SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Quelmire/58/69/66

Pony Places: Alikats Pony Stables

On first rezzing into this wonderful sim, you will find the tack shop to the south of your position.

It's well worth taking a moment to browse through there, as it has many vendors, and not all exclusively pony ones, so you may stumble across something you didn't realize you needed.

Almost right in front of you are the stable rules, as well as boards for training, or if you are looking for work at the stable.

All around the stables, paths wide enough to allow carting lead to all the amenities, and pass a pleasant lake and stream network, with bridges crossing the water where needed.

A partly elevated cart race track, stable stalls, steeple course, slalom, pony polo field and dressage with bleachers can all be found here.

The emphasis at Alikat's is definitely on keeping the pony active.

This being said, you will find around the sim some pleasant and private places to pause and rest your pony.

Roads from around the edge of the stable take you past some residential rental properties, and then out onto the Key Bog Farm - so plenty of room for exploring and carting.

And I recommend you do both when visiting Alikat's.

The whole sim has a resort feel to it - aimed squarely at the pony community.

So if you haven't yet been to visit, what are you waiting for?

The SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oglala/156/102/23

Pony Places: Tropical Dreams Pony Club

On first entering this sim, you are surrounded on one side by part of the steeple track, and in front of you is a cart rezzer, so you instantly know you are on a sim dedicated to keeping ponies in shape.

Behind is a pony bath and to the east of your landing is a stable block, out front of which is a horseshoe bondage frame.

The stable block has a lovely homey feel to it rather than the functional utilitarian vibe of a building that is there more because it is expected to be than any other reason.

Wandering further afield, we find the usual assortment of activities laid out for ponies to keep themselves busy with, including barrel racing and earlier mentioned steeple.

A trainer's favorite of mine is the whip circle - and you will find an enclosed one here.

The sim features other comforts, though not all aimed at the ponies, of a saloon and a vet clinic.

The setting has a very "beach resort" feel to it, and I always like that, it is almost like you go on vacation for a week to be a pony the whole time.

Cart tracks run around the border of the sim and through the middle, so there is enough to keep most trainers and ponies busy.

I can't help thinking that I should have worn sensible pony hooves instead of spike heeled pumps to explore this one. Perhaps next time, I will arrange to show up in my tack and be given a tour by being led around on reins.... any pony sim owners interested?

I'm now off to KCreations to get me a pair of new hooves. How did I not know about these?

The SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Inamorata/87/39/22

Pony Places: Foret de Broceliande

On landing at this sim, you find yourself standing on a raised circular platform, to the west of which is the Maison Broceliande store.

This alone is worth checking out of you have somehow managed to miss it.

Going east of your landing point takes you to a wonderfully landscaped lake, around which is a path, perfect for walking a pony, puppy, or riding in a cart.

The southern tip of the lake path takes you to the training and stable area, where you will find the usual dressage, slalom, barrel racing and steeple events for your pony.

Also nearby is the stable itself, which is an impressive building and can be bought in the MB shops.

In the southeast corner is my favorite part of the sim, the circus.

Sadly, a note at the gate says this is closed, however the tents and such are still there, and must be seen to be truly appreciated.

Outside the circus tent is a high-wire - presumably for the pony to cross? I tried it - and it isn't at all easy - especially in tack.

The circus is a wonderful idea, though small, and I do hope Yhis continues to work on this theme. Who wouldn't love to go see a ponygirl circus?

This is a beautifully laid out and well landscaped sim, and totally deserving of a visit from any pony enthusiast. I recommend exploring the sim fully

And while there, don't forget to take a peek in the shop - the MB brand also features a line up of impressive bondage items for when you take a break from ponyplay.

The SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Broceliande/68/136/30

And don't miss this neat video for a good intro to Broceliande

Pony Places: Marvelous Mane Menagerie

On first teleporting in, you will land on a porch outside a quaint Victorian era house. Yes, this is a sim with Victorian undertones, but don't let that cloud your judgement.

To the west of your landing point, is a visitor stable, so you can quickly get yourself into tack if needed.

Heading west takes you past a steeple course which rather uniquely, is not on a particularly flat part of the sim.

Beyond the steeple is a pony polo field. While exploring, you may encounter any variety of rubber or latex creatures, including puppies. This truly is a menagerie.

South of your landing point you will find a dressage field, and beyond that a little beach.

Further exploration to the east finds you coming across a slalom course and next to that a whip training circle.

Drifting north from there takes you to several pony walkers and a pony bath for cooling your pony after strenuous exercises.

The northeast corner houses a stable for the stable ponies, and littered around the isle are a variety of bondage and statue plinths.

Latex is a theme that you will see throughout this sim on busier times, but is a quiet enough sim usually to allow a shy pony to explore with confidence.

Lovely wide paths all around the sim allow for a pleasant carting experience, and are definitely something to be enjoyed.

On the opposite side of the house from where you land, there is a teleporting area, and I totally suggest taking a look around the competition track.

A sky field with a cart race track, complete with a starting line which can ensure every pony gets a fair start, more steeple tracks and slalom courses to run.

Definitely a lovely place to visit and well worth including in your list of pony places.

The SLURL : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Brandys%20Isle%20Resort/128/64/24

Open Pony

I was happily procrastinating, while pondering whether to go with my original idea for this week's article on a non pony sim (yes I know but I do have other interests).

By sheer chance a conversation between myself and a friend was overheard, and I was then informed of the Open Pony product.

Naturally, I thought they meant the Open Collar Pony Bridle. It turns out I was mistaken. That seems to happen a lot lately.

So, I was promptly bundled a package of a folder containing two boxes. As it happens, they contained a complete pony kit in black, or in white.

I could blabber on about the basic concept behind this, but, why not follow this link, and get yourself a kit of your own?

Just remember to register for an X Street account if you don't have one already.

The tack is complete, with the bridle featuring a selection of bits. But the most exciting part is this is full perms and open source.

I can't wait to get my hands on an RLV scripted version.

The very fact that this is open source opens up a wide number of options, and allows a complete tack set including AO for new ponies.

It's free, though naturally, donations are welcomed by the creators for their time spent on such a product. And deservedly so.

This is the first incarnation of the tack, so I would imagine if it is popular enough, will be updated and tweaked many times in the near future.

This is definitely something to keep an eye on - and what are you waiting for? Go grab your set and see what you can do with it.

Nominations

A few weeks ago I asked for your votes on who, if there were a pony awards ceremony to rival the Oscars, you would nominate.

Here are my nominations:

Best Dedicated Pony Sim - This is a difficult choice as there are so many great ones. But, FFF gets my vote http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bulgogi/155/229/78
Best Non Dedicated Pony Sim - Just because it's back after an absense and, pet play features very heavily here, Sarah's Pony Community http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sarahs%20Island/128/172/27. Yes it says pony in the title, but it caters to all forms of petplay, BDSM and a little Dolcett on the side.
Best Steeple Course - After much deliberation, The old Circus themed steeple at FFF, sadly, no longer there, was my ultimate one.
Not that I was any good on this steeple, but I liked it all the same. Current Steeples? Try the ones at Mavelous Mane Menageriee - click to TP to the Competition Field and take a look around.
Best Dressage Field - Yes I know they are basically all the same, but, scenery, boundary and location affect the abience. FFF gets my vote for this one.
Best cart race track or open carting track - Well, this is where, on checking out to get a landmark, i stumbled into a RLV vine trap and sadly, was unable to continue. For now.
Best Slalom Course - SugarCube Productions
Best Bridle - Morbid Play's Evo Bridle
Best Tail -I tend to use the Mesmerise Dungeon one the most.
Best Hooves - Morbid Play again for these.

Your votes :

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Best Dedicated Pony Sim - AliKats
Best Non Dedicated Pony Sim - Forum
Best Steeple Course - 8 Pines
Best Dressage field - FFF
Best cart race track or open carting track - Wild Pony Girl Stables
Best Bridle - MD Head Harness
Best Tail - Trilobitewear Swishy OmniTint PonyGirl's Tail
Best Hooves - Morbid Play Strap Series
Best Pony AO - Morbid Play
Best Pony retailer or Best Store featuring pony items - FFF Tack Shop
Best Cart - Pony-Pony Sleigh
Best Pony RLV item - Chat Enhancer from Corvan's Creations (okay, so I plug my own product ;-) )
Best Pony correspondent - Jaydana Thorne (hmm... what a coincidence)
Best blog featuring Pony Play regularly - Second Life Fetish Fashion
Pony Trainer of the year - Jo Gallindo
Pony of the year - Corvan Nansen (yeah, gotta nominate myself)
Pony Person of the year or outstanding contribution to pony play - Jamie David

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Best Dedicated Pony Sim - The Rubber Kitty Pony Stables ( Former Lilac Mountain Ranch )
Best Non Dedicated Pony Sim - The Kidnap Facility - Secret Passion
Best cart race track or open carting track - Well, I don't really know... Don't have the time to test much. So I will say the one from Frilly Filly Farm and Rubber Kitty Pony Stables
Best Bridle - The Mesmerize Bridle From Mesmerize Dungeon
Best Tail - Hard....I like the one from Morbid Play, Maison Broceliande and Mesmerize Dungeon but the one I use the most is the " " Morbid play Tail " ".
Best Hooves - The Morbid play hooves set.
Best Pony AO - The Morbid's AO which come with their Hooves.
Best Pony retailer or Best Store featuring pony items - Morbid Play, Maison broceliande
Best Cart - I will say...... the PONY PONY PRODUCT - 2P2D
Best Pony RLV item - Morbid Play hooves
Best Pony correspondent - *giggles*.... That is obvious.... JAYDANA THORNE! <=== \o/ \O/ \o/
Best blog featuring Pony Play regularly - Well, I only know one.. . the Second life fetish fashion guide.
Pony Trainer of the year - Never been with a trainer... so... Dunno
Pony of the year - Cheryl Umarov
Pony Person of the year or outstanding contribution to pony play - Honestly, JAYDANA THORNE !

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Best Dedicated Pony Sim - Tropical Dream
Best Non Dedicated Pony Sim - can't think of any.
Best Steeple Course - Naughty Angels
Best Slalom Course (low lag, design etc) - Alikat
Best Dressage field - all the same really
Best cart race track or open carting track - Tropical Dream
Best Bridle - Morbid Play
Best Tail - PonyPony
Best Hooves - Morbid Play
Best Pony AO - Netsui
Best Pony retailer or Best Store featuring pony items - Morbid Play
Best Cart - Tish Celt racing cart
Best Pony RLV item - MP Restriction Series Hooves
Best Pony correspondent - Jaydana Thorne
Best blog featuring Pony Play regularly - slfetishfashion.blogspot.com
Pony Trainer of the year -nolddk Boucher
Pony of the year - Tenaka Blitz
Pony Person of the year or outstanding contribution to pony play - Tyler Vox

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Best Pony Sim - (i am not sure what you mean by dedicated and non-dedicated... i guess this is dedicated)
I really love Tropical Dream... It never has much of a crowd, but it is so well designed and laid out. It is always a pleasure to visit. I also think it has by far the best cart track, and the best slalom course in all of SL. The steeple course (my personal event) is quite good too.
Best Steeple Course - In the olden days (2 years ago), Friendly Filly Farm had the best course by far. It was tremendous fun to race, and absolutely gorgeous looking. Sadly, they removed it for some reason, and the new course is super laggy, not half as visually appealing, not as challenging, and not much fun.
It is very difficult for me to pick a favorite Steeple Course now, as none of them compare to the old FFF course. If forced to choose, I will call it a tie between Naughty Angel and Tropical Dream. Naughty Angel is nicer, but Tropical Dream has less lag.
Best Slalom Course - Tropical Dream by far! Amazing one of a kind scoreboard, super poles, and low lag. None of the others come close.
Best Cart Track - Tropical Dream by far! Really fun course, and it is wide enough to accomodate 2 carts side by side which makes for really fun racing. It is possible to race up to 4 carts simultaneously on the track. I can't recommend this course highly enough.
Best Dressage Field - This is dificult to choose, as they are all pretty much the same functionally. I guess the choice comes down to ambiance. i kind of like Alley Kat and Tropical Dream and Maison Broceliande, but really, i like them all.
Best Pony Retailer - Morbid Studios by far. The prettiest pony gear in SL.
Best Pony Correspondent - You, of course! hehehe
Pony Trainer of the Year - Miss WhiteSatin Sands of AlleyKat stables.
Pony of the Year - Laura Davenport. Nicest and hardest working pony i know

Unbridled

By chance, almost out of desperation, I entered a search in SL to see if I had somehow not noticed a new store or pony sim, and, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this gem of a store.

Unbridled seems to have popped up from nowhere. And it offers a few original items that impressed me.

And even more lucky, the owner was there working on a new product, which I am sorry to say, I interrupted for a while.

Mina Keng cuts an impressive figure, and was only too happy to chat, although was cut short by a real life interruption. Don't you just hate how that happens?

I looked around and saw a neat cage where the pony, once inside, has no option but to sleep standing up, just like a real pony.

Unfortunately, I gave into temptation and sat on the cage out in the store, and found myself rendered helpless and unable to escape. Pesky RLV!

Left with no other option, I cammed around the store where there is a pony bath complete with hand pump and poseball for the trainer to bathe the pony.

A breeding rack, with blanket for the mare to kneel on, and a stool for the trainer to comfort the nervous mare. A lovely touch.

Also in store was a smaller bath with brushes for the trainer to ensue the pony is clean. The obligatory milking stand, but with some original twists.

Also featured is a cart which allows RLV hitching of the pony, a selection of poses for the driver, including a cart horse whipping action, and a cage for a spare pony for those longer journeys.

Marvelous idea once more. And at a bargain price of just L$350, I couldn't help but get one.

So, go on, go visit http://slurl.com/secondlife/Long%20Lost%20Bay/145/54/22 and tell them Jaydana sent you.

Thank you to those few more voters for your votes, I will feature the current nominations soon, and include my own votes for those who are interested.

And yes, I am open to bribes. not really, sadly.

And one last thing before I leave you. EtherKye of Sugarcube is eager to recruit a female pony vocalist to records a few sounds for a new Hud. If you want to be famous, go visit him at SugarCube productions. Remember to say that Jaydana sent you.

And keep an eye on SugarCube this weekend, as there are some pony events with prizes to be had up for grabs.

Good luck!

Pony Movies

An old friend called me last night, and asked whether I knew a ponygirl who might like to appear in a SL movie.

Well, I said I could ask.

She also needed a location : a large manor, mansion or castle, with a road leading up to it.

It just so happened on my travels, I had found such a place.

I teleported there and brought her in, and while trying to see how it might work, I found myself volunteering to slip into tack for a trial run.

The director came along, and before I knew it, we were filming the scene : the star arriving by ponygirl carriage at a house, a 30-second scene.

It took almost 3 and a half hours to film.

Take after take. repeat the same path, using a different camera angle.

Sounds boring? It might. But it wasn't. Not one bit. I really enjoyed my SL acting debut even if it is a non speaking role.

The director admitted this is a pet project and may take forever before it is released, if ever, but still, I was most happy to play a part.

Naturally, there was no financial reward, this was purely to help out a friend, and to get my foot in the SL acting door. But also, I was delighted to see a venture like this.

And that the venture promoted a scene involving pony play was just something I couldn't help but get involved with.

I'll post more details when they become available.

On a different note, I have been passed a few notecards over the past few days from people putting their votes in for the pony awards.

I would like to thank all those that have, though without a venue or any solid plans, I have no idea if this will progress further.

With more interest from you, this becomes a more likely possibility, so, keep the votes coming.

Also - keep an eye out for the Femdom day as featured on this very blog : ponyboys will be racing, so, cheer them on!

Etherkye of SugarCube Productions is providing prizes and I appear on an advert for the pony event.

Look closely, and you may just spot me.

Pony Places: Island of Questionable Virtues

Questionable Virtues is a purpose-built island for ponyplay. And a wonderful one it is, too.

The whole sim has a Mediterranean beach side resort feel to it, and even the rental homes there continue this theme with good effect.

On first landing on the island, immediately on your left (if you land facing the same way I did anyway) there is a dressage field. Perfect to get right on with some practise.

Rental homes to your right and in front of you, and a steeple course just beyond the dressage make sure you don't forget this is a pony sim.

Head north from the landing point, past the dressage and you enter the stable area and slalom courses. If you are quick, my time is still on the slalom score board - in top place!

Now that I've said that, no doubt I will be bumped off the list in short order.

Next to the slalom are some pony walkers, and a bench in case you need to sit down - a great thought.

Some of the stalls in the stable block are reserved for pony residents, however empty ones are freely available for the use of guests.

Heading north from the stable, passing a pony wash area takes you past the entrance to the steeple.

Continuing along this path takes you past a door under a mountain to a small uncluttered dungeon.

Beyond this is a dark Gothic church and a training academy to help improve one's erotic role play skills. Nice touch and some people could really benefit from that.

(Green chat spamming genitals spring to mind?) Next to the academy is Club Desolation, home of "Pony slut Radio". How can you not love this?

A photo studio rests next door to the club and a little exploration to the south takes you to the market area with almost exclusively pony items, and then to the beach.

A quick elevator ride up the mountain will take you to the meeting place of the SL Ponygirls Club if you cross the narrow bridge, or to a lovely communal informal area to lounge in the sun.

All around the island the pathways are good and straight and wide, allowing for plenty of excuses to hitch a pony to a cart to admire the scenery.

QV is a lovely place to relax with your pony, I am just surprised the island is as quiet as it is. Though that is a bonus when you wish to relax or escape lag.

This is one of those sims you simply must visit.

The SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Questionable%20Virtues/41/106/22

Pony Roleplay - a Dying Art?

After a recent visit to an older pony stable, I got to talking with the owner and we reminisced a little over the earlier days of pony play in Second Life.

One of the topics that came up was how the skill or role playing seems to be disappearing from ponyplay, replaced by the more convenient "click on hud" features.

Now whilst I don't totally agree that the art of roleplay is almost gone, I did find myself agreeing that the roleplay element is less pronounced.

And as my conversation partner has been involved in the scene much longer than I, this decline in roleplay was more apparent to them than to myself.

More frustratingly for me, was the fact that I realised that I too was falling into the HUD clicking trap.

With advancement in scripts, it is now far easier to just click a HUD button to convey a pre-made emotive statement, than to try and be original and emote something.

This is both a good thing, and a bad thing.

There used to be a time when your Owner or trainer would roleplay hitching a pony to a cart. Now, with RLV, the pony can simply be made to sit.

But wouldn't it be so much more enjoyable to the pony if they were led between the shafts of the cart, their harness checked, adjusted, and then secured to it instead?

And a pony doesn't just magically click a couple of buttons and suddenly, they are transformed from a human in a ball gown to a hooved, bitted and tailed ponygirl.

Why not emote removing their human clothing and then being helped into their tack?

Why not add some spark of personality instead of a simple whinny, snort, or stomp?

Naturally, on the other hand, I do feel the HUDS have their uses, especially when pulling a cart.

Rather than stop, type out an emote, then resume your ride, the pony can click on the HUD to express their enjoyment of the ride.

So, why not experiment a little more, stop being so lazy? Ponies, Owners and Trainers alike all need to make that extra effort and show some creative spark of personality.

To finish, and on a different note, so far I would like to thank the one - yes 1 - person who has offered nominations to the article about pony awards.

Is this really the size of the pony play community?

Come on, it's just for fun unless someone can really help organize an awards ceremony, so pony up some responses. Please!

Pony Play on the Web

For a change of pace, and while I get over a hectic RL week, I thought I should mention some other sources of pony play that I found interesting.

One of the best, if not the best, free ponyplay Web site has to be Sir Jeff's.

This was the first dedicated ponyplay Web site I found all those years ago, and it is still going strong.

Updates are now irregular, weighing in with a new update every 4 to 6 weeks instead of the previous once a week as of a few years ago.

But having said that, there is a library of stories, some going on over many updates. Then there is the artwork.

Truly, there are some really talented, imaginative and creative people out there.

Also featuring real photos and video of ponygirls, this is a one stop shop for all things pony to help get some ideas sparked.

And if you really feel up to it, why not read a story from there, then try to illustrate it using SL photos? Then submit them to Sir Jeff's site for instant kudos.

Sir Jeff's was the website that drew me into Second Life, and so it has a fond and dear place in my heart.

A story written by a friend of mine a few years ago, inspired by me in a roundabout way, has even been featured on the site.

I can't make a higher recommendation than that.

So what are you waiting for? Go check out http://sirjeff.mirrors.bdsm.cz/index.html right now. And tell them Jaydana sent you.

Pony Awards

I had an inspiration recently : why don't we have a Pony Play Awards Ceremony?

Why shouldn't you, the Pony community, tell newcomers what you feel is the best bridle, the best sim to run about on, and so on?

Ok sure, I got the honor of writing this column, but, how about some feedback?

Just because I feel something is the best, doesn't mean you all agree with me.

Please vote by leaving a message here or sending me a notecard in world, and please, name the notecard Pony Awards else it will get lost in my inventory.

So, here are the categories - feel free to contribute if you feel something is missing.

Best Dedicated Pony Sim (please include a landmark if possible)

Best Non Dedicated Pony Sim

Best Steeple Course

Best Slalom Course (low lag, design etc)

Best Dressage field

Best cart race track or open carting track

Best Bridle

Best Tail

Best Hooves

Best Pony AO

Best Pony retailer or Best Store featuring pony items.

Best Cart

Best Pony RLV item

Best Pony correspondent :) - Well it's my idea, its only fair i try to win something.

Best blog featuring Pony Play regularly

Pony Trainer of the year

Pony of the year

Pony Person of the year or outstanding contribution to pony play

Any other categories you feel should be included - please let me know along with your votes.

And if anyone would like to volunteer to set up an awards ceremony, that'd be awesome.

If not, well, there is always the winners posted here in a few weeks. I might even see if i can find a trophy to hand out as an award.

Now, anyone know where i can get a limo pulled by ponygirls?

SugarCube Productions

I received a message from Etherkye Hansen of Sugar Cube Productions, inviting me to sample his latest additions to the SL pony play community's collection of carts and racing sulkies in particular.

I have to admit, I was taken by surprise after making a habit of regularly searching ponygirls. pony play and the like, to find a place that had slipped by me. Shock! Horror!

After recovering from that shock, and changing into my pony tack, my first task was to take an unnamed brand of cart for a run around a carefully, and wonderfully built test track.

After a run around at full speed, which resulted in several crashes off the wall, and floating in the air on downhill runs, I switched to the new Sugar Cube Productions speedster carts.

Again, an attempted lap at full speed, but this time, with barely a single wall hit. Admittedly, there was still a little floating on the downhill gradient. But I think that is more due to SL limitations of the physics, particularly when at speed.

The steering was smooth and responsive, without the tendency to overdo it that plagues many other carts.

The cart is clearly designed with racing in mind, and is not a comfortable or romantic ride for two.

But as a pony, I enjoyed taking the cart for a run and found it very easy to actually make progress with it.

And the carts even come in a puppy variant for pony-vs-puppy racing.

The puppy version of the cart uses the same scripts, so will handle equally well.

The pony cart also comes in a 2-pony version, allowing one pony to control the steering, the other the speed.

So I bought one for myself - I recommend these carts that much.

Seriously. I shelled out L$500 for the cart, and would advise any racing pony to consider at least a trial.

The carts can be rezzed at the track at Sugar Cube's test track which can be found HERE.

I spoke with Etherkye at length on my visit, and am rather excited by some of the projects in the works. Watch this space for more!

Training Accessories

Accessories are not essential for training a pony, but nevertheless, they can be a useful visual aid.

There are countless riding crops to be found in SL. A number of them are free : the Manbeater 2000 or Womanbeater 2000, for example.

I find these a touch clunky and rather useless. Fortunately, there are other options.

Xcite offer the buggy whip which is scripted to interact with an Xcite HUD and fill your chat with green text telling you how aroused a submissive is.

This is not the useful part - unless robotic cyber stimulation is your thing.

The whip includes a second tier of menu, which allows whip crack signals to be sounded.

You can use this to guide your lucky pony. Even blindfolded. Sort of.

Using the standard 1 whip crack to mean go, and 2 to stop, 3 to go left and 4 to go right, you can instruct your pony with some degree of accuracy - if not speed.

If you need to give two commands in quick succession, you may not be able to prevent the pony taking the cart over a cliff edge ;)

Everything else about the buggy whip is great: it looks the part, sounds the part, and makes any trainer feel perfectly in control. It just needs quick whip commands to be perfect.

I know of a certain HUD that costs next to nothing to help with that, but that's for another time.