"Dear Sharon, my eight year old 13.2 pony is very good in every way except that he has a nasty habit of bucking at other ponies when they get too near. Is there anything that I can do to stop it as I am getting very nervous when I am around other ponies. I get very nervous when I go out hacking with my brother and sister in case they get too near. Can you help me to overcome my problem? I very much enjoy show jumping and I am a member of the Pony Club. Yours faithfully, Peter."

H&C blogger and Olympic event rider Sharon Hunt replies: "Hi Peter, well I think the best thing to do is to try and get him used to being with other ponies, for example, find a pony that he is more fond of than others and try and ride firstly in a school with it to get him used to it, then alongside it, again still in the school until you feel that he is happier to be near something else. I would also then try (still in the school so it's safe) a pony each side as he gets happier. I would then try riding with three, then four, etc. It sounds like you need to get him more confident and used to others so introducing riding partners more slowly and carefully should help. You can then hack out with them and hopefully he'll be happy to go alongside them and then be reintroduced to competitions. It might be worth a red ribbon in the tail when competing if you don't already use one just to be safe. Sharon."