Madame Top Hat, as she was known to her associates, happily watched the new ponygirl in training as she strutted on the treadmill. The trainee was tall and young and beautiful, with chestnut hair and a clear complexion. She was also blessed with large, natural breasts and a sexily plump belly that flared nicely into voluptuous hips and ass and legs. The new ponygirl was just the kind that a lucky owner would want for personal sexual use or for breeding and, judging from her youth and looks and the way she was strutting, she would make an excellent show pony. She was big and strong enough to be strictly a cart pony too, but that would seem to be a waste of her other good qualities.

Of course, before she could become any of those things, any spirit of rebelliousness or disobedience had to be eliminated, and she had to be trained, which was the job of Madame Top Hat. How the trainee had come under the power of her and her associates was not something that concerned her. Judging from her youth and intelligence, the trainer thought she might have formerly been a student at the nearby university, but she would never bother to find out. In fact, she didn’t want to know any personal information about any ponygirls or their backgrounds, not even their former names. They were no more than raw material, brought to Madame Top Hat to be transformed from girls into ponygirls. The trainer was good at her job, and well-paid, and never had any personal opinions or feelings of empathy that might prevent her from doing the best job possible. When Madame Top Hat spoke to her charges, if she used any form of address at all, it would be “Pony”, and never anything else that might lead the trainees to believe that they were still human.

That was the first day of the new ponygirl’s captivity and instruction. She would spend seven days in the warehouse that Madame Top Hat’s group leased, undergoing preliminary training and being evaluated. The only physical changes to be made there had already been done or were in progress. While the trainee was still unconscious from the chloroform, her nipples had been pierced and the large steel rings inserted. This had to be done early in the process so the piercings would heal and could be treated if they became infected. The rings were necessary because, once the field and cart phase began, her reins would sometimes be fastened to them. That phase would take place at the advanced training facility, which was located on a ranch, hundreds of miles away in a remote part of the state. It had to be remote because the training was mostly done outside, and had to be kept from the view of nosy persons.

The only other physical change, using a butt plug with an attached tail to expand the pony’s ass, was also underway. The plug being used was one of those kept in the supply inventory to be inserted into trainees, and would almost certainly not remain with her after she had been auctioned off. Once her sale was accomplished, the ponygirl’s new owners would decide what kind of tail, if any, they wanted her to have. Until then, the butt plug would usually be held snugly in place by ropes that were wrapped, both horizontally and vertically, around the pony’s body. Another length of that same cordage securely held her arms behind her back. The latter piece of rope would never be untied, remaining in place for the entire training period, right up to the time of her sale, and even after that if the new owners so desired. The tail, however, would be removed for a half an hour a day to give the ponygirl a chance to defecate into the designated place in her stall. After she had emptied her bowels, her body and the stall would be hosed down with warm water, followed by re-insertion of the butt plug.

The only other change to her body would be the unobtrusive tattoo of the logo of the association, and that would be done just before crating her so she could be trucked to the place where she and other ponygirls, from that facility and others, would be offered at auction. Other changes, such as additional piercings or branding or shaving the pony’s cunt or trimming her hair into a mane would also be options of the new owners.

The reason for Madame Top Hat’s comparative elation was that the pony’s training was coming along so well, although it was still only the first day. When she had awakened that morning, completely naked except for a collar around her neck, her nipples pierced and ringed, and her arms bound tightly behind her, the ponygirl had, quite naturally, expressed a wish to know where she was and what was happening to her. None of her questions were answered. She was simply told that, from that day forward, she was a pony, and was no longer allowed to talk, except for whinnying or neighing or other equine sounds. The pony was reluctant to follow those orders, and persisted in asking questions and demanding to be released, resulting in judicious use of the horsewhip on her ass and thighs. Apparently the whipping changed her attitude, because she hadn’t been heard to say any words since then. She had also been reluctant to eat her oat mush from the feeding trough or drink from the watering trough in her stall, but just one additional lash of the whip changed her mind about that too. The new ponygirl, using only her mouth, ate a filling and nutritious meal and drank sufficient water to maintain her health and clear skin.

After the feeding, when she was zipped into her training boots and taken to the treadmill, where the wide training collar replaced the standard collar around her neck, the ponygirl had been properly accepting of the equipment. Whether this was natural docility or fear of more whipping wasn’t known but, either way, the acceptance represented good progress. The training boots were much like the hoof boots she would wear later, except they had no horse shoes attached. Those would be added before field and cart training was begun. Besides being wide and heavy, the training collar was equipped with four sharp spikes protruding upward under the wearer’s chin. They would force her to keep her head up at all times during her training, the way all ponygirls must do when on parade or when pulling their owners or their owner’s guests in a cart.

While the new ponygirl was standing on the treadmill, ready to begin her training but before it was turned on, Madame Top Hat had demonstrated the ponygirl strut, with the exaggeratedly quick, high steps. During their initial training, all ponies had to use the strut at all times, even when being led back to their stalls. Whipping, without any warning, was the punishment for failing to do so. Other gaits would be taught to them during the advanced training. The pony was started slowly but, after she caught on to what she was required to do, the pace was increased until it was the standard one. That had been almost two hours ago, and she had now strutted over eight miles, according to the gauge on the treadmill. There had been one time when her pace started to flag, but a single slash of the whip put a fresh welt on her ass and invigorated her again. At another time, she had not been upright enough, and that time, just the threat of the whip caused her to properly straighten her back. The ponygirl, although obviously tired, was now strutting as snappily and holding her back as straight and her chin as high as she had been doing a few minutes after starting.

The reasons for having two phases in the ponygirl training were economic. There was a great deal of effort and expense and some risk involved in capturing the girls and bringing them to the warehouse from nearby cities, but there would be much more of all those things if they were taken directly to the advanced training facility. Some of the captured girls were too sickly to make it through the rigorous training, or too rebellious or too unattractive to fetch a good price at auction. All such girls had to be put down, and their bodies completely destroyed in the ultra-high temperature incinerator. Madame Top Hat was quite sure that would not be the fate of the new ponygirl, because she was already responding quite well, and with only a minimum of whipping. Some corporal punishment was always necessary. If for no other reason, potential buyers at the auctions would want to inspect the bodies of the merchandise before bidding and, if there were too few whip marks, the ponygirls might be considered insufficiently trained and possibly not broken enough to be docile and obedient. Evidence of extensive whippings would make them less attractive, or could mean a rebellious pony, which would also reduce their value.

Ashley, which was the former name of the new ponygirl and how she would most likely continue to think of herself until she was given a ponygirl name, still didn’t like her situation very much, but it didn’t seem as bad as it had at first. Her nipples were quite sore, but not as much as they had been, and she admired the shiny new rings that hung from them. The thing that had been forced into her ass was still causing some dull pain, but there were also feelings of pleasure radiating out as she lifted her legs high and thumped her feet against the treadmill surface, as she had been instructed. Although tiring, strutting like that was actually rather fun, something like being a drum majorette, and the ponygirl believed she was doing it quite well.

Certainly, the slender, sharp-featured woman in the strange black and orange costume was acting pleased, and that had to be a good sign. The woman had the air of someone who should be obeyed, and not just to avoid punishment. The whip that had been used earlier, and deservedly when she had been disobedient or lazy, was lying on the floor beside her, but the new ponygirl silently vowed she would do as she was told and not make them use it again. She would follow the commands of the slender woman and others in authority, and show them how obedient she could be. Eating and drinking out of troughs had seemed almost degrading that morning, but she had become hungry and thirsty during the workout, and was actually looking forward to doing it again at her next meal, although she hoped the food would taste better and that she would be able to avoid smearing so much of it on her face.