Thanks to Gail at The Journey to 100 Miles for the nomination! I’m normally soooo bad about following through on these, but I’ll give it a shot. :)
The Sunshine Award is for people who “positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” The nominee must do the following: thank the person who nominated her, nominate 10 bloggers of her own (I think my entire blogroll has been nominated at this point), answer the 10 questions given to her, and post them and the Sunshine Award button to their blog.
My answers to the questions:
1. Mares or geldings?
Mares. Maybe it’s because it’s what I’ve started with, but I’ve always gravitated towards mares. Or maybe I’m just a masochist and love a challenge. Once you’ve got a relationship with a good one, they’ll go to the ends of the earth for you. I’ve met just as many moody, attitudinal, cranky geldings as I have mares.
2. English or western?
3. Do you prefer younger or older horses?
My favorite is a semi-blank slate that someone has started (30-60 days under saddle) but is wide-open for me to fine-tune and finish, then reap the benefits when they’re older and trained exactly how I want. Not a fan of older horses that are set in their ways that vary drastically from what I like to see or how I like to ride.
4. Have you trained a horse from ground zero?
Not yet.
5. Do you prefer groundwork or riding?
Riding, hands (and hooves) down. I recognize groundwork is the necessary basis for all good riding time, but I rarely do groundwork for “fun.”
6. Do you board your horse or keep him at home?
7. Do you do all natural things or just commercial stuff?
8. All tacked up or bareback?
The last few times I’ve ridden bareback, I’ve either fallen off or nearly fallen off. You don’t ride bareback on a 55-gallon drum with no mane, no withers, and a low headset. Maybe more when I was a kid, but my Velcro-butt abilities are limited to being in an actual saddle.
9. Equestrian role model?
Julie Suhr. Mark Rashid. Sally Swift. Linda Tellington-Jones.
10. What’s my one, main goal for my equestrian journey?
Go Pony • Go the Distance 
I think you're pretty brave to have ever gotten on your pony bareback, much less multiple times:) And if you have any tips on Velcro-butt for the rest of us, please share!
I'm not sure if it's so much specific tips or techniques as it is an almost-pathological desire to *not* hit the dirt. :)
Seriously, though, for me at least, I tend to be a very “engaged” rider — I ride with active rein contact and leg, so I have plenty of warning when I feel the horse getting tense, or that their attention is on something else. I've been dumped more times by a lack of paying attention than just about anything — loose reins/no stirrups/complacency.
A well-fitting saddle that puts you in the most effective position for you also makes a huge difference in balance and security.