Pet play is one of the most distinctive practices in BDSM. Pets and owners, especially when they make their roles visible, often appear bizarre to outsiders. Those who don’t like to lie on a leash or hold it themselves can hardly understand the appeal behind it. For everyone else, pet play offers an unbelievable variety of opportunities to let off steam. Nighty Swifthoof plays as a human horse. For Deviance, he bridles the pony from behind and provides exciting insights.
What exactly do you play and how would you describe your role?
Nighty: I’m out and about as a human horse. It’s called ponyplay. That means I slip into the role of a human horse and then, within a BDSM setting, I’m led around, trained, sometimes even a bit mistreated. It depends on the setting.
It’s a vacation from my own personality. I get to shed a bit of myself as a person and can assume a more instinctual role.
What is the appeal of pony play for you?
Nighty: It’s a vacation from my own personality. I get to shed myself as a person a little and can go down to a more instinctive role. At this instinctive level, I can play with someone in a completely different way. It’s a different form of interaction. In a play situation with an animal, you have a different kind of power differential than a mistress would have with a serf, for example. In reality, riders still have a very high level of respect for the animal. In the end, you still come out on top.
But I would say that the horse is not necessarily submissive, but has to be convinced to follow. Whereas in a classic D/s relationship – this is just my point of view now – one side may submit completely from the outset.
The pony space
You say you are shedding your everyday role. Can you do that at the push of a button or do you need a certain setting?
Nighty: I need to get into it a bit. I used to do a lot of live role-playing, which helped me. But it’s different for me if I just play my role as a human horse, which I always do at the beginning. For me, the aim is to credibly convey to my counterpart that he or she is now dealing with a horse and no longer with a human. Or, at some point during the ponyplay, I’m lucky enough to really fall into this role. Then I stop thinking humanly and revert to the instinctual level. But that happens relatively rarely because I’m a very cerebral person.
Photo: SorookeRyujin
As a horse, do you think differently than a human?
Nighty: Yes. In the scene there is the term subspace. There’s also the pony space. You stop thinking, you just react. Your perception is completely different. Of course, I don’t know if that would be the perception of a real horse, but it’s a completely different physical feeling and awareness.
How he discovered his horse side
Why a horse in particular?
Nighty: Horses are simply incredibly powerful and elegant animals. I didn’t used to feel particularly powerful and elegant. Before I started pony play, I was overweight and very introverted. Ponyplay gave me the motivation to start exercising. I thought: “Okay, I want to be a horse? But then I don’t want to be the chubby Shetland pony standing somewhere in the stable, I want to be a bit of a looker.” I then started to work on myself in order to ultimately embody this power and elegance.
When was the first time you slipped into an animal role? Was it a human horse from the start?
Nighty: It all started for me in 2007/2008, when I first came into contact with the scene. At the time, I still thought I was a dog player. A dog role, or rather a tamed wolf, was what I wanted to do. At an event, I was offered the chance to try out pony play and I was curious. This experience felt to me as if I had found a missing piece of the puzzle of my personality. I felt incredibly complete.
Photo: http://fesselblog.de/
Pony play and BDSM
The chicken and egg question! What came first, BDSM or pony?
Nighty: I’ve always been a bit interested in BDSM and anything to do with bondage and loss of control. I also had fetishes towards latex and leather. In the beginning, I didn’t associate it so strongly with the animal role. However, I quickly realized that my leather fetish, for example, could be combined very well with it. Horses and leather go well together.
The way I play has also changed bit by bit. In pet play, there is a range from “I play the animal and try to get as close as possible to a real animal” to “I am a human being who is held like an animal and humiliated by it”. I started with the pure animal, so to speak, and now move along this spectrum. Depending on my mood, I take on the pure horse role or, if I don’t feel like having to act completely horsey, I go into the Ponyboy role.
You mentioned that a horse must be convinced, and even the tamed wolf you spoke of doesn’t sound entirely submissive. Do you also have bratty traits?
Nighty: Yes, definitely. I’ve realized for myself that deep down I’m not submissive at all. But I like to play bottom because I like the loss of control. Being tamed or subdued is part of the game for me. Someone who wants to own me has to take that and make sure I obey.
Do you have a permanent Owner?
Nighty: I’m very picky about my play partners, Owners and Trainers. I wouldn’t just play with anyone now, I want to get to know the person first. There is my partner, who I have known for many years and with whom I started my first pony play. Apart from that, I have two other people I play with. There is also the possibility of expanding that, but it has to be a good fit from a human perspective.
Human horse meets indoor arena
Do you have a classic power dynamic in pony play? Is the horse always submissive?
Nighty: Of course, the fun for me is that I like to be under control. So I’m not going to try to take on the role of the dominant person. But I always like to test my limits.
I remember a situation with a very nice girl, but without experience with real horses. In the game, she reacted very insecurely to my body language. In my horse role, I thought: “Oh, she’s unsure, well then I’m the lead stallion now and I’ll be making the calls here.”
I then pushed and shoved her away, making her even more insecure and not knowing what to do with me anymore. At the end of the ponyplay session, I explained to her: “Well, you just didn’t communicate to me that you could lead me, so I took the lead.”
Does experience with real horses have a positive effect on pony play?
Nighty: Totally! It helps, especially when we’re on this role-playing and simulation level where I’m trying to embody a real horse. Because you know what quirks horses have, how they react and what their body language is like. A typical example: When a horse rubs against you, it wants to test out dominance.
Where does your knowledge of horses come from? Do you also have a connection to real horses?
Nighty: I have ten years of riding experience. However, I started riding after I started with pony play. Simply to understand these animals better. It has given me an immense insight into how the animals move and how to communicate with horses. That helps me immensely to embody my role believably.
What are the biggest differences between pony play and other pet play, such as puppy play?
Nighty: The language is different. You work a lot with posture, also as the person who then plays or works with the horse. Sure, I understand human words. If someone says to me: “Go into canter” or “Trot now”, then I understand that and can put it into practice. But the real attraction is when we don’t speak to each other at all. When I only react to rein or whip signals. Especially when we’re doing dressage or long rein work, it’s almost like dancing. It’s a lot of fun because it’s a completely different level of communication.
Once I was lucky enough to have someone speak to me in a completely different language. If you are then trained in Spanish but don’t understand the commands, it comes very close to what a real horse probably feels.
Photo: Gordon Fawks
Can a human horse be kinky?
Do you combine pony play with other kinks? Is there a sexual component?
Nighty: First of all, it must be noted: pony play doesn’t require any equipment or other fetishes. You can also do ponyplay with just a bit in your mouth; the rest happens in your head. I have a latex and leather fetish, and a suit with the appropriate harness completes the visual image for me. But that’s not necessary for pony play.
Of course, I also like to incorporate other kinks, such as bondage. My hands are often tied together on my back. Because horses don’t have hands, so I don’t need them for pony play. Besides, I shouldn’t be able to untie myself if I’m tied up somewhere to wait. Gags also fit well, because horses don’t talk. Chastity can also be part of it, but overall the horse role is not very sexual for me. In other words, when I’m in the role, I’m not automatically aroused. But I find it incredibly erotic when I see pictures of it or feel, feel, see and smell myself in the outfit.
Is there something humiliating about pony play for you?
Nighty: It’s difficult. Because personally, I perceive horses as so powerful and elegant, it has little to do with humiliation for me. The humiliation comes more in the ponyboy role when, for example, I’m deprived of my ability to speak through a gag. Or when I have to perform tricks and stunts in front of others. That’s where the slight humiliating factor comes in. The role itself is not humiliating for me.
How important is outward appearance?
Nighty: You shouldn’t let the idea that you need expensive accessories stop you from trying something. I originally thought I needed some mega outfit, all latex with a horse mask and everything. That was also the first thing I bought when I got into the role. However, I’m realizing more and more that sometimes less is more and I’ve been wearing far fewer outfits when I play than I used to.
What I need at least for myself to be able to be a horse is the tail. That’s what makes me a horse in my mind. I don’t need a mask or hooves, I need my tail. When I’m galloping around and it’s waving behind me, it’s a great feeling. It gives me the feeling that I am now a human horse.
Do you also play with other pony players?
Nighty: I actually find horse-to-horse interaction more difficult. It’s easier for me to play with people than with other human horses or Ponies … I’m kind of inhibited there, but I don’t really know why yet. But whether Owner, Trainer or Pony, I’m always happy to meet new people and get to know their perspective on pony play!
Nighty’s real name is Marvin and he works as an IT consultant. When he’s not improving his trotting or galloping style, the 40-year-old prefers to look after his family or nerd out on his computer and can occasionally be found in Berlin at various regulars’ tables or on Twitter. Impressive moments from his animal life are also captured on Instagram.
