Well there's lots of ways to do this. Finding a yucky pony with which to make a custom is just like getting any other pony. Around home try looking in second hand stores, flea markets, garage sales, and ask people you know. On the web you can go to auction sites, look on other peoples trade lists, ask on message boards, add it to your want list, ect.  Just surf and eventually you're bound to run across one.

Please, when you choose a pony to make into a custom, make sure she's in overall bad shape. Nothing frustrates me more then hearing about a custom that was made from a perfectly good pony. Even if you have it already, even if it's common, someone out there still wants it - guaranteed! Try offering to trade your good pony for someone else's bad one and be patient. Part of making customs is the satisfaction of turning an abused pony into something beautiful and unique.

There is now a special place dedicated to connecting customizers with bad pony parts they need. Please visit the Donor List for more information.

Body

First, wash the pony as best you can and concentrate on any stains she may have. If you are going to change her colour it's best to start with the body so that you don't ruin any other part while you're colouring it.  In this case you don't have to worry about using harsh cleansers to get rid of stains because if the ponies colour washes out, all the better! Do be careful not to damage the vinyl though. I've had the good luck to have white ponies for all my customs yet, so I haven't had to try to remove colour. But if you are going to colour yours, it's best to get the pony as close to white as possible because any other colour will change the end result.

Dye - I use Dylon Cold brand powder dyes. They are designed as a fabric dye, and you need to make a dye bath out of them. First, make sure the dye bath is REALLY well mixed. If it's not different parts of it may have different strengths! With the kind of dye I use you have to add some salt to the mix as a setter. Next, remove the ponies head (and hair if you don't want it the same colour). Then, very carefully submerge the two parts so that the air has a chance to escape out the neck hole. (I use a disposable chopstick for this so I can push the pony around.) Otherwise, the pony will float and the parts out of the bath will (of course) not dye properly. Stir the bath slowly fairly frequently so that the parts that are touching the bottom and sides get a chance to colour, and also so the dying agents don't settle. But do this carefully. (Mmmmmm, pony soup.) Check how it's going by lifting the pony out slightly and wipe the area clean with a kleenex. If it's done enough remember to rinse it really well as SOON as you get it out of the bath or the dye will pool. I give mine a wash after this whole thing to be sure all the excess dye is gone.

Hair

There are as many different ways to do hair as there are people who customize ponies. You will eventually figure out your own preferences, but to get you started, here's what I do:

Removing it - Start by very carefully taking the pony's head off. Early ponies are easier then the later ones because of the type of glue they use. If you have never seen a pony's head removed, do your first one slowly so you can see how it's made. There is a lip on the inside and you must be careful not to cut this off. Use a sharp X-acto knife and cut along the seam, it's the glue you're trying to cut, not the plastic. Don't penetrate too deeply until you know where the lip is. Take out the tail by using tweezers to grasp it from the inside and just pull. Save the washer (metal ring around the tail on the inside). It is used to stabilize the tail and prevent it from being pulled out during brushing. The mane is more annoying. Some people clip it as close as possible to the outside of the head, then use tweezers to pull out the remains from the inside. But if you do it this way you won't be able to use the hair on a different pony, so if you want to save it you must do it the hard way. Brush out the mane so there are NO tangles, then study the way it is threaded on the inside. You'll see it is woven together, then lightly glued on the ends. Starting on the end closest to the neck, grasp a plug (a single lock that goes through two holes) and pull it back through the neck. Continue this way until you reach the end. It takes a lot of time and patience. You may have to pull pretty hard to get some parts out, but be careful not to rip the body vinyl between the holes, it's more fragile then it looks.

Getting it - The best place to get it is from another "donor" pony (should also be a "custom bait" pony please.) It will already be prepared for you, and you might even be lucky enough to get the right colour! Some people use hair from other donor dolls too, a friend has suggested long Barbie hair, or common baby dolls. If you can't get pony hair you face an annoying alternative: store bought doll hair. It's annoying because it seems to ONLY come in two styles, curly or very curly, and of course you can't get a good selection of pony colours. Nevertheless, this is the most widely available alternative as it can be found in most craft and speciality stores. I've even seen some in Wal-Mart! Get white so you can colour it to whatever you want. If you want the hair straight wet it and wrap it tightly around a large book or piece of cardboard overnight.

Some other things you might want to consider: try santa hair or cheap Halloween wig hair. The santa hair that I found has a wonderful silky feel, shine, and wavy look, and is textured like My Little Pony hair, but it doesn't take dye that well. Both are harder to get as they are obviously only seasonally available. Another alternative is Tartblossom. They have a selection of colours, but be prepared to pay for them! And of course you'll have to wait for delivery.

Colouring it - The best method is dye again. See my tips in the BODY section above for this. Be aware that some types of doll hair won't take dye at all, and some types require very little time in the dye bath.

Rooting it - The tail is relatively easy. I have used a few methods. If it's from a donor pony it's probably still in the metal clasp. Just pop it back through the tail hole from the outside. If you still have the washer (metal ring) put it back on by holding it with tweezers, then with your other hand push the butt of the pony inside towards the neck opening. That should get it close enough to manoeuvre the washer on. It's a tight fit, but believe me, it will go.

If you've got store bought hair cut it to twice the length you want the tail plus add a few inches to work with. It's better to trim extra hair later then to not have it long enough and have to start all over. Find the middle and knot it, or clasp it with metal using pliers, or wrap it tightly with wire so that both ends are going the same way out. You're going to have to measure this so that the base of your tail is slightly larger then the tail hole, so you may need to try this a few times to get it just right. When you're making it take into consideration that the tail should be brushable. Is yours going to hold up to being pulled on? Will pulling on one strand make the other end come through? When you're done push the base into the tail hole from the outside. If you've done it right, it should be fairly hard to push through, but not hard enough to rip the body. That way when it's popped inside it should be firmly in place and won't pull back out.

The mane used to be the hardest part of customizing a pony. But I have switched to a different method for threading that is much easier and faster. (To view my old way as well, look here.) First you need a modified needle. Find a needle who's eye is as broad as possible, yet still able to fit into a plug hole. Then cut the very tip of the eye off with wire cutters, leaving as much of the edges there as possible, so now you have a needle with a Y like end rather then an eye.  Seperatly make a plug of hair that is thick enough to go in a plug hole snuggly while doubled over and tie a firm knot in the middle of this plug. Now place the knot over the first plug hole on the Pony, then use the Y part of your needle to shove the knot into the pony. If the plug is the right size then it should be pretty firmly in place. Voila! One plug finished. When you're all done, glue the line of knots inside the pony head to make it more sturdy. It's not 100% nessessary to glue them, but it's sure safer.

I found this is sooooooooo much faster, and easier, and neater, and less stress on the vinyl. And you don't have to get inside the head to do it (except the optional gluing), so it means you can restore manes on ponies who's heads can't be removed!

Symbol and Eyes

Remember that there are a few kinds of symbols used on ponies, and of course there is a slightly different method for each. Plan your symbol first on paper, then sketch it lightly on the pony using pencil (it will wash off). This way you can get the two sides looking even and sort out problems. For a normal symbol and eyes, use artist's acrylic paints (house paint is too think) and a small brush. You can get these at any art or craft store. Stay away from children's brushes, these are made from a different, courser material that leaves brush strokes visible. When you're applying it, don't let the edges of the colour dry until you are done, this will also leave visible brush strokes. For glittery symbols, sprinkle ultra fine glitter (get it at craft stores) over the paint while it's still wet. You'll have to be quick for this, acrylic paint dries very fast. Alternately, you could apply a thin coat of clear nail polish over the symbol and stick the glitter to that. For metallic symbols, use metallic paint. You can get it at better craft and art stores. If you look hard enough, it is also possible to find glow-in-the-dark paint for glowing symbols. Try novelty stores for this, and some other stores that sell kids paint carry it around Halloween. This paint is not as good quality, so test it on paper first to see how it handles. I haven't tried raised symbols personally yet, but I have seen puffy paint used for this purpose with great success.

When you are finished, use an old brush to apply a thin coat of varnish over the area to protect it. Try not to get any on the body, only the spots with paint. Don't use the varnish on the whole pony, as it gives a glossy look you might not want.

Peek-A-Boo Necks

Okay, these are a bit tricky. It is possible to remove the mechanism that lets the head turn so that you can re-use it later, but this will require much patience and care. I recommend leaving it intact unless it is loose already or you really need to get inside. The neck is actually formed from a ball joint with the cup in the head and the ball in the body. The pictures to the left show them when successfully separated. In both shots the pony's front is to the left. The individual parts are solidly glued into the pony. Get a good grip on the head and body and try to force the joint apart, wiggling it slightly to help it come loose. If you are careful and lucky the joint should separate like the pictures shown. However, if the pony's head is already loose, it means that the glue is coming undone, or the vinyl is ripped. This will probably be on the body end. If this is the case, pay attention to how the inside is pulling when you try to separate it. You will most likely find that pulling rips the vinyl further rather then let the joint separate. You will have to use an X-acto knife to control the rip and just aim for removing the whole joint without damaging the body. The scan to the right shows the joint cut out from Baby Whirly Twirl. The right side is the ball/body part and the left is the cup/head part. This should give you an idea of how solidly glued it really is. If you want to remove the cup from the head keep this in mind! I had a really hard time with this. Use a small screwdriver to pry the cup from the neck and try to cut away the vinyl. It is very easy to damage the neck doing this, so work slowly cutting a bit at a time. I once worked hard to cut all the vinyl, but didn't pay attention and the cup fell backwards into the head. I could not get it out untill it broke along it's seam, so be really carefull when you first remove this part and try to hold the cup with tweezers so it won't slip back.

When you are ready to reattach the head, start by gluing the cup and ball back into their respective places. I use a hot glue gun on the low heat setting for this. If you don't have one you'll have to find a different sort of glue. White glue is not strong enough to hold the pieces together. Pay attention when gluing, they have to go back facing the same way or the finished head will turn funny. You can see in the left scans above that the cup has a tiny peg on the inside, this should be on the front side of the pony. The ball has a raised line on the base, this also goes to the front. Line it up with the raised line on the pony body that you can see on the scan. When you're done gluing, let them both dry overnight. Then simply place the pony's head on the ball and push the joint back together. (This is when you're going to find out if the glue you used is strong enough.)

If you want to make your pony pearlized, cover it with a coat or two of clear nail polish. Do this before you root the hair but after you have dyed the body and done the symbol, and be careful not to clog the plug holes. Some craft stores sell fake plastic gems you can use to make twinkle eyes. Cut them so one side is flat and glue them on. You can sometimes find flocking material to make a so-soft, but this is a little tricky. Or, use your imagination and make up a new speciality!

Every pony needs at least a little spice. Tie a ribbon in her hair. Give her jewellery. Make her some clothes. Find her some accessories. Write a story about her. Here's a chance to add even more creativity to your creation. Some people go all out with this, others prefer the more "traditional" approach.

These represent just a handful of the sites you can find featuring custom ponies. Probably the best link I can offer is the MLP Customizers Club on Yahoo. It's a great place to go to reach over 200 pony customizers in one spot. The MLP Donor List is a good source for the pony parts you'll need to start.

Tutorial Sites (these often contain galleries as well)

Ribbons and Rainbows An amazing place! Lots of handy pictures to help you through.
Ponytopia's Tutorial A recommended tutorial from a highly recommended site!

Gallery Sites

Be-Bop Cafe Some nice ones here, with babies.
Canth.com Some sweet ponies here in the traditional style.
Geekyspice Customs Ponies done in the acrylic paint style.
Ponytopia Some truly great ponies with good colour sense.
Starlightvalley.com Run by a contrivertial pony, but still beautiful customs here!
Twilight's My Little Pony Zone Great ponies here, and lots more links.
White Castle's Custom Ponies Nice site. Go meet Lucky as an adult!