Real World animal to Pokemon research

I think the best advice I can try and give (and please, take this with a grain of salt) is to try not to be unnecessarily accurate, yknow? You don't have to get into the nitty gritty details. As a reader, I'm a lot more interested in the interactions between the Pokémon and the rider- not the posturing. That way you don't have to overly saturate your story with, in my opinion, unnecessary rider-talk. You can get straight into the meat of your story. By all means, throw in a couple sentences to apply to 'real-world animal behavior' (like watching horse rearing videos and the like) so maybe the reader can learn something new, but not so much as to confused the reader.

For example:
A. The least amount of rider talk as possible.
The ponyta snorted disdainfully as the rider approached her side, tossing her head back, searching for any signs of hostility from the rider. She pawed the ground nervously, gradually calming down as the rider offered her a sugar cube.
B. Way too much rider talk. (It's still not that much cause this was like, research on horses done in the span of 5 minutes... But you can see where it could be confusing. For example: A frog? On a horse??? What? But yeah apparently it's part of a horses hoof. While yeah, it's accurate and a nice tidbit, it can take the reader out of a story when there's a terminology that he or she doesn't understand)
The ponyta snorted disdainfully as the rider approached her side with a rubber curry comb. Her flowing mane of flame seemed to flicker nervously as he haltered the fire-horse, making sure she was securely tied and began to brush her neck. Standing next to her shoulder, the rider slowly bent down, hoof-pick in hand, making sure to turn away from the horse first- ensuring that he wouldn't get stepped on. He began to pick at the dirt and the small pebbles on the frog, tracing the inside of the shoe, and slowly working his way around to the other three hoofs. ((Hoofs? Hooves? I have no idea.))
C. Half and half???
The ponyta snorted disdainfully as the rider approached her side with a comb. Her flowing mane of flame seemed to flicker nervously as the rider gently haltered the horse, ensuring that the leather accessory surrounding her muzzle fit well and didn't cause her any pain. Slowly, the rider began to brush the fire-horse, making sure to avoid spooking the horse to the point of causing her fiery mane to flare up. Using a hoof pick, the rider gradually made certain that the ponyta's hooves were clear of any dirt or debris and stood up once more. He gently patted her neck and offered her a sugar cube, which she accepted graciously.

I don't know. I guess it's all about preferences in style? I like C because it combines both real world elements (and kind of explains the process without muddying up the story where it becomes slow and tedious) as well as sticking to some fantasy Pokémon mechanics, like a Ponyta's mane flaring up when spooked.
I guess it's up to you?? I hope I helped!