2 year old filly training

WelshD said:
Hi Becca

I was in a similar position with my boy (now three) money was incredibly tight for a year or so and I wasn't able to send him anywhere so I had to make the best of what I had.

In my case I was very lucky as when he came to me he had previously been in a herd and did have good manners

He only has my older gelding for company, not ideal but both are very playful which helps

I have tried to leave him alone in winter but in the summers have taken him showing, marked out lanes using poles on the ground and practiced turning inhand, we have stepped over poles on the ground, met livestock including pigs, learned how to cope with dogs and flappy birds, done the usual umbrella/tarpaulins etc, learned how to load, had the ramp banged up and down while in the box and stepped up and down off a raised platform, walked under dangly streamers and between balloons and over uneven wobbly 'bridges' there have been tents and a party in the field, he has had his mane plaited, tail bandaged, legs wrapped, booted and bandaged, rugs on with and without necks and lots of noisy velcro, sprays sprays and more sprays (old bottles filled with water) we have had a local bike club over, met mopeds and dustcarts, wheelie bins, bonfires, music festivals and a pretend riot

The biggest difference was the showing, he learned more about behaving while among other ponies and its been great for him, we dont go every week though, he has a showing career ahead of him and I dont want him to get stale now

Do I wish I had sent him away? yes I kind of do, he has largely been a pet but I've tried not to indulge him, he has pushed boundaries a lot more than my other pony who did have a real herd 'childhood' though

The situation isnt ideal but do the best you can, keep sessions short and interesting
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Thank you so much! My mare isn't over keen on spray bottles at the moment, what did you do to get yours used to it?
 
Becca_Daisy said:
Unfortunately that's not available to us! She gets very naughty and can be bargey if she's just left with my other horse, unless we do something with her most days she gets quite bored and starts to climb out of the field
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You will be needing a rehab trainer when she is ready to be broken. You are well on your way to having a troublesome alpha mare on your hands. She is ruling you, it should be the other way round. Respect breeds trust in young horses.
 
Becca_Daisy said:
Yes I'll just buy some more youngsters to put in a field that is only big enough for two. Incase you haven't read my original post, I've asked for training advice, not lifestyle.
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What do train a two year old walk halt stand .
Stand tied ,pick up it's feet .
Behave when brushed
You can teach it about rugs boots bandages wear a roller if you must .
But as many others have said doing too much with a two year old and you risk having an over stimulated over handed three year old to back .
I used to be somewhere were we backed a lot of horses and I would do an unhandled one every time over the over handled .
The nicest ones had had minimal but targeted handling .
If your horse is bored in the field it's because it's companionship is not meeting it's needs it's your job to meet it's needs ,that means other young horses.
Your horse must not think you provide entertainment or you risk being in big trouble later .
 
MrsMozart said:
Whoa! That was seriously uncalled for - name calling is not acceptable.

People here have offered you advice that you would, in the normal course of events, have to pay a reasonable amount of money to receive.

People have not 'just answered your question' because this is a public forum and where, when people see an issue, they will respond in accordance with their knowledge and experience.
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There is no issue with my mates lifestyle, just because it isn't the same as what someone else has done with there's. And for people to make slanderous comments about the way she is looked after when they have no idea is bitchy
 
AdorableAlice said:
You will be needing a rehab trainer when she is ready to be broken. You are well on your way to having a troublesome alpha mare on your hands. She is ruling you, it should be the other way round. Respect breeds trust in young horses.
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She's definitely not ruling me, she has manners and knows her boundaries when around people thank you
 
Damnation said:
You refuse to take advice from those who have worked with youngsters.

You refuse to aknowledge your horses basic mental needs which are just as important as physical ones.

They are not playthings.
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Never said she was a play thing, you're not the only one who has worked with youngsters. Have a nice evening.
 
Becca_Daisy said:
Thank you so much! My mare isn't over keen on spray bottles at the moment, what did you do to get yours used to it?
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constant spraying around them, dancing around with a sprayer in each hand so the noise and feel becomes second nature, same with clippers - blades removed and clippers hung in stable
 
No. But most of them agree with me.

You will have a dangerous, cocky, big, over handled mare with no respect for boundries who is bored out of her tree because she is a toddler and her mates are middle aged....

She will be an issue when it comes to any normal setup, she will struggle to cope and it will be because of inadequate horse companionship as a baby.

Do you not understand the implications of your bull headed attitude?
 
Damnation said:
No. But most of them agree with me.

You will have a dangerous, cocky, big, over handled mare with no respect for boundries who is bored out of her tree because she is a toddler and her mates are middle aged....

She will be an issue when it comes to any normal setup, she will struggle to cope and it will be because of inadequate horse companionship as a baby.

Do you not understand the implications of your bull headed attitude?
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She has boundaries thank you
Do you not understand that I'm not able to send her away?
I've got no choice but to make the best of what I've got.
Please stop replying now, you're not being helpful in the slightest.
Enjoy your evening.
 
Becca_Daisy said:
She's definitely not ruling me, she has manners and knows her boundaries when around people thank you
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The fact you are asking for help and your replies suggest something very different. The raising of young horses is a skill and a huge responsibility. Good luck, you will need it.
 
Then you need to assess the suitability of your home as it will be detrimental to crucial mental development of this animal that you have a duty to raise correctly.
 
Becca_Daisy said:
There is no issue with my mates lifestyle, just because it isn't the same as what someone else has done with there's. And for people to make slanderous comments about the way she is looked after when they have no idea is bitchy
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It's not slanderous, that's spoken not written, and it would only be so if it weren't true, which would call for experienced professional experts, which these people are. Apart from which, you referred to them as bitches, which is different to referring to the excellent advice you've received as being bitchy.

On this point I will bow out as I, like so many others on here, whilst sorry to know that there's another issue in the making, cannot teach those who will not learn.
 
The real question is - why did you buy a youngster when you appear not best equipped or knowledgeable enough to deal with one? You say you have worked with youngsters before but the sort of questions you are asking makes it obvious you don't actually have a clue. I also suspect, from the way you write and react, that you are quite young.
 
Although I agree her best option would be to be out and learn to be a horse. You are fairly clear you are not willing to do so so I would get her out showing. Showing is the best education a horse can get. They learn to be bathed, groomed, mane pulled and plaited, tail sorted, loaded, unloaded, traffic, pushchairs, kids, fair grounds, ridden horses, bouncy castles. Mind you it is hard work and you may not like the comments from the judge every time as it is very subjective
 
Becca_Daisy said:
Never said she was a play thing, you're not the only one who has worked with youngsters. Have a nice evening.
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I am going to go against the grain here Becca, not everyone has the perfect environment according to this forum. Most class us all useless and follow their leader. I can see absolutely no problem at all in educating a 2 year old, a horse that is going to be big. In my opinion I would rather start it now than wait until it was fully mature, but I am old school. I did just that with a horse I bred, I long reigned him on roads, trimmed him, washed him got him used to life. I even did youngstock classes with him in hand. He came 3rd at the Royal Welsh. I sold him, he was bought by Brooke Staples and became an advanced eventer. So carry on and handle your youngster, that is why we have them.....to enjoy.
 
Becca_Daisy said:
Unfortunately that's not available to us! She gets very naughty and can be bargey if she's just left with my other horse, unless we do something with her most days she gets quite bored and starts to climb out of the field
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I think this says she is ruling the roost, making demands and showing who is in charge, a young horse should not be bored being a horse, they know nothing else and need nothing more than basic handling, having feet done, spending the odd bit of time in a stable at the age of 2, they need to be out with other horses to keep them occupied and amused, they should not require human interaction and certainly should not be bargey, naughty and start demanding attention if they don't get their own way, she sounds like a spoilt toddler .

You don't want to listen to the very experienced people that have replied I hope she does not prove to be too much once she is ready to start under saddle as many overhandled young horses do, I have broken many and the easiest have been those with minimal handling although some light showing has been beneficial, the worst were the ones wanting attention constantly and many vets know that "homebreds" can be the most difficult for them to deal with, by homebreds they don't mean stud bred but solo foals, solo youngsters that have not been turned out in herds.
 
EKW said:
The real question is - why did you buy a youngster when you appear not best equipped or knowledgeable enough to deal with one? You say you have worked with youngsters before but the sort of questions you are asking makes it obvious you don't actually have a clue. I also suspect, from the way you write and react, that you are quite young.
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Because I wanted some new ideas from people, which from the people I have had proper answers from, has been very helpful. And I'm 20, so yes I would be quite young, how is that relevant?
 
justabob said:
I am going to go against the grain here Becca, not everyone has the perfect environment according to this forum. Most class us all useless and follow their leader. I can see absolutely no problem at all in educating a 2 year old, a horse that is going to be big. In my opinion I would rather start it now than wait until it was fully mature, but I am old school. I did just that with a horse I bred, I long reigned him on roads, trimmed him, washed him got him used to life. I even did youngstock classes with him in hand. He came 3rd at the Royal Welsh. I sold him, he was bought by Brooke Staples and became an advanced eventer. So carry on and handle your youngster, that is why we have them.....to enjoy.
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Thank you so much for a decent answer! She's going to be a big girl and I'd rather teach her manners whilst she's young. Well done on getting 3rd!
 
be positive said:
I think this says she is ruling the roost, making demands and showing who is in charge, a young horse should not be bored being a horse, they know nothing else and need nothing more than basic handling, having feet done, spending the odd bit of time in a stable at the age of 2, they need to be out with other horses to keep them occupied and amused, they should not require human interaction and certainly should not be bargey, naughty and start demanding attention if they don't get their own way, she sounds like a spoilt toddler .

You don't want to listen to the very experienced people that have replied I hope she does not prove to be too much once she is ready to start under saddle as many overhandled young horses do, I have broken many and the easiest have been those with minimal handling although some light showing has been beneficial, the worst were the ones wanting attention constantly and many vets know that "homebreds" can be the most difficult for them to deal with, by homebreds they don't mean stud bred but solo foals, solo youngsters that have not been turned out in herds.
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She very much enjoys her life thanks and has plenty of interaction with other horses. She's not too much to handle in the slightest, all I was asking for was some new ideas on things to do with her, which she definitely enjoys.
 
windand rain said:
Although I agree her best option would be to be out and learn to be a horse. You are fairly clear you are not willing to do so so I would get her out showing. Showing is the best education a horse can get. They learn to be bathed, groomed, mane pulled and plaited, tail sorted, loaded, unloaded, traffic, pushchairs, kids, fair grounds, ridden horses, bouncy castles. Mind you it is hard work and you may not like the comments from the judge every time as it is very subjective
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I am very interested in getting her to some local shows, although I won't be able to enter all the time due to money.
 
justabob said:
I am going to go against the grain here Becca, not everyone has the perfect environment according to this forum. Most class us all useless and follow their leader. I can see absolutely no problem at all in educating a 2 year old, a horse that is going to be big. In my opinion I would rather start it now than wait until it was fully mature, but I am old school. So carry on and handle your youngster, that is why we have them.....to enjoy.
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Said everything I wanted to.
 
My two year old is handled daily. He spends 23.5 hours of the day doing what her wants. I bring him up the yard. Do his feet, feed, groom, walk him past whatever farm machinery there happens to be on the yard, let him sniff/touch them etc. Get him used to walking over tarps/ between narrow gaps / practice gates that open into towards him (from the ground) walk him past lawn mowers or anything noisy and sometimes feed him in the trailer. He seems to love it.
 
shadowboy said:
My two year old is handled daily. He spends 23.5 hours of the day doing what her wants. I bring him up the yard. Do his feet, feed, groom, walk him past whatever farm machinery there happens to be on the yard, let him sniff/touch them etc. Get him used to walking over tarps/ between narrow gaps / practice gates that open into towards him (from the ground) walk him past lawn mowers or anything noisy and sometimes feed him in the trailer. He seems to love it.
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Thank you just added gates and narrow gaps into my list!
My 2 year old loves it as well ☺️
 
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