3 weeks til my baby goes to be backed! Who else??

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Kub

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I'm getting soooooo excited now! 3 weeks tomorrow, Harry will be going to his new home for a few weeks to begin his ridden life. He's rising 4 this year and I really feel his is ready for it, so fingers crossed.

At the same time, I'm a bit worried as to whether I'm going to be ready for it! I've been having lessons for the last year with this in mind, really working on the basics, getting my balance right, getting me to the point where I am good enough to ride a youngster, but I guess I'm never going to know if it's enough until I actually ride Harry. I've got my body protecter ready to go and hopefully the coming of spring will mean plenty of nice weather to get out and about.

I'm only really planning on hacking him this year, nothing too major, just getting him used to it and we'll see how things go.

Quick question though, hopefully he will be hacking out on his own by the time he returns to me (this is one of the important things I'd like him to achieve) but should I go out for a hack on my own once he comes home? Or should I go with someone (whether on horseback or on the ground) just in case?

So who else is sending their youngster away soon? How are you feeling? Tell me all about it :)
 
I would definatley start with someone to begin -
a) confidence for him (and you!)
b) saftey.

Then you will be able to judge when he is brave enough to take you alone! (Its a very exciting moment!)

Your going to be gushing about all the achievements soon! :D
 
I've just started my two 4yos - did a little bit of lungeing and long reining last autumn until the ground got too soft. They've both been sat on now, one a couple of weeks ago and the other one a couple of days ago, and I'm going to start the lungeing and long reining again over the next few days, also continue the gentle sitting on, then start trying to string it all together!

Tis a very exciting time!

Personally I'll be hacking with someone for the first few times - I only plan to introduce one thing at a time where possible, so learning the routes by me will be the first step, then doing it alone will be a further step.

PS, these will only be my 2nd and 3rd breakers, so please don't take any advice from me, lol!
 
Oh really excited for you!

I was going to start training my 3 year old cob cros TB this year but she has managed to crack her cannon bone somehow so is on box rest until healed probably for a few months. This means she is getting loads of handling though which is great.

I'm lucky enough to be at a yard that provides this service and I will be seeking all the help I can get and not really doing anything on my own at all!

See if you can get involved in anything with the yard you are working with so you know what they are doing and then you can still follow through at home with some things.

I cant wait to get started on mine!
Good luck to you! x
 
I have just started my rising 4 year old (rebacking as he was backed last year) just sitting on him and walking about twice a week.
I am sending him away to be finished on the 26th/ 27th so 2 weeks!! They are just having him for 2 weeks to get him walk, trot and cantering and hacking safely. Then gonna do lots of hacking till may when we get our school!

I have another rising 3 year old baby but im not backing her till July. and even then may just literally sit on her and leave it there.
 
Tis exciting isn't it? My rising 5 yr old is going away on 22nd April, so a few more weeks yet. He's been longlined, tacked up, sat on, taught to ground tie, stand at a mounting block, met the clippers and this morning I loaded him in a trailer. Hoping all this preparation pays off and he has a good time at boarding school. Looking forward to having a horse to ride again as I've done hardly any riding since my mare died August 2009.
 
Hi my 4 year old is going away tomorrow , im going to miss him like mad , what am i going to do with my life. good luck with yours. xx
 
Me and my husband are starting our homebred when the clocks go forward. She's four in June, and pretty much bullet proof, nothing worries her, and she is very nosy! She's had a bridle on since a yearling as she'd done a little bit of in hand showing, and I put a roller on her a few weeks ago (no problems). We're aiming to get her walking out in hand, obeying voice commands of walk, trot and stand (which she does already really). Then we'll introduce the saddle, stirrups etc, get me leaning over her etc, sit on, and carry on riding out in walk and trot. If this all goes smoothly, then I'll start lessons on her once or twice a week - if she proves less than easy, she will be going to henryhorns daughter, cazcrazyjonty, for education!

I'm really looking forward to putting pics of her under saddle on here - I've been posting pics of her literally from the second she was born, as her mother foaled right in front of us on a summer morning!
 
My 4 and a half year old went away last saturday to be started... cant wait for the end result, through complete lack of time (also currently have another 2 horses in work), i've sent my boy away for roughly 8 weeks with the aim of him jumping his first 4 year old show jumping competition whilst he is with the rider/trainer he is with... missing him like mad though!!
 
My baby is 4 in April and I took him on his first hack today. He was backed last year before I got him and turned away for winter. For the last couple of weeks I've been walking him in hand and decided today was the day to get on him. He's generally a quiet lad so wasn't expecting too much trauma, we went with 2 other horses and he led all the way. We were only out for about 15-20 minutes, lots of cars passing very close and a silly motorcylist but he was fine. Rushed a fair bit and I could tell he was nervous at times but on the whole he was a gem. Now I'm thinking whether I carry on or get someone more experienced to bring him on. He's my first youngster so I don't want to ruin him.
 
Aww good luck to you all doing it yourselves. I do not have the experience or knowledge to start Harry myself, and I wouldn't want to ruin him, but like most of you I've done as much as I can to prepare him.

I've got people to hack out with at the yard, or I can make OH come on the bike hehe, but yeah I think for safety, hacking with someone to start off with is the best idea.

What are you planning to do with your youngsters once backed, work wise? I'm thinking we'll only really do hacking this year but I'm interested to see what other people will be doing :)
 
I'll be starting my 3yr old (Mouse) this year.
Cannot wait - seems like only a short time ago she was a fuzzy tailed foal! :)

Good luck with yours. Sure you'll both be fine.
 
Kub said:
Aww good luck to you all doing it yourselves. I do not have the experience or knowledge to start Harry myself, and I wouldn't want to ruin him, but like most of you I've done as much as I can to prepare him.

I've got people to hack out with at the yard, or I can make OH come on the bike hehe, but yeah I think for safety, hacking with someone to start off with is the best idea.

What are you planning to do with your youngsters once backed, work wise? I'm thinking we'll only really do hacking this year but I'm interested to see what other people will be doing :)
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Probably the same as you and just hack and a bit of schooling in the summer.
 
Kub said:
What are you planning to do with your youngsters once backed, work wise? I'm thinking we'll only really do hacking this year but I'm interested to see what other people will be doing :)
Click to expand...
I'm just planning on hacking this year. We have a gorgeous huge forestry and beach 20 mins drive away, so I suppose my aim would be to get him riding out down there by the autumn.

Next year, as a rising 5yo, I may try taking him to the weekly "jumping lessons for beginners" they do in an indoor school about 30 mins away. The instructor is fab and starts them off really gently with poles on the ground etc, so nice easy introduction for him. We'll have to see how he goes though as he had OCD as a foal, so I'm not sure what he'll be capable of.
 
I've just started mine! He's 4 in October and we've just had our 4th backing session in which we were working on 'walk on' 'stand' and steering!! it's sooooooo much fun! It's like having your first few driving lessons :D !!

I'm hoping in the ext few sessions to progress to trot but I will only do that once I'm sure of brakes and accelleration! lol! we'll take as long as we need but in his first week we have achieved A LOT! and progressed each time..

Once I am happy with him in the school (a month or two's time I hope!) we will start hacking with some quiet company. As much as I'd like to go out on my own, I'm not goingto do it for a while yet.. They tend to need company for their confidence - understandable really.

This year I just want to have him hacking out nicely and able to w/t/c in the school... then we'll have a bit of a holiday over the winter and pick up again next year!

All I'd say is don't expect too much of your baby and dont push them beyond your own comfort zone. saying that, I'm actually a lot more comfortable bakng my boy than I am riding other 'trained' horses - wierd eh?!
 
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