"5yo backed and ridden on": what would your expectations be?

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MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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As title really.

If you went to view a horse/pony thus described, then what would you expect?

My own expectations (for what they're worth) would be that the horse would be happy to be handled on the ground, for e.g. would pick up all four feet willingly and without a fuss and happy to allow tacking up without issue. Would stand to be mounted politely without moving around.

Would be happy to stand for the farrier and vet without too much drama; tho' just might need reminding about "manners" on occasion!

Would have either been lunged and/or long-reined and would have a good idea of moving away from the hand, and in ridden work from the leg. Poss an understanding of voice commands depending on the method(s) used.

Whilst paces may not be fully established under saddle, it would have at the very least grasped the bare rudiments of moving away from pressure from the leg and - optimistically - be beginning to understand the dynamics of going forward into the bridle and of working in an outline.

Would have been trotted over coloured poles either on lunge or ridden, might even have popped a few small fences and even hopefully seen a few fillers.

Out hacking, would have seen some traffic and coped reasonably well with it. Have hacked out with a schoolmaster horse to accompany, and possibly had a few solo outings away from the yard with an experienced and confident rider up top.

Would have been introduced to loading with possibly an outing to a small/quiet local event or two??

Is this unreasonable??? Or is this expecting too much??

Opinions please.
 
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Obv varies a lot in terms of how/when they were started, what the horse is like, and what job they are being aimed at. Competitive horses will have done a fair amount more than that. I'd expect pretty much what you have said though, maybe a wee bit more e.g. little bit of experience of events or outings but I wouldn't want them to have done loads more as would be worried about long term soundness. Schooling wise I'd hope they would be able to do an intro level unaff or an ok prelim standard with a decent rider, bit wobbly and unbalanced maybe, and with the canter needing a bit of work.
 
I don't think it would include the following:

- working in an outline
- fences or fillers
- ridden competitions (maybe inhand)
- hacking and traffic are possibles, but not necessarily

As an example I have a mare who is 6 - backed late, recently, by me. She's small (14.1) and not very well developed yet and I definitely don't expect anything by way of outline or jumping. At the same time I want her to start hacking and doing hills, to get out and about and strengthen up before we start anything more strenuous. She can trot in a rather ragged way under saddle, walk is very sweet and forward. No canter yet but we'll try it on a hack sometime.

Guess it depends on the individual horse - development, conformation and general attitude.
 
Backed and ridden on - I would expect it to have been ridden in all 3 paces under saddle and been out hacking (with another horse) Jumped a few small jumps. not in any outline just horse in its natural way of going.
Would expect good ground manners and stand for farrier/vet without too much bother. I would definitely expect the horse to tie up and not pull back!

In Ireland that could also extend to the horse has been out hunting once :p
 
Ridden under saddle in all paces with an understanding of leg aids and accepting a contact. Hacking with a nanny. Popping a small fence, unless pure dressage (and even then i would expect a 5yo to be cross training)
 
I'd expect it to have been backed and ridden out hacking minimum otherwise it's just backed in my eyes! However it depends how long it's been ridden on for. If it's only a week then it's not going to be established in much at all. At five tho I would want to know why.
 
I've just bought a rising 6 described as above. He's not a competition horse - he's to hunt. Previously we have bought competition horses. He is less far along than a competition horse would be - but he is considerably further on than the above posts. He has hunted 2 seasons - one here and one in Ireland. Works in an outline, has reasonable self carriage for his age. Hacked alone and in company, lunge, long line and goes on the walker. Jumps SJ including fillers / walls etc as well as natural obstacles. Just beginning lateral work. Lacks some top line and could do with more rounded development - but he has hunted all season, not schooled. And to me he actually seems really babyish and green. A rising 6 SJ competition horse would have done 1 or 2 full seasons of competition at this stage. (Not that I actually approve of starting them so young - but they do.)

I would say OP's expectations of a 5 year old are quite reasonable.
 
I'd be expecting a 5 year old to do way more than that....but it all depends on when it was broken and how much it's been doing in the meantime. OP's description would be my idea of a just backed and ridden away three year old .
 
I wouldn't expect much. But then I don't like to see anything broken until 4 and the first year spent doing little more than hacking. At five I would expect them to hack sensibly both alone and in company. To have perhaps popped the odd log while out hacking. I wouldn't personally expect them to have even been in a school but to me the foundations of a decent all rounder are built first from creating a confident hacker.
 
Tiddlypom said:
This.

I wouldn't expect a 5yo described in this way as being any more forward than a 3 or 4yo, though of course you'd want to know why it was so inexperienced for its age.
Click to expand...

I have a 6 year old pony in for schooling that is no more forward than any just backed pony would be but without the groundwork properly established so he is behind what the OP describes, he now long reins anywhere very nicely, is riding in walk and trot in the school and field, hacking about sweetly but is nowhere near ready to go to a show, everyone brings on in a different way, every horse is different.
If I saw an ad stating "backed and ridden on" I would expect very little to have been done, just hope it had been done well if I went to view and have low expectations of how far on it would be.
 
I would think a 5 year old is able to do all of the things listed by the OP.

The term 'backed and ridden on' just sounds to me like what they did with my horse when he was backed at 5, got a rider on him and taught him how to move forward and stop when asked. That was about it and what I would expect for that terminology in a blunt way. I wouldnt expect what is mentioned in the OP.
 
Once a horse has been ridden away I expect it to walk trot and canter without much hassle otherwise to me it is just backed. I'm lucky to have good hacking so like to hack out without company from the start. If it has been ridden away I expect them to have left the yard.
 
From Ireland? Everyones definition of 'backed and ridden on' is different. For me I would expect just that - someone has backed it (usually very easy) and ridden it out around the block or in an arena - how much, how far and how much it has seen is completely different.

IME 3 or 4 is a really easy age - its 5 onwards when the kevins start!!
 
I think 'backed and ridden on' is open to wide interpretation. I wouldn't make any assumptions until I had spoken to the seller.
 
I think that as the description is backed and ridden on, I would expect it to be fairly recently backed having had appropriate ground work prep in advance. Would expect an ok walk and trot I'm the school, to hack (preferably alone as I think every horse should but more than likely with a nanny) and maybe have cantered out hacking and to have maybe seen poles. If the ad didn't refer to 'backed' and just advertised a 5 year old I'd probably expect it to be doing what you refer to in your OP.
 
bloody hell my six year old can't do a tenth of that! (in fairness she's only been backed this year but still!)

it's worth pointing out - the growth plates on your average 15hh light horse wouldn't fuse till it's 5-6, maybe older depending on breed. So whilst gentle exercise can strengthen it overdoing it is a BIG no on young bones...I certainly wouldn't expect a 5yo to be competing or jumping yet, maybe some inhand or walk/trot shows but no way to jumping or a serious high dressage-test type outline though obviously it shouldn't be hollow because this can be just as bad on the spine.
 
only_me said:
Backed and ridden on - I would expect it to have been ridden in all 3 paces under saddle and been out hacking (with another horse) Jumped a few small jumps. not in any outline just horse in its natural way of going.
Would expect good ground manners and stand for farrier/vet without too much bother. I would definitely expect the horse to tie up and not pull back!

In Ireland that could also extend to the horse has been out hunting once :p
Click to expand...

This.....

That's exactly how my rising 5yo connie came to me in April..

Fiona
 
I would expect a 5 yr old to be more than 'backed and ridden on' - but if that is what the ad said I would expect a horse thatd been backed late, maybe beginning of 5yr old year or winter of 4/5yr old, and not done much more than quiet hacks or ridden around farm. I wouldnt expect it to have done much arena work or schooling.
 
My 5 year old was sold as this and she had accepted tack, been sat on, walked out and lead around. She had been lead in traffic but not ridden in any.

I would hope that most 5 year olds have done more though!
 
If an ad said "5yo backed and ridden on" with no further details of what it had done, then I would assume it had been backed only recently, and could be ridden fairly safely at walk, trot and canter in a field/school/paddock and on hacks with another horse. I would expect it to be able to be mounted without humping its back or bucking, or constantly walking away, but a green horse might be expected to fidget a little bit. I wouldn't expect it to have jumped or gone to shows, as I would expect that to be mentioned in the ad if that was the case. I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be good to shoe, box, clip, catch etc unless it was mentioned in the advert. With horse shopping you always need to work out what the vendor is NOT saying, as that is normally the horse's weakpoint!
 
Cortez said:
I'd be expecting a 5 year old to do way more than that....but it all depends on when it was broken and how much it's been doing in the meantime. OP's description would be my idea of a just backed and ridden away three year old .
Click to expand...

:lol: I don't disagree with ^ however my baby horse is fairly physically immature so we've gone glacially slow :o. She's done plenty of shows (in hand mainly and some ridden), she's done some dressage and farm rides, but is only just getting beyond the wobbly baby stage!
 
My TWO year old is able to ;

Pick all 4 feet
Behave for farrier/vet
Had injections
Loaded and travelled regularly to shows
Been to buzzy county shows and local shows (I didn't say she behaved herself!!!)
Been in an indoor arena several times
Understands fundamentals of being led/pressure etc
Trots in hand
Trots and halts on voice command
Moves away sideways from either my arm or showing whip
Moves away from pressure laterally
Has been in a field surrounded by traffic
Has seen traffic at shows and slow traffic at home

I would hope in 3 years times that she would have easily have done the rest of the above education!
 
Jaffa2311 mine had done the same at two and had been immeccibly behaved for busy and indoor big atmosphere shows. Ridden progress had been a different matter, they are all different don't worry if you feel you go a few steps back :).
 
jaffa2311 said:
My TWO year old is able to ;

Pick all 4 feet
Behave for farrier/vet
Had injections
Loaded and travelled regularly to shows
Been to buzzy county shows and local shows (I didn't say she behaved herself!!!)
Been in an indoor arena several times
Understands fundamentals of being led/pressure etc
Trots in hand
Trots and halts on voice command
Moves away sideways from either my arm or showing whip
Moves away from pressure laterally
Has been in a field surrounded by traffic
Has seen traffic at shows and slow traffic at home

I would hope in 3 years times that she would have easily have done the rest of the above education!
Click to expand...

But the advert stated just backed and ridden away - it made no reference to ground skills or general handling. So I answered accordingly.

Before a horse was backed with a rider I'd have expected him or her to learn to handle feet, be groomed/bathed, loaded, seen a vet, stabled and the list goes on.

To prepare to be backed I'don't expect him or her to be ok with boots, a roller, a bridle, a bit and a saddle. I'd expect de-spooking too and for him or her to have been for walks/in hand hacks, been long lined & seen puddles, scary coloured leaves and other hacking hazard as well as traffic. Ideally they'd have travelled a few places too - maybe competed.

But for me, that is very different to what to expect a just backed youngster can do under saddle. And from a physical point of view, I still prefer a 5 year old to do less under saddle than more.
 
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