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

Age is irrelevant here to be honest so everyone's 'usual' expectations of a 5yro aren't helpful.

Ignoring age and just going by 'backed and ridden away' I would expect basic lunging or long reining and be able to get on without a lunge line and not be bucked off!

Anything else OK you have included in your expectation, is desperate to the description backed and ridden away.
 
Its such a broad scope..

Each horse is an individual and some are more physically and mentally mature than others at that age.

For me, a 5 year old could be very immature, backed, barely off the lunge.

Or something more mature that has been backed, ridden away with basic schooling of walk/trot/canter, knows trotting poles, hacked in company maybe even alone, maybe popped the odd small jump/course. I'd even be happy with a competition of some clear rounds/small courses of jumps or Intro/prelim dressage and generally been out and about for lessons/schooling and has a basic concept of starting to use their back end and starting to work from behind.

Infact for me personally I'd be more inclined to go for the latter as it shows to me a good attitude to work and a level head.
 
Wow - I think lots of peoples expectations would certainly not have been met by a description of backed and ridden on!!

Be interesting to think what the OP thinks the horse should have been and what they are.

I would expect any horse at 5 who has done more than being 'backed and ridden on' to have all of its assets listed!!
 
Tiddlypom said:
So Mijods, now you've read all our thoughts on this, can you tell us if you have viewed the 'backed and ridden on 5yo' :)?
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Mmmm..... some very interesting responses here! Thank you everyone.

Re. the "backed and ridden on 5yo". Yes I did view one fitting this description, which was what caused me to pose the question really.

It had basically been re-started using NH methods as apparently had had a "bad experience" being backed by conventional methods. A lovely little horse actually, had met some traffic out hacking, but very obviously had done sweet FA in the school! Absolutely nowt. Think it had been round-penned and ridden in a Western saddle. There was a You Tube video of it "being taught about mounting" dated April some-time, in which there was obviously a considerable amount of work needed; roll-on June (last week) and it was still obvious there was a lot of work to do in this regard..........

It hadn't seen any poles, hadn't seen the inside of an arena full-stop, but appreciate that NH trainers tend to be considerably more off-the-wall in their approach and don't do so much schoolwork, if any in fact.

Polite on the ground, didn't see it tied up, didn't like the bridle being put on (possible discomfort issue, which the "natural horsemanship" trainer didn't pick up on!!!) Hacked reasonably nicely, hotted up a bit when another horse it wasn't used to joined us. Paces not established at all however and all over the damn place! Tended to poke nose out and hollow back particularly in canter.

Had loaded apparently.

It was in a myler combination bit, apparently had "done a bit of a bolt" (seller's words) which was why it wasn't bitless (their normal practice) or snaffle. Hmmm.......

An interesting viewing! Nope, I shan't buy it, but a nice little horse none-the-less and will suit someone I guess.
 
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MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Mmmm..... some very interesting responses here! Thank you everyone.

Re. the "backed and ridden on 5yo". Yes I did view one fitting this description, which was what caused me to pose the question really.

It had basically been re-started using NH methods as apparently had had a "bad experience" being backed by conventional methods. A lovely little horse actually, had met some traffic out hacking, but very obviously had done sweet FA in the school! Absolutely nowt. Think it had been round-penned and ridden in a Western saddle. There was a You Tube video of it "being taught about mounting" dated April some-time, in which there was obviously a considerable amount of work needed; roll-on June (last week) and it was still obvious there was a lot of work to do in this regard..........

It hadn't seen any poles, hadn't seen the inside of an arena full-stop, but appreciate that NH trainers tend to be considerably more off-the-wall in their approach and don't do so much schoolwork, if any in fact.

Polite on the ground, didn't see it tied up, didn't like the bridle being put on (possible discomfort issue, which the "natural horsemanship" trainer didn't pick up on!!!) Hacked reasonably nicely, hotted up a bit when another horse it wasn't used to joined us. Paces not established at all however and all over the damn place! Tended to poke nose out and hollow back particularly in canter.

Had loaded apparently.

It was in a myler combination bit, apparently had "done a bit of a bolt" (seller's words) which was why it wasn't bitless (their normal practice) or snaffle. Hmmm.......

An interesting viewing! Nope, I shan't buy it, but a nice little horse none-the-less and will suit someone I guess.
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To me that's not about being backed and ridden on or not. It's just what you experience time and time again when viewing horses, bad training and rose tinted specs. Fundamentally if the horses type and temprement are right then lack of experience isn't too big a deal if buying a young horse. However bad training takes much longer to correct.
 
In your OP you're expecting too much IMO.

To me backed and ridden on (agh, hate that expression) means literally just that: backed and has the very basics of walk, trot and canter.

To me what you described in the OP is a normal all-round horse...
 
Tiddlypom said:
Ahh, so this is a remedial horse which has been re-backed, not a 'blank canvas' green 5yo which has been started late.

You made the right decision to walk away, I think.
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Yep...... one of those situations where the more you find out - and that's not what you're actually TOLD, its what you figure out using your own nous! - the more you think hey I'm getting outa here.

I walked away: rather too much water under the bridge for my taste, and, I suspect, rather a lot of remedial to take on too.
 
Walk/trot/canter on the bit. Jump a round of small jumps if it's to be an allrounder, leg yield if it's to be a dressage horse. Ideally some experience hacking alone and in company, and a couple of outings under its belt.
 
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