Advice please...what to do with my 3 year old.

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piaffe

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Im not really sure what to do with my 3 year old now I have broken her in. And would love some advice.

I have come from the school of "Once you break a 3 year old in carry on" I have broken 4 of my own horses in but all were 4 or 5.

I now have a 3 year old that I have just broken in and am now really sure if I should continue working her over the winter, winter her out and start again in the spring or keep her going very lightly over the winter.

I would be greatful for any suggestions, tips,pros and cons of etc etc to help me make a desicion.
 
what is your gut instinct about it? if she is strong-looking and enjoyed the work - then i'd be tempted to keep her going lightly, but if she still looks a bit stringy and as if she's got some more growing and making up to do, i'd chuck her away for at least a few months. what's her breeding, that makes a difference to how they mature too, i think.
 
Hi

I'd echo Kerilli. I have backed my ID's in their 2nd autumn and very lightly ridden them to give them something to think about before turning away from Xmas. I've done the same in their 3rd autumn and turned away again. As they are big horses who tend to mature late they are not asked to do much until the spring of their 4th year. This is a personal choice and has worked for me and my youngsters. You will know your own horse and will do what's best for them. Don't be pressured by those around you.
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Thank you for your reply. My gut instinct? I think I am swaying towards doing very light work throughout the winter but....
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She's a dutch warmblood (first 3 on left of siggy).
 
With the young horses at my work, they only really get turned away if they are starting to struggle a bit to cope. If they are happy and settled in their work we keep them going.

Adina looks like she's coping fine so far and if she were mine I'd probably keep her in light work but if she started to drop a lot of weight or seemed unhappy I'd have no qualms in turning her away.
 
Thanks.I think I may just do that then. Haven't hacked her out yet though as don't have anyone to go out with but are doing lots of long reining and walks in hand.
 
Thank you for your reply. I wonder why I haven't got any of those types of replies.
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However, I am not doing any canter work right now. If we go in the school we do walk and trot work only, I lunge a little bit, i long rein out on the tracks and walk out in hand.
 
I would give your horse some time off to mature if I was you, better safe than sorry. Even only two three weeks here and there.

If you are trying to produce the horse to sell then I would crack on, remember most professionals are, they need to make money on the horse, it needs to earn its keep. However if it is keeper I would be a lot slower.
Pippa funnel does say in her book 'training the young horse ' that her 4 olds will have been turned out for anything from four to eight months since being broken!

She also says even then they are not physically mature enough to be worked hard, she also mentions how she resisits the temptation to jump the horse as a 3yo, at that age it is generally not strong enough or sufficiently balanced, and sometimes as a 4yo they are not physically mature enough but it does depend on the horse.
 
I backed Alee last summer when she was 3. I gave a couple of months off in the autumn and then had to bring her back into work as out yard had alternate day turnout so she was being worked on alternate days. She is a warmblood and very slow maturing so in March I decided to turn her away. It was the best thing I could have done as when she came back in July she was a different horse. Far more mature and ready for work. She was going great until she went lame but I would do the same again with another youngster.
 
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