Am i mad.. thinking of taking on a young horse.

[MissyMew]

Hi

Just after peoples opinions and experiances of having a young horse for the first time.

I am going to have a look at a 2 yr old mare next week, with a view to bring her on my self with help of more experianced people too.

I know this horses half sister and she's doing very well. So know a little about the breeder. She is well handled, good with her feet and has seen a stable.

I really like the idea of bringing her on slowly and ultimatly replacing my 15 yr old, who is currently fit and heathy.

I want the challenge of a youngster but it is outside my comfort zone and worried about taking on too much. My two boys are both very well mannered and laid back (most of the time).

Thanks for reading.

 

[Biscuit]

Do you have a nice trainer who could come every week and help with the backing etc? I think it really helps to have support especially if it is your first youngster.

Also important to be a confident handler and rider since youngsters can go through challenging phases and have wobbles, which puts some people off.

it is amazing how many things you need to teach them in order to have a well functioning horse, from tying up, bathing, loading, traffic, .... Not just the ridden stuff.

For all of these things it saves a lot of time and effort to get it right the first time, rather than having to correct issues later. So a trainer who is very experienced with youngsters and who can professionally back it for you on your yard can be invaluable.

 

[Tizzy]

A lot of people will tell you yes you are, BUT I have an 18 month old who I have had since 11 months of age.

I personally find him a complete joy and not hard work at all. As to be honest there's not a lot you can do with them at this age to make it hard work.

I do lots of in hand work with him, like daily brushing, washes, hoof picking, touching him all over so he gets used to touch and de-sensitise him.

Take him out in hand for walks, we go over the park, up and down a very quite a private track, just walking and no trotting as he is too young to have that sort of pressure on his joints. We come across new things all the time and he is just fantastic, takes it all in his stride and he gets lots of praise for behaving.

Other than that that's all you can really do with youngsters, but it's all fun. Not only is it fun, but the bond and trust you will build in this youngster is one of the best feelings.

When they get that bit older you can introduce gentle lunges and the next fun stage is getting them broken in

It's not all bad having youngsters, but yes there will be more work needed and buying one that's already broken to ride etc.

But I for one as a youngster owner am LOVING IT.

 

[purplerain]

I wouldn't do anything else. Only ever had youngsters - I'd rather make sure they're brought up properly from the start than have to undo other people's bad work. Only do it though if you have the time and patience to let the horse grow up first and you won't be tempted to rush and too much too soon.