Back your own, or send it off?

Do horses do better professionally, or home backed?

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SkewbyTwo

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Just made arrangements to send my fab 5yo to my instructor for breaking. I backed him last summer and have done various bits of stuff with him, he lunges, is bitted, and has done in hand showing. But besides that he's a blank canvas. My original intention was to do him myself, using an instructor. But I've other horses to ride, and crack on with, and I actually feel now that I'd like him to have a blissfully uncomplicated start. I've a trainer I trust and a super bond with the horse in question.

What did you do with yours, how did it turn out, would you/do you do the same again?
 
After backing horses for other people as a teenager and riding on newly broken ones, as an adult I've always wanted to baca Nd break my own horse, brought breeze as a 15 month old , she's rising 4 now and we have had the best time, sat on her the first time and went from there , if at any stage I'd needed to send away or call in help I would but I know her inside out and have been rewarded for it , I now have a well rounded girl ready to take on the world :)
 
I like to back my own - however if I thought a youngster might be too sharp for me I would have no qualms about sending it away to be backed.
 
I would always do mine myself but thats cause I know I can... im not being big headed there at all but I have broken & re broken a lot & dealt with a lot with issues & sorted out a lot of issues other people have caused

I did mine myself & I am so proud of how shes coming on shes exceeding my expectations talent wise I bought her to just be an alrounder to bring on & sell but shes wormed her way In & now shes not leaving
I will always buy unbroken now I find it so rewarding
 
Im not good enough to back horses, so mine go to a pro's yard. Absolutely delighted with the end result, and the pro has carried on with the schooling and has now started to compete them. Absolute bliss, to see them get the best education.

Its all dependant on how capable you are.
 
kassieg said:
I would always do mine myself but thats cause I know I can... im not being big headed there at all but I have broken & re broken a lot & dealt with a lot with issues & sorted out a lot of issues other people have caused
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That's it, mine is a doll and for me, being the first person on him and being led about bareback on him in walk and trot, was enough for me to go wow, I love how he feels, and to see just how utterly okay he was with it all. I am no expert, I need a horse I can enjoy. It gets a bit technical now! And I am utterly unused to wobbly youngsters :/
 
I did mine myself, but had my instructor on hand to discuss is with and had her there at each major milestone to ensure it was going well. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and know him inside out. He was a superstar throughout and has continued in the same way. I'd love to have another one to bring on if time/space allowed as I really enjoyed the process. As it is, this one isn't going anywhere and we're having a ball. If I thought I was out of my depth (I bought one that had an exceptionally good temperament and wasn't particularly sharp - although training has sharpened him up) I wouldn't hesitate to use a pro.
 
I chose 'other' as I think it very much depends on the horse and the owner. My sister backed her tb youngster herself (with help from me on the ground) and while he was easy to do and no bother at all for the initial stages I think he would have come on much faster with a more experienced person as she definately babied him a lot more than was needed.
While I would love to back my own I know for definate I am no-where near confident or experienced enough to do it so if I have one who needs started then they will go to a well researched professional however for someone who is experienced and confident then I think that they can often do better being backed by the owenr as the horse knows them well and from an owners point of view you know exactly whats been done and whats happened to the horse
 
I chose other as I broke mine myself, but I do also do it for other people, so it doesn't really count. I feel it depends on the horse, and the rider who will be doing the starting. My friend backed hers herself, and he has turned out to be a lovely horse, but she got to a stage where she felt she needed some help, this is partly as she then got pregnant/had child.
 
SkewbyTwo said:
That's it, mine is a doll and for me, being the first person on him and being led about bareback on him in walk and trot, was enough for me to go wow, I love how he feels, and to see just how utterly okay he was with it all. I am no expert, I need a horse I can enjoy. It gets a bit technical now! And I am utterly unused to wobbly youngsters :/
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Have you done much long lining with him? This should help his wobbliness he will obviously still be wobbly but I think it makes such a difference. Dont hold him up keep the lines loose & let him find his own circle size, start in walk then build up slowly
 
I'd do it myself. I know I'm capable as have done it before and then I know that there should be no issues. I'd only send away if no-one was available in the early stages for the leading round etc, but that isn't likely :)
 
They are always done here sometimes with professional help sometimes not depends on what I am doing with them and I have a very good amateur rider who has done them since I no longer ride
 
I've got one to start this year, am very excited as she's another home-bred baby. Previously I've done them myself as I'm had them all since yearling/bred them. I did send one away for schooling as I was pregnant and wished to remain that way!

There's no way I'll be sending this one away, she's quite a sensitive girl, she spent a couple of weeks elsewhere last year and got stressed so I think it best she stays with me. She's no trouble and I've got a young girl desperate to come and help me. My son also thinks that she is going to be his pony so keen to ride her. BUT she's MY pony!!!!!!
 
I've always backed my own natives and brought them on for the show ring. My mum's Welsh cob is away being backed just now as I simply don't have the time to commit to the early stages at the moment as I do everything myself - not even a holder or leader for the first sit on.
 
I've always backed my own.

Although we've got one here now that although I have backed him and got him hacking, he should be going away soon to a pro to be brought on, as although I *could* do it myself I don't want to as I'm not really interested in him and won't be taking him on as my own ride. I don't really feel like I can put the commitment into him that he deserves and needs but I've got him started happily.
 
I would do the initial work myself ie lunging bitting etc, and if a competant helper was available, and the horse wasn't a nutter, the initial sit on myself. Would then go to a pro to be ridden away
 
I take them through to being ridden on the lunge then sent them to friend who had a yard for riding away and to see the world a bit as I believed that that's very important for homebreds .
I backed a lot of horses when I was working generally my advice would be if your not experianced don't do it.
 
I've done two of mine myself. First one was done with a friend who was starting a professional career with horses at the time. The second one is currently a work in progress (backed and hacking in walk and trot, all groundwork established, needs more work under saddle) with input from professionals. LP mare was easy, very very quick learner but extraordinarily level-headed and straightforward. Bug has been a bit of a pendulum, either remarkably straightforward or a complete headcase, depending on the situation. I thought very hard about sending her away to be backed and found the right people to do it, but in the end I bit the bullet and did it myself (with input from the same pros I'd've sent her to) and she's coming on beautifully, so I'm glad I did!
 
I never wanted to send mine away but I've moved yards, I'm on my own, I have struggled to find reliable help so have decided to send him away, he goes in 2 weeks

I am confident that he will now have the best start in his working life! as I have never backed a horse myself, he's been quite difficult, and I don't have any facilities, so he will be in better hands where he's going!
 
I'd like to do as much as I can at home, and will probably ask for help somewhere down the line to speed things along a bit, then winter off, before sending her to a friend who's a pro trainer come following spring.
 
I've done both, and from now on would only use a professional. We don't have the facilities at home, we don't have the expertise to do it right from day one (not that the one we backed was a problem, but she could have had a better, more correct backing and riding away!) and we certainly don't have the time. The professional I used was someone I'd known for over a year as she was a customer of ours, and she and her team did a fabulous job with my youngster. One of the best things she did was encourage me over to ride him before he came home - I rode him out with her on another horse, in groups, alone (which he would have to do when he came home) and we cantered through woodland too so I was totally confident to carry on with him. Our three year old will be going to the same person for light backing and general education this year too.
 
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