Backing 3/4yr olds

Getting just a little bit excited about Amara . Had a lovely report . She’s hacking around the fields and roads now and has even done a trot . They says she’s a lovely model , who isn’t at all sharp , not offended by anything. A bit looky , but doesn’t spin or run back , just does the usual move sideways crab movement . With a bit of time being ridden away they think she will be great for me !
Got to get the farrier out pronto as she’s now feeling her feet a bit .
She’s just so utterly scrummy
She reminds me of her granny Asha so much ( her brain not looks )
 

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Ambers Echo said:
Fabulous update. How long will she be away?
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Well there’s a story .. I picked her up yesterday and took her to a new yard . ( I was annoyed at the lack of communication) so it will probably set her back a week . So I’m thinking another 4 weeks potentially. Then the lady who rides away ( who has just brought her mum back into work) will get her going from home and do all the firsts . I love my new hip so not taking any risks
 
So Myka's school report is a little less glowing! She went 'ballistic' in Joe's saddle too. I am so glad she is with him. He is so calm and patient and will take the time it takes to get her completely psychologically comfortable - not just accepting. She is however perfectly happy to be ridden bare-back so he's mixing that in too, to progress her understanding and comfort with carrying a rider.

Physio is checking her out today to make sure there are no issues.

Re communication, silence would do my head in so I am not surprised you've moved Ahrena. I just don't understand trainers who don't recognise that communcating with customers is a core part of the job.
 
Ambers Echo said:
So Myka's school report is a little less glowing! She went 'ballistic' in Joe's saddle too. I am so glad she is with him. He is so calm and patient and will take the time it takes to get her completely psychologically comfortable - not just accepting. She is however perfectly happy to be ridden bare-back so he's mixing that in too, to progress her understanding and comfort with carrying a rider.

Physio is checking her out today to make sure there are no issues.

Re communication, silence would do my head in so I am not surprised you've moved Ahrena. I just don't understand trainers who don't recognise that communcating with customers is a core part of the job.
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Do you think its the feeling of the girth as opposed to the saddle ? Im sure Joe will get to the bottom of it.

As for communications, im not one of these who needs a daily update. Once a week is fine, but i asked to go and see her at the weekend as she had been away for 3 weeks. I phoned and text Friday morning, i then text again Saturday morning, by Saturday evening id lost my head.. Even a quick .. sorry cant do this weekend but could do xyz would have done. I cant handle being ignored.
 
Ambers Echo said:
So Myka's school report is a little less glowing! She went 'ballistic' in Joe's saddle too. I am so glad she is with him. He is so calm and patient and will take the time it takes to get her completely psychologically comfortable - not just accepting. She is however perfectly happy to be ridden bare-back so he's mixing that in too, to progress her understanding and comfort with carrying a rider.

Physio is checking her out today to make sure there are no issues.

Re communication, silence would do my head in so I am not surprised you've moved Ahrena. I just don't understand trainers who don't recognise that communcating with customers is a core part of the job.
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I bet you are very glad you sent her away!

He’ll figure it out. With our rein issue there was no problem on the ground or leaning over - I could long rein and lean over her and use them and everything. We had desensitised to death but try what you might sometimes the issue only shows up with a rider on and moving.
 
Yes I am super glad I am not backing the drama-llama myself! She has no issue having the girth tightened. She only reacts when she moves. So there is something about feeling contricted/squeezed while moving she can't deal with. Maybe some primal fear of a predator on her back and then clinging on or something. Joe did say a few things are not scary when stationary but suddenly are perceived as 'chasing' when moving.
 
Oooof I’m jealous of all your four year olds properly under saddle. Mine kinda was, then I nearly lost him and whilst he’s now recovered I want to do some ground work first and the next two months are just full of travel, so it’ll have to be pretty inconsistent. Not ideal for a baby.

I have a feeling he may not do much of anything until summer but that’s ok!
 
Michen said:
Oooof I’m jealous of all your four year olds properly under saddle. Mine kinda was, then I nearly lost him and whilst he’s now recovered I want to do some ground work first and the next two months are just full of travel, so it’ll have to be pretty inconsistent. Not ideal for a baby.

I have a feeling he may not do much of anything until summer but that’s ok!
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That's totally fine though! There's no rush. We all seem to move at different paces and times with our young horses.
 
My rising 4 YO is by no means 'properly under saddle'!

Though Felix is balancing the scales by being the world's most laid back horse. I swear I could tack him up and ride him down the road tomorrow.
 
Mine is only just starting to long rein - we won't be doing anything more than hack until next year.

My rising 5yr old has had the winter off after a summer of hacking. He will do more this summer.
 
Yeh that makes sense. When I say properly under saddle I wasn’t really thinking, I really just mean sat on with a saddle on which is what I did with mine a couple of times before he got sick.

Hopefully he can have a summer hacking ahead of him then winter off.
 
My 4yo is keeping me on my toes. Had a feeling she wasn’t quite right so booked a lameness work up. She was sound everywhere other than failing flexion test on one hind leg. X rays all clear so we re-asses two weeks later, by which point she’s more lame - 3/10 trotting in a straight line. Negative to hoof testers but we do nerve blocks where she blocked to the foot. Ended up taking her to Newmarket for an MRI which showed… a sole bruise! 🙄 most expensive blooming one on record!

She’s in a grass pen to allow it to heal and I’m applying Keratex daily. Vet says to come back in 3 weeks and if still lame try shoes on her, but I’m really reluctant given she’s always been barefoot. So hard to know what to do.
 
dapple_grey said:
My 4yo is keeping me on my toes. Had a feeling she wasn’t quite right so booked a lameness work up. She was sound everywhere other than failing flexion test on one hind leg. X rays all clear so we re-asses two weeks later, by which point she’s more lame - 3/10 trotting in a straight line. Negative to hoof testers but we do nerve blocks where she blocked to the foot. Ended up taking her to Newmarket for an MRI which showed… a sole bruise! 🙄 most expensive blooming one on record!

She’s in a grass pen to allow it to heal and I’m applying Keratex daily. Vet says to come back in 3 weeks and if still lame try shoes on her, but I’m really reluctant given she’s always been barefoot. So hard to know what to do.
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Oh blimey, that is a big bill for something fairly simple! But better that it is simple and will hopefully just self-resolve. Good luck!
 
My 4yo has had the saddle fitter every 8-10 weeks since he was backed, and every time without fail he is TERRIBLY behaved in the riding portion and I don't know why. Even when it's sitting in a saddle he has been an angel in all week and walking round so she can have a look - I have uttered the words 'he's honestly never done that before' at the last three appointments, and I have genuinely meant it every time.

I'm sure she thinks I am some delusional numpty as I always say how well he's going etc and then he's utterly vile.
 
Michen said:
Yeh that makes sense. When I say properly under saddle I wasn’t really thinking, I really just mean sat on with a saddle on which is what I did with mine a couple of times before he got sick.

Hopefully he can have a summer hacking ahead of him then winter off.
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Haha, well you know where I am with mine, at least you have sat on your fella. Mine are 5 and 6 this year and not so much as a lean over! (Well, the first lean over of the golden pony is what told me she had ulcers, as soon as I reached my arm down her side and got the ears back).

I’m treating them as honorary 3 and 4yo on this thread. Little brown yeti is quite exciting though, if I can get him healthy, he’s so naturally uphill when you watch him playing. I reckon with our speed of progression it will be another year before I think about sitting on him, when he is 6. But I’m hopeful that playing the long game will pay off.

Even once her ulcers are healed, the golden pony needs way more flexibility and mobility in her body before being ridden, I reckon it would be like sitting on a road drill x pogo stick right now. I saw her fall twice in the field the other day just playing around, I think she just doesn’t have the flexibility to save herself when she does a silly manoeuvre. I have watched her try to scratch itches on her belly or hind foot and she just gives up as she can’t bend enough to reach it! When you see her in photos she has a beautiful head on a short jacked in poorly muscled neck, so her timetable will depend on when I can get her supple in hand and create some length and space in her front end. I had hoped to work on that over the winter and her be much improved by now but the ulcers made her so aggressive (defensive is a more fair way of putting it) it wasn’t worth trying.

The bright side of all the medical investigations I have had into both of them is that I know I have a lovely clean set of back and neck X-rays for both of them!
 
ycbm said:
To add @Ambers Echo, you have no idea how hard I am sitting on my hands not to make you an offer for Felix! He seems such a perfect horse for an older person, sporty but sane!
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If he was smaller I would have also been sitting on my hands. The more horses I see and know the more important I think temperament is.

Are you not at all tempted to keep him @Ambers Echo ?
 
Squeak said:
If he was smaller I would have also been sitting on my hands. The more horses I see and know the more important I think temperament is.

Are you not at all tempted to keep him @Ambers Echo ?
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Actually he;s 16.1 or 2 not 17HH. He and Myks share rugs - 6".

He grew so big and his legs are so chunky that I assumed he was bigger till I needed a rug and tried one I had for M!

I can't have 3 myself. I have Amber out on brrodmare loan to a friend and due to pop anyday. But she may come home when foal is weaned. And I am definitely keeping Mylo and Myka for my competition horses as I think they just have more of the spark I like in a horse. He will be more woah than go.
 
We had our first lesson together today, a sort of flatwork/gridwork combo and our first time jumping since I trialled her. She was super, picked up the idea of going down the grid straight away, she does get a bit excited upon seeing fences though and likes to go quite fast, so I have to sit quietly instead of accidentally tensing the leg and therefore sending her even more forward lol.
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after contacting lots of people regarding Reggie and his education - being that really annoying person that asks a million questions. All of a sudden I remembered the amazing lady that taught my daughter years ago. she did a smashing job with my friends very sensitive welsh cob. She took him up through the level in dressage and had a fab time doing some showing and WH on him. She's coming to have a chat at the weekend to meet the boys and make a plan so between us we can get these boys up together for the summer.

this lady helped me with some ground work with Ben before he went for breaking and was really good with him.
 
We are just slowly slowly working on teaching to lunge here with Willow. Lots to like, groundwork paying off, she now leads nicely by my side instead of trying to follow me everywhere. Trying to keep lots of variety and also do bursts of 3/4 days then day off. Happily accepted a roller, really need to get a saddle though as nothing I have remotely fits. She's been very good and calm with little sprinklings of sass thrown in occasionally 🤣 here she is doing her best donkey impression though 😄

I've posted in vet too, she's given me a minor heartattack this week with red worms in her poo, after worming 3.5 weeks ago with pramox 🤦‍♀️
 

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alsxx said:
We are just slowly slowly working on teaching to lunge here with Willow. Lots to like, groundwork paying off, she now leads nicely by my side instead of trying to follow me everywhere. Trying to keep lots of variety and also do bursts of 3/4 days then day off. Happily accepted a roller, really need to get a saddle though as nothing I have remotely fits. She's been very good and calm with little sprinklings of sass thrown in occasionally 🤣 here she is doing her best donkey impression though 😄

I've posted in vet too, she's given me a minor heartattack this week with red worms in her poo, after worming 3.5 weeks ago with pramox 🤦‍♀️
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She is very special. Just my sort of horse!
 
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