Backing 3/4yr olds

I have been a long time follower of this thread and loved watching everyones progress and thought it was time to join! I have a 3yo Buckskin WBx TB filly - my first (and last) ever homebred! A couple of weeks ago i started 'backing' her bareback as i was waiting for the saddle fitter and got on board no problem. She is so chilled out, but very active minded so couldnt really be bothered with standing whilst i lean over her and fuss over her, didnt do anything wrong but her face gave away how she felt about it! Now she has had her saddle fitted i hopped straight on and she didnt even bat an eyelid! I am only planning on sitting on her and doing inhand walks with tack as shes only 3 but a good start!
 
Velvet turner said:
She wasnt keep on the lunge lines touching her back legs when i tried long reining her (only tried once), have any of you had this issue if so how did you work around it?
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small area, someone at the head and lots of treats.

It is worth persevering even if you aren't into long reining. One of my worst ever falls was from a 4yo who panicked when his wet tail (we'd just crossed a stream) hit his legs. If nothing else they need to learn that stuff around their back legs is OK.
 
My 4 year old pony has been very grown up this week!

She had 3 weeks off over summer as she told me in no uncertain terms, but politely that her saddle needing adjusting. Saddle fitter came and she needed a new one. So got that sorted, teeth and chiro and she got a clean bill of health. She has done some solo walk/trot hacks (very giraffe like but not unsafe) and this week she did her first little canter in the ménage (down the long side) and her first little 30-40cm x poles. She also has her first little clipping session. She looks so much more grown up after summer but sadly her front end is still to catch up with the back!
I’ve had her 3 months now and she hasn’t grown at the front at all.

Please tell me your 4 year old cobs have grown at the front past 4?
 
Velvet turner said:
She wasnt keep on the lunge lines touching her back legs when i tried long reining her (only tried once), have any of you had this issue if so how did you work around it?
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My little Welsh was not keen on the long lines around his bum and legs to start with and it really surprised me as he is so brave and unphased generally.

I went back into the stable and did tonnes more desensitising to the ropes.
Firstly clipped them onto a stable tie up ring and just wafted them up and down, not even touching him.
Then rubbing them all across him, in handfuls, under his belly and up and down his legs, around his head etc.
Then clipped on the wall again and wafting then across him, firstly sticking to his shoulders and across his back, then across his quarters and around his legs.
Finally clipped onto the wall on the other side of him, then feeding the line around the back of him so I could pull it against his quarters and back legs with some tension in the lines. Purposely getting it hooked under his fetlocks etc and giving them a pull.
Once out of the stable I just led him around with the lines trailing to start. The someone leading him while I had first the inside line. Then the same with the outside line too and again, purposely letting it drape all over his quarters and around his legs and almost trying to get us in a pickle!

I did this all in tiny 5 minutes sessions over a few weeks. Any time he looked worried, I waited, went back a bit and then progressed again.
He had no big upsets at all during it and has been absolutely fine ever since.
 
HaffiesRock said:
She looks so much more grown up after summer but sadly her front end is still to catch up with the back!
I’ve had her 3 months now and she hasn’t grown at the front at all.

Please tell me your 4 year old cobs have grown at the front past 4?
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I have the opposite 'problem'! My boy is four in a few weeks, in the last 9 months or so his front end grew a lot, while his back end not so much. He was quite even before then. I'm hoping his back end will catch-up. He still got a few more years of maturing to go so I guess we won't know for sure 'till then.
 
He's gorgeous, Noble!

Apache finished his first week under saddle with great results, even first steps of canter! The trainer praised his clever mindset, and says he's quite balanced for a young horse (all those ground work definitely paid off). Very pleased with how he is going. As soon as they feel he's ready, he's going to be ridden out in the larger paddocks, obstacle course and then in the bush.

Got a few clips of his 4th ride here for those interested:

Hope everyone's babies are going well and making progress.
 
Been getting out hacking as much as life and weather allows. Love Willows approach to everything new, have a good look, think about it, maybe a nosey but generally never 'argh' I can't go past that.

Big question today, we rode up our lane totally alone and met a friend on her horse. A bit OMG who is that, I'm supposed to follow!? But then a lovely relaxed hack seeing new places, and then back down the lane by herself, happy to leave and go home. Considering she's not been ridden since Saturday, I couldn't ask for more.
 

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4yo TB had his first little "show" yesterday, just a very local non competitive 2-phase/jump-cross type thing. I hadn't planned to bring him but my daughter did the 1m class with her horse and it was so lovely and relaxed that we decided to go and get Georgie and see what happened. We'd missed the small class in the morning but they put on a special one at the end for kids from the local riding school so we tagged onto that one (and were very much put to shame by our lack of matchy-matchy LeMieux 😂). It was only his 4th time jumping other than the few little logs in the forest where we hack (and one random poly jump in the field) and his first time in a warm up arena, albeit a very big, not overly busy one, so really didn't know how it would go or how many jumps we'd do. The xc had a few options flagged so you could just pick and choose what you wanted to jump.
Delighted at how fab he was, obviously still very green and doesn't really know what he's doing with his legs but he was so brave and honest and really enjoying himself! 🤩
Hoping it bodes well for his future career as an event horse!

 
Our 3yo took a 2 year old out on the lead rein yesterday. Figured out all on her own that ‘normal trot’ was too bouncy and picked a nice smooth lead rein trot after that. Very kind, very solid even with machinery going on behind the hedges. We swapped back half way because I think her mind was tired but she was so very good!

4yo has now decided she has grown up and wants to go first and do more. One of the kids hopped on her this weekend after a summer of almost all lead rein and she was so happy. Unbothered by little fillers, beautifully behaved. She then got borrowed to take a child off the lead to see if they could manage to coordinate reins/legs/balance well enough to do so, and was foot perfect. Child was soon giggling as she trotted around the field independently.
 
Just back from taking Amara on the local gallops . No galloping as she’s not ready for that , just a hack around and then a nice steady canter up the less steep section . She was yet again completely unphased by it all . Didn’t put a foot wrong . She’s really getting the hang of going forward now and led the ways at times. Genuinely couldn’t ask anymore from her
The lady who rides her reckon she’s around 17.2 now. Hence why we are taking it all very leisurely
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BenvardenRach2 said:
Nice to be able to post in the forum again after a break, i lost my ex racer in October 😔
Had some time to get some sleep again but realised sleep is over rated and I needed to get back in the saddle!
This is my little 4yo connie, Ru 😊 he is such a cool dude, went for a group hack today and he was a darling


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I'm sorry you lost your other horse - your newbie has an awesome fringe 😁
 
BenvardenRach2 said:
Nice to be able to post in the forum again after a break, i lost my ex racer in October 😔
Had some time to get some sleep again but realised sleep is over rated and I needed to get back in the saddle!
This is my little 4yo connie, Ru 😊 he is such a cool dude, went for a group hack today and he was a darling


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He's a stunner 😍 Sorry to hear about your ex racer.
 
Georgie had another jumping practice today, SJ arena hire this time. He gets better every time he jumps, definitely needs plenty of gridwork over the winter to improve his technique but he's just so keen and willing and if you ask him to go he just does it 🤩
Little 2 phase on the agenda next weekend, hunter trial the following week then he'll probably have a little break for a few weeks 😊
 
BenvardenRach2 said:
Nice to be able to post in the forum again after a break, i lost my ex racer in October 😔
Had some time to get some sleep again but realised sleep is over rated and I needed to get back in the saddle!
This is my little 4yo connie, Ru 😊 he is such a cool dude, went for a group hack today and he was a darling
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What a cutie!
Sorry about your loss.
 
I went to visit Apache yesterday. 2hrs of driving each way and I spent nearly 4 hours there. Watched him being ridden (sessions still kept short at about 15-20mins at this stage). He's doing so so well, going forward softly and willingly. He finds the right canter a bit hard but it's still early days.

I brought my grooming kit so I can give him a thorough grooming session. It's spring and he's shedding fistfuls of hair. He has a lot of it too! His feather, mane and tail also got a good brushing, a lot of detangler and elbow grease were needed 😅. Checked his legs also to make sure there's no issues. He was happy to just stand and munch hay while I fussed over him.

I already miss him again but planned another visit in two weeks.

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Betty has been learning to canter today!

Our ménage is quite small and even down the long side she just doesn’t have the space to get her legs doing the right thing before she has to turn. Our hacking is 90% roadwork and the bit that isn’t also isn’t suitable to canter. Where we used to be able to canter, has has been fenced off to build houses 😫

So the ground was perfect today so we took to the resting paddock to practice cantering.

It started well. Second canter she got a bit excited and threw a rather odd sideways buck then shot to the side which unbalanced me and I lost a stirrup. She pulled up lovely though so all was well.

Had a trot around and a final canter which was much better but still took her a bit of time to work out what her legs were doing.

All in all it was really fun and Betty and I loved the freedom!

Thursday I’ll be donning my body protector as the field has some small fallen logs, so that’s Thursdays plan sorted.
 

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CanteringCarrot said:
I haven't ridden much lately, mostly because my saddle slides forward. The fit is good at a standstill, but not so much in motion. My horse is also bum high and wider behind with a forward girth groove so we just don't have much working in our favor right now. I also don't have my trailer at the moment since it's been off for a repair for weeks now, and I don't know that they've even started. I have to trailer 90 min one way to the saddle fitter. So, a bit of a roadblock at the moment.

I've still been exercising him and doing some posture work. My horse is cow hocked and toes out behind. After doing some exercises, he then willingly on his own accord will stand like this:


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Not so toed out. I don't want to fight his conformation or body too much, but I'm curious to see if some strength and other exercises will lessen the cow hocks and the toes from pointing outward. I also have the problem of toes pointing outward, so I should work on the both of us 🤣
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I have a horse with cow hocks. I’m interested to know what exercises you are doing to try and help your horse. I’m really keen to try and improve my boy as he is perfect in every other way? TIA
 
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