Backing 3/4yr olds

Baby thoroughbred did another little 2 phase training event this weekend. Very impressed with how fast he learns, he was so much more sure of himself than last time out and has actually figured out how to get up in the air over fences. Few more little questions this week, a spooky ditch, steps and a sunken road, but he just popped round and got on with it 🤩
 
Snow-pony said:
Baby thoroughbred did another little 2 phase training event this weekend. Very impressed with how fast he learns, he was so much more sure of himself than last time out and has actually figured out how to get up in the air over fences. Few more little questions this week, a spooky ditch, steps and a sunken road, but he just popped round and got on with it 🤩
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Very nice horse - lovely natural balance
 
Well Myka recovered well from her 'throwing-off-the-trainer' episode in June when her saddle was hurting her. It took a very long time. But she has been feeling very good recently and we have re-established trot and she is calm, soft, willing. However I am not the rider to move things forward into canter so she has gone for 6 weeks to someone Joe has recommended. All going well so far. Though they are also taking it slow as she needs time to get her head round things.

Mylo has come home now, reunited with brother Felix. He can almost join this thread as he'll be 3 next year. So come January Myka will graduate to the 5/6 YO thread, and Mylo can start sharing his adventures here. He's such a sweet little guy. So calm, but also alert and responsive. The perfect happy medium between 'half asleep at all times' Felix and 'OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING' Myka. My Goldilocks horse. 🥰

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No updates from us for a while.
Small pony had some planned time off as was progressing a bit too quickly for me, so I wanted him to have a break so I didn't get greedy.
He has now been trodden on in the field by one of the larger ponies 🙄 so having further enforced time off as has a really large overreach on his back leg.

Giant ginger has had a torrid time with a wind op planned, however he then got a really nasty larynx infection. So bute, steroids, anti -coagulant, antibiotics and a nebuliser prescribed.
6 weeks later than planned, he had his wind op this week and, fingers crossed, coming home Friday.
This is tie back completed and before hobday started
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Just taking thing slowly really with the young Irish chap. A couple of very short hacks, 15 minutes, mixed in with a little long reining and in hand work a week. I think he is the sweetest boy but very childish, even for a 3 year old, and prone to temper tantrums as he wants to do more. I do adore him though.

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Ambers Echo said:
Well Myka recovered well from her 'throwing-off-the-trainer' episode in June when her saddle was hurting her. It took a very long time. But she has been feeling very good recently and we have re-established trot and she is calm, soft, willing. However I am not the rider to move things forward into canter so she has gone for 6 weeks to someone Joe has recommended. All going well so far. Though they are also taking it slow as she needs time to get her head round things.

Mylo has come home now, reunited with brother Felix. He can almost join this thread as he'll be 3 next year. So come January Myka will graduate to the 5/6 YO thread, and Mylo can start sharing his adventures here. He's such a sweet little guy. So calm, but also alert and responsive. The perfect happy medium between 'half asleep at all times' Felix and 'OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING' Myka. My Goldilocks horse. 🥰

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wow.. thats scary. Mylo nearly 3 ! where has it gone. Hes a handsome dude for sure. Hows Amber getting on ?
 
Asha said:
wow.. thats scary. Mylo nearly 3 ! where has it gone. Hes a handsome dude for sure. Hows Amber getting on ?
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Amber is fabulous. Shiny and looking in great condition. She does make very very nice babies! And she seems to love being in foal or with one on her. She is so much more chilled and affectionate than she used to be. Myka has the Legrande movement but is very reactive from the mare/damsire. Mylo also has the Legrande movement but with a much calmer brain from Amber. And Felix is the most laid back horse known to man. Amber had a foal this year - Sire is Cappa Sarsfield (RID) and foal is stunning. And so far seems to take life in his stride. She's empty now waiting for either her loaner or me to put her back in in Spring.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Amber is fabulous. Shiny and looking in great condition. She does make very very nice babies! And she seems to love being in foal or with one on her. She is so much more chilled and affectionate than she used to be. Myka has the Legrande movement but is very reactive from the mare/damsire. Mylo also has the Legrande movement but with a much calmer brain from Amber. And Felix is the most laid back horse known to man. Amber had a foal this year - Sire is Cappa Sarsfield (RID) and foal is stunning. And so far seems to take life in his stride. She's empty now waiting for either her loaner or me to put her back in in Spring.
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ooh , thats exciting ! Good luck hope to see her on the 2027 foaling thread then
 
Took Amara to her first clinic today doing pole work . Which she loves . We took my schoolmaster Finn and our other ID mare Dream who is still a little green .
I rode Finn , daughter on Dream and lovely pro on Amara .
Who got decked do you think ?

Yes , me on the schoolmaster . He decided to jump three poles like it was a newcomers water tray , then bronc on landing .
Amara didn’t even notice . Didn’t put a hoof wrong and even managed some canter poles . She was a total star .
She didn’t even flinch when the train went past the arena . Very proud of her
Not so proud of Finn the little fecker
 
I’m enjoying this thread and learning lots. I have a two year old. Last two winters he’s spent in a barn at youngstock livery. This year I’d like him to live out with my other horses at home. Does anyone have a view on whether a two year old can winter out as a friend of mine thinks I should be bringing him in. Obviously if we get prolonged rain and cold , he can come in but mine tend to stay out as much as possible with lots of hay.
 
myheartinahoofbeat said:
I’m enjoying this thread and learning lots. I have a two year old. Last two winters he’s spent in a barn at youngstock livery. This year I’d like him to live out with my other horses at home. Does anyone have a view on whether a two year old can winter out as a friend of mine thinks I should be bringing him in. Obviously if we get prolonged rain and cold , he can come in but mine tend to stay out as much as possible with lots of hay.
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Depends on his breeding. Is he native or something more delicately built? Does the field have shelter? My two year old is a connie x tb and thrives on living out most of the time with a rug when needed. We have shelters in the fields. The horses all come in if the weather is particularly wet and cold. If out, your youngster would be moving around a lot more than in a barn and that would be good for several reasons, but will also help to keep him warm.
 
Well it finally happened! I had my first ride on Apache today. Went really well overall, he was a bit wobbly at first while we figured each other out, so steering wasn't too good. However as I got my comfortable and confident I was able to guide him better. His trot feels amazing, next time we will have a canter. Today is a day to remember 1.5 years in the making!

He has another two weeks of training left and I'm hoping to have another couple of rides/lessons before I bring him home.

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Please excuse the fuzzy video screenshot.
 
Baby TB did his first little grid yesterday. He was a little star as usual and just popped through like a pro (we started with just a little bounce and then added an upright and then a little oxer). He also met his first water tray, safe to say he could not have been less bothered 😂
He managed to lose a shoe escaping from the field last night so a few off while we wait for the farrier. Thinking of just taking the back shoes off for now, he needs to be sedated for shoeing but I think we could probably manage just fronts without 🤔
Still living out but he'll be coming in at night as soon as the clocks change, which im quite looking forward to!
 

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It has just occurred to me that although it’s unclear when “proper” backing activities shall commence (some point next Summer? Although longreining shall likely begin in earnest New Yr) I technically have a pony that qualifies for this thread now…

He has actually been briefly sat on and led about and has had a few longreining sessions with previous owner as well but not for a while.

Apologies in advance for the mostly extremely boring content to follow…

For now I shall report on the slight s***t show that was our first attempt at an inhand walk involving going on the road (again he’s done a bit of this in previous home but we have to contend with main roads to go anywhere and he’s not seen much traffic, although has been watching the M1 from a distance since he arrived)

Enlisted another livery and her normally fairly sensible horse as babysitters and turns out said horse wasn’t best pleased with being roped into this. He grumped all the way down the drive with his ears back and then decided that launching at said baby pony when his mum turned around to shut the gate was the best way to express his frustration (didn’t get anywhere near as we were keeping a healthy distance… baby pony ignored him as he currently has zero interest in drama)

Basically ended up putting the baby in front and just rolling with it… Cars are mildly suspicious but we can keep walking whilst being suspicious, buses require coming to a halt and suspiciously ogling them (as do lorry’s pulling caravans).

Then came back across farmers fields that we’ve recently been granted permission to use. If we are on a path NEXT TO grass we “get” that we’re not allowed to eat it but struggling to compute walking ON grass without eating it. Is starting to understand that if I start jogging I want him to trot (as long as rope is kept slack so he’s not being pressured into it).

Alternative babysitter options that can do a bit more useful traffic shielding being explored 🙈

Kinda don’t want to ruin that he’s rather unbothered whether there’s another horse out with him or where it is / what it’s doing as I’ve had 2 horses in a row that could be a bit “clingy” with others they’re out with and having one that doesn’t care would be great / helpful for what I’d like to eventually do with him but some traffic support until we’re past the “large vehicles are a bit scary” phase is probably a sensible idea

No photos due to chaos so enjoy one from me trying to convince him to stop booting my lorry when tied to it a few weeks ago.

Yes I’m aware he needs a new headcollar (it’s the one he came with… will get a better one when it’s no longer living hung up next to the isolation strip)

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Amara is coming on so well . Getting stronger and more balanced every day .
She puts up with so much , as we have been having work done on the house which is right next to the arena . Today there was a chap in the trees lobbing down branches and she carries on working well and ignoring it . It’s not always a pretty picture as they learn , but you have to watch out for those moments when it looks right . Super proud of her . IMG_0292.jpeg
 
Still no photos as don’t have a free hand a lot of the time (need a PIVO or something for Xmas if I can find a good deal I think) but this week we have played with tarpaulins & foam bridges (both of which he thought were excellent when he discovered that walking over them dispensed treats).

We have also met my mock up Working Equitation bull & vara (a cone with a removable ring attached and a very large garden cane 😂). His opinion about watching me twirl a garden cane around and occasionally shove it through a ring was that I’d possibly lost my mind (& was I sure HE wasn’t supposed to be removing the ring with his mouth instead?)

He also met the flappy Halloween curtain of doom (pictured below with Fuzzball last year ). Had to tie the flappy bits back and let him sniff it very thoroughly from every angle but he has walked through / under it a few times.

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Also did find some sort of better behaved company to go for a walk with (said company would MUCH RATHER have gone with his actual friends who went out about 10 mins before but was ok once he got over this disappointment). No buses today and less looky at the other traffic. Was very disappointed to be turned towards home rather than continuing his adventure (we were only out for about 15 minutes) which bodes well for starting to go a bit further in the future.

Next week he shall meet the new friend I’ve made him seeing as he’s so fond of pawing at / kicking things!

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3yo is being a sweet, somewhat overly confident ride for my daughter. They constantly terrify the nanny ponies as they swan off together into the distance and the mares behind panic that there’s no adult close enough to look after them 🤣! She is still begging for rides so I don’t think will take well to the idea of being turned away. She’s ridden about twice a week at the moment, that should be easy enough to carry on through the winter. She has muscled up nicely and has a good spring in her trot.

4yo has gone off on loan to a family with small children after doing that job impeccably for sharers and friends over the summer, and now being totally, totally outgrown here (roller skates would be needed in the very near future!). She spent the summer teaching children to ride, and lead rein children to come off lead for the first time.

My young ones will be 3 next spring. How time flies!
 
Next spring it's time for at least two or my youngsters to get used to some basic riding. They're born 2023, so will be three years old in the spring. Icelandics, very sweet horses. The pinto is totally fine with me hanging and climbing around on him in the paddock, so I think he'll be really easy. The black one is a bit skittish and immature, but also very sweet.

Then there's the smaller pony, he'll be about 120-125 cm at withers when he's grown. But a very strong kind of horse, without being heavy. I'm not sure if I'm going to start riding him next year though, as he's small and I don't want his skeleton to take harm. Either way, he'll be mostly for driving anyway.

I do unfortunately not manage to insert photos of the creatures. They're a lot of floof.
 
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