Backing a baby without facilities. Anyone done it?

phantomhorse

phantomhorse

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Just wanted advice really.

I dont keep my horse on a livery yard and now shes turned 4 I have started lunging and longreining her. I can mount her and dismount and she is very good and stands quietly. On the lunge she is quite a hot head and will halt but often doesnt listen to 'walk' if she's trotting round unless shes getting tired on her own although she will go from trot to halt on command. For the past two weeks I am lunging her every other day for 5 minutes each side. She is still unsettled by it and gets distracted easily but I expect she will settle down more as she gets used to the routine and whats expected of her. Longreining she is good at and will 'whoa' and 'walk on' on command really well. We dont trot on the longreins.

My question is, when I mount her in the yard she walks backwards. I do not use my legs as she wont understand those aids yet and I dont pull on the reins at all. I just ask her to 'walk on' but she doesn't understand when I am sat on her and walks backwards instead. As I do not have anyone to help me on the ground or another horse to ride out with us, what should I do. Carry on longreining her and hope she cottons on eventually, or is there something else I can do to help her understand what I'm asking her to do? We do not have a menage so I am having to train her from the yard and lanes nearby. I know it is early days in her training but I am worried she will use walking backwards as a vice if she doesnt stop doing it early on. Any advice appreciated. Thank you!
 
I would long line her on a circle so you can work her in walk, trot and canter.

In regards to the riding, get a length of rope and use it behind the saddle either side to send her forwards, she'll soon learn to listen to your leg.
 
Youngsters often walk backwards as they are trying to get their balance due to the unaccustomed weight. For them the weight is in the 'wrong place' to walk forward. If you can get from walking backwards to just standing still you're making progress. From standing still you'll get to walk forward. It just takes a little time.
 
Thanks LouS. I am lunging her several times a week but am not keen to do it too much or too often as shes big and still young. Shes very sharp and excitable so is going to take a while to settle on the lunge I think. At the moment she trots madly round neighing and gawping around her and gets quite hot and sweaty even after 5 minutes. I think she gets over excited easily.

Not sure Id want to wack her with anything to get her moving forward when I am sat up on her. Like I say she is very sharp and Id probably end up on the floor if I pushed her into walking forwards before shes ready. Its still early days and she really doesnt understand what is expected of her yet. Its so tempting to apply your leg until you remember they dont know that aid yet!

And thanks classicalfan, thats encouraging. She will stand still with me sat on her and if she moves to fidget itll be backwards. Ill ask her to stand again and she will. I rekon if I sit there long enough shell eventually decide to move forwards but I am just too worried of the walking backwards bit incase it becomes a habit. Should I stop sitting on her until Ive done more longreining and lunging?
 
your original post is confusing. first you say she stands quietly to get on and walk on. next paragraph is she walks backwards when you get on? you might be best to send her away to a good yard to be ridden on for 4 to 6 weeks and pay the bill, and collect a horse that can walk, trot, canter stop and steer on command and go from there. if yo send her away go visit and watch her work 3 to 4 times a week and be involved, so that you can be consistant with her when you bring her home. i have produced many from a stable and a field (no manege) so it can be done, but mine were lunged long reined and ridden in W/T/C in around 6 weeks. whilst youngsters need time you cant pussyfoot around them.
 
phantomhorse said:
Thanks LouS. I am lunging her several times a week but am not keen to do it too much or too often as shes big and still young. Shes very sharp and excitable so is going to take a while to settle on the lunge I think. At the moment she trots madly round neighing and gawping around her and gets quite hot and sweaty even after 5 minutes. I think she gets over excited easily.

Not sure Id want to wack her with anything to get her moving forward when I am sat up on her. Like I say she is very sharp and Id probably end up on the floor if I pushed her into walking forwards before shes ready. Its still early days and she really doesnt understand what is expected of her yet. Its so tempting to apply your leg until you remember they dont know that aid yet!

And thanks classicalfan, thats encouraging. She will stand still with me sat on her and if she moves to fidget itll be backwards. Ill ask her to stand again and she will. I rekon if I sit there long enough shell eventually decide to move forwards but I am just too worried of the walking backwards bit incase it becomes a habit. Should I stop sitting on her until Ive done more longreining and lunging?
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If she's going backwards it needs to be corrected straight away. If she can walk backwards she can bloody well walk forwards. You've got to teach them leg means go. I didn't say whack her, I said use a rope, its a stimulus that she'll understand. If you use it on each side it sends them forward. The mistake people make is trying to use loads of leg, I use the lightest of legs aids with my youngsters and if they don't respond I use the rope. They all go off the leg beautifully from the word go, walk, trot, canter.

The fact that you say 'if I sit on her long enough she'll eventually decide to move forward' worries me, who's in charge here? If you don't feel confident/capable send her away before she learns bad habits. Sorry to be blunt but it will go wrong if you let her get away with things.

I would long rein on a circle rather than lunge, you have more control and you're teaching her to be ridden rather than to just run around.
 
I would carry on with the long reining for longer. I have no facilities and back a couple of horses a year. I find that after long reining and by making sure they listen to you in hand that they are much more in tune to your voice commands. I can then use the voice commands to help them pick up the physical leg aids. They will always move a little when you mount to start off with, its just how they adjust to the strange weight but this doesn't usually take long for them to become used to if they are physically mature enough.
I've always been a firm believer in the more work you put in on the ground the easier the backing process is. Plus it makes it less stressfull for both you and the horse. It is much easier and safer with two people though if you can find someone. Good Luck!
 
We backed my daughters pony with no facilities at all- he happily followed me so at first a friend rode and i walked or vice versa. Not for long at all then the walker dropped right back and he did it all alone- However he DID listen to walk, trot and stand on the lunge first.
We then went straight out on the roads a few times before turning him away for a break.
He was a very easy baby, he will be 4 soon but hacks perfectly alone or in company (very lightly) we dont school yet as such, partly as the field was too muddy but partly because he loves tootling round and is learning and improving daily anyway.
I guess you do need a calm baby to do it this way tho.
 
I had a similar issue to you.... I'd taught my cob to go backwards in-hand from an early age. And to move over in the stable, but not to go forwards, in that I hadn't said 'walk on' a lot, as she'd always been good at just coming with me.

So, the first few times I got on her in the yard, she would go backwards, backwards, backwards on command, and move over (sideways/turn on the forehand sort of thing!) But, just did not get it about going forwards!!!

Like you, I had no facilities and no help as such, though to get past that one I had to enlist the help of friends to do a bit of encouraging, either on foot, or with another horse.

So.... in the interim, I'd suggest using voice signals everywhere, or get some help!!
 
Interesting post as we're in the process of breaking our home bred 'from the field'. Started long reining today, and she was very good, walk, halt, rein back off the borrowed Dually headcollar, she listens to the voice, but can be excitable in hand at times. I can see me being on her very soon, everything we do to her she accepts and goes with, fingers crossed it all goes according to plan!
 
I broke my mare from the field actually, and she was super :D I did spent ages before though teaching her voice commands from the ground, and taking her on walks. I also took a crop with me and combined her walk voice command with a push where my heel would be if I were riding. It didn't take long to translate what she'd learned to moving forwards with me sitting on her. Could you not find a friend to just walk next to you to give your horse a little help? Or advertise for someone maybe? Mine did start to play the 'backwards' game after a bit, but with patience and firmness she soon learned.
 
I've only ever had one not understand what the leg meant straight away, and even then it only took a few mins! In your situation I would get on nearish something large and solid (like a stable/fence) so when she goes backwards she quickly reaches a point where there's nowhere else to go, and as soon as I got on I'd begin to ask, gently, and repeatedly, with the leg until she walks forwards - with even half a step stop asking, loads of praise, rest for a few secs, then ask again. She'll get it.
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
your original post is confusing. first you say she stands quietly to get on and walk on. next paragraph is she walks backwards when you get on?
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Sorry, I cant see where OP said they were mounted and the horse walked forward?; OP did say it walked-on well on the long reins, though.

OP: If you can't afford to send her away for backing and feel confident in backing and early schooling yourself then I'd say don't give up at the first hurdle. It's very early days but you are right in not wanting to encourage the walking-backwards behaviour. If it were me in your position I would continue to mount and dismount quietly to accustom the horse to it, but not expect it to walk on yet. And I would continue daily with the long-reining sessions with lots of "walk-ons" and "whoas" along the way. Your horse needs to learn the verbal aids really well so she'll know what to do once you're up on her. It'll really help clarify things for her when she gets a bit confused from leg aids. However, if the horse wont stand still when you mount stop doing that too for the time being and just long-rein. Dont mount or expect more until you can find a helper. I think you sound as if you need someone on the ground to help, even if just initially. Someone to lead the horse forward when you mount and get things going in a forward manner. There must be SOMEONE you can beg to help !!! :)
 
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