backing and turning away v's just backing.

[Queenbee]

Hi all,

Thank you to those of you who replied to my previous post re: brining on a youngster. Lots of great information, ideas and suggestions in there for me to be using this summer to have a bit of productive fun with ben.

My next question, is why do some people back-turn away-then re-back? I don't quite understand this, If the answer is because initially the horse is not physiologically or mentally able to cope in the first instance, then I don't understand the reasons for not just waiting to do it all later. Why turn away? I completely understand giving a horse a week or two to 'digest' what they have learnt, this used to benefit ebony sometimes and stop her blowing her brain, but I would think that turning away for a number of months would be unproductive.

So I suppose my next questions are:
If you back/turn away/ reback. Why do you use this method, what benefits do you find from the process.

If you don't do the 'turn away/ reback' bit then why not?

I for one have never understood it, and would rather get on and do very light, occasional work but without a large break, even if it is only a 20min gentle hack at weekends. Turning away for a long period just doesn't make sense to me, but then it is probably because I don't understand the reasons behind doing it, please enlighten me

 

[dotty1]

I backed my homebred last May, just as she turned 3. I rode her for a week, inc 2 little hacks in company. I then left her in the field until October when I did the same, just riding her for a week before turning her out again until the beginning of March this year.
She has now been ridden lightly for the last 3 weeks and has been very easy, has just had her first solo hack with no dramas and is schooling very nicely.
I think just doing little and often stops them feeling pressured and they don't forget each thing they have done.
If she had been difficult then I would probably have kept her going a little longer each time until all was better.

 

[eggs]

I tend to back my youngsters (warmblood sports horses who will mature at 16.2 ish) in the spring of their third year to the stage where they can walk, trot and canter in the school with a basic understanding of steering, going and stopping. They will also probably go for a couple of hacks around the fields.

Then I tend to turn them away until the autumn when they will be rebacked and then turned away again for the winter.

I have found that they don't really forget what they have learned.

I back them at 3 as I don't want them to be too big and strong but obviously wouldn't back them if I didn't think they were physically or mentally mature enough (one was backed in the winter of his second year and another wasn't backed until the summer of his fourth year).

I think too much work on young limbs is detrimental to their long term soundness.

Also, we tend to have a couple each year (we breed) so don't have the time to be riding all the horses all of the time.

 

[Bug2007]

I backed again (ex race horse as a 2 yr old) at three and rode her for about four months, we did a little of everything including inhand showing and introducing jumping. I then in October last year turned her away for four months....the length was due to it being horrible and not easy to keep her in work with full time work.
I would of however given her a break anyway....i believe all horses should where possible have a month off at some point in the year.
She had her shoes off and allowed to relax and be a baby a little longer, she was a able to think about what she has done and mature mentally a little more.
Brought her back in now as a 4 year old, she is so much stronger and i'm glad i backed her last year as she has now more confidence but they fact she has done the hard bit has stopped any major arguments.
She is now going nicely and i believe having the break has done her good. She will be worked and competed this year right up to december and then she'll have six weeks off and brought back in at the end of jan.
This will happen every year while i have her.

Sometimes if you give a horse a break that has been difficult to do, when you re-back them they are easier and seem to have sorted it out in thier heads.
When i 're-back' i don't fluff it all up, it's saddle back on, get on and go for a hack, i expect the manners they finished with. Not had a problem yet with doing it like this.