Backing / breaking livery

[Lauren1993]

Hi all,

On average - how long would you expect a pony to be at backing / breaking livery ?
I know all horses & ponies are different but what would be a reasonable amount of time !

Pony is 6 this year, has been used as a companion but ready to do some work.
Aiming for first ridden pony for when my daughter is ready to come off lead rein soon.
Pony has been tacked, lunged, walked out in hand, sat on bareback by children.

Looking to be backed to a walk trot canter basics ready to bring on at home.

Just to get an idea of cost & time needed to do so.

One livery has a day rate & other 2 have a weekly rate.

Thank you

 

[ihatework]

If there is nothing that needs to be gone back and corrected from what you have already done, and pony is pretty straight forwards, then I’d be allowing 6 weeks for a solid WTC and ready to then produce on.

 

[Carrottom]

6 to 8 weeks

 

[Lauren1993]

We’ve hardly done anything really, just walked & trotted on the lunge under tack, child sat on whilst grooming, lead out on the road with another pony around the village.
Shes bold with things like tarp, kids on bikes, tyre swings etc. but can be abit skitty in the wind when coming in from the field.
Just tricky finding someone local ish that is small enough for a fine 11.1hh

 

[EventingMum]

I thik it's very hard to answer. Years ago I sent a Sec A away to be backed. He was very well handled as he'd been shown in hand since he was a foal, he'd lunged and long reined both in an arena and round fields with tack on but I didn't have a small, competent enough rider to back him. I sent him to a very well known show producer for six weeks and at the end of that time they said they needed him for a further six weeks to finish backing him as they hadn't actually sat on him yet. I then found out they had gone to HOYS for a week so that was annoying as I was paying for their services they obviously weren't be provided. I ended up bringing him home and using a too tall but lightweight teenager and my then 5 yo son and had him ridden away in a week. It was annoying as he came home no further on than when he left but he turned into a fantastic pony for my son and then onto friends for their two daughters where he stayed all his days. My take away from this was that you need regular checks and updates while your pony is away preferably with video evidence too.

 

[teddy_]

Case by case basis, some take to work like a duck to water, some not so much. I think six to eight weeks is probably most realistic, but I've had two who were pretty sorted in a basic way by week four.

My mare is going away in May, and they have said four weeks will suffice based on what I have done with her already (very light work on lunge lines and been sat on, lead around farm / arena with rider on board). Cost can be anywhere from < £200 per week, to > £500 based on who you go for.

In terms of finding somewhere that has a rider lightweight enough for an 11.1hh, maybe look for a show pony producer? They will no doubt have small-er, competent jockeys to hand.

 

[Lauren1993]

I thik it's very hard to answer. Years ago I sent a Sec A away to be backed. He was very well handled as he'd been shown in hand since he was a foal, he'd lunged and long reined both in an arena and round fields with tack on but I didn't have a small, competent enough rider to back him. I sent him to a very well known show producer for six weeks and at the end of that time they said they needed him for a further six weeks to finish backing him as they hadn't actually sat on him yet. I then found out they had gone to HOYS for a week so that was annoying as I was paying for their services they obviously weren't be provided. I ended up bringing him home and using a too tall but lightweight teenager and my then 5 yo son and had him ridden away in a week. It was annoying as he came home no further on than when he left but he turned into a fantastic pony for my son and then onto friends for their two daughters where he stayed all his days. My take away from this was that you need regular checks and updates while your pony is away preferably with video evidence too.

Thanks for the great advice. I’m looking for somewhere as local as possible for this reason - to check on her & I don’t have transport so have that added cost too.

 

[Carrottom]

What area are you? Someone may be able to recommend.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I’d say 6 weeks is usual.

 

[Lauren1993]

What area are you? Someone may be able to recommend.

North Warwickshire - staffs, leic, warks , Derbyshire boarders