Backing horses

No one with half a brain would get on without prep work imo. The horse needs to be given a chance! Before backing my youngsters start with a roller and pad, then a saddle. They are bitted and settled in their mouth. They are worked in hand and taught voice commands. I wouldnt dream of just getting on, how is a horse meant to understand that?
 
Ummm, funnily enough, no!
blush.gif
 
My friend has a 16hh 2 1/2 yr old mare, she's going to start breaking her next year, she's so excited about it, she has sat on her in yard once or twice, but thats it. She's satisfied herself for a min lol!
Jumping on and 'riding' I dont agree with. But just laying over/sitting on now and again is no problem
laugh.gif
 
Define prep work. One person's idea is going to be different to another's. For example, I backed my young horses before they had worn a saddle or bridle. I had done plenty of prep work first though, to make sure it would be safe. Some say you must lunge, longline, etc before backing. Others don't.
 
No way, with my youngster I long reined and lunged for 3 months, first in a roller then in a saddle. I also tried a few different snaffles to see which one suited him best, before I got on. As I had an indoor school (at my old yard) I loose jumped him, first without tack, and then with an old saddle on, so he got used to the feeling of the saddle on his back and it flapping around. Plus I did loads of things on the ground with him, including taking him for a paddle in the water jump, setting up obstacle courses of umbrellas, push chairs, small children etc! Even with all that ground work we had 3 months of pure bucking when I got on him!!! He is still prone to the odd bucking fit, but he is going to his first competition on Tuesday, so I hope he behaves!
 
i think all need to be treated diffentley, i usually am on them within 2 weeks and that is with unhandled horses aswell altho they will have to long line quite well first? but everyone has there own opinion .
 
It is surprising just how many horses are perfectly happy to have a saddle and bridle put on and a rider sit in the saddle in the space of an hour or so. I've done several that way, but never without the benefit of a tiny indoor school (nothing to distract them, no space to get speed up, and nowhere to go), someone to lead the horse, and a horse that I know is quiet to handle and good to lead. You have to judge the horse carefully and have great balance and an "infectious" confidence that feeds through to the horse. It's not for every rider, or every horse.
 
normally i would say no, but i backed my youngster last year with very little prep work. she had had all the tack on & was happy with it, but wen it came lungin/long reinin, she would run backwards at you & try to double barrel you! & this was with 2 people lungin her (one on the reins & the other on the whip tryin to driv her forwards) as i had her at uni with me she was even used in young horse training lectures & even very experience people could get her to accept lungin/long reining (the 2 people technique was what they recommended). So i just jumped on her one day & she took to beautifully! she has come on amazingly in the past yr, she just wasnt ready to understand lungin at the time, but wil now happily lungin in a headcollar using purely body language to change her gaits! you hav to teach all horses as individuals & tailor a backing programme to them!
 
lozz I'm planning to teach my Shetland to lunge this winter. You have me worried now. If I'm going to have to jump on his back I shall need roller blades :-))
 
You may think i am completly crazy but have had 3 youngsters now all unbacked and just tacked all 3 up and jumped straight on,rode round yard for 5 mins then in school.2 started being led and my big lad never lead at all just got on with it and he is quite good to ride now if not a bit dead to the leg
 
hehe! sorry!
smile.gif
il add that she was a cow of a mare & was quite aggressive from a young age! she hated being told what to do & stil does on the odd occassion! but on our yard of 8 (rangin from 6mths to 37yrs!) she is usually the best behaved as i hav had to spend serious time with her to train her correctly, she also has the largest dictionary through clicker training! i wouldnt worry about your shettie, iv never met another horses like my mare, shes a 14.2 mw hunter, nicknamed the bulldozer as she can take anything out if she wants to! would be very good in the demolision industry! lol! she is definately one of a kind, which is why i stil havent had the guts to sell/share/loan her yet (which i really need to do!) she has come good in the end but it took a lot of perseverance & frustration at the time! but it has been achieved and she is star for me! (most people who try & ride her cant even get her to walk she so stubborn! lol!)
 
[ QUOTE ]
You may think i am completly crazy but have had 3 youngsters now all unbacked and just tacked all 3 up and jumped straight on,rode round yard for 5 mins then in school.2 started being led and my big lad never lead at all just got on with it and he is quite good to ride now if not a bit dead to the leg

[/ QUOTE ]


I don't think you are crazy at all, it is surprising how many of them are perfectly happy with what you did.

I've had two that weren't, but one was blind and that was why. The other was sharp and my nerve had been broken by the blind one so I just couldn't give him enough of my confidence and I sent him away for a few days. One other was a devil to get a girth on, but easy to back. The others were all like yours.

Of course you have to have the judgement to know which will be which!!
 
I prepare mine. Usually it takes me a week from first point of putting on a bridle to me getting on properly (after leaning over etc. twice).

I'd rather prepare them so Im pretty much guaranteed they'll accept it all fine. Jumping straight on is rather risky!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top