Backing my NF- should I do it?

S

shadowboy

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2006
Messages
4,754
Visit site
This question is a bit tricky. I have been riding for nearly 22 years but not much over the. least 12-18months due to house move/only having a youngster etc

I have a 3 year old Newfie. He's 13.2hh at the withers and 13.3hh behind (I'm waiting until he levels off before I actually back him anyway) he's pretty chunky.


Now I have backed and ridden away 3 of my previous horses, I used to compete to Medium BD dressage so have the knowledge but I'm worried about the following 3 issues

1. My weight for a youngster- I weigh 9 stone but once i've got a saddle in my hands, hat, body protector etc it totals 10 stone. I'm 5'4 so height wise I know I'm fine as hes quite wide. But I'm worried my weight will be too much to start him off!

2. My lack of riding over the last 18months or so making me unbalanced. I cant really afford weekly lessons or anything with a decent ridings horses to re-balance myself and see my faults.

3. Finally we have no arena at my livery yard- so in winter I wouldnt have anywhere to ride on. We have a field but only allowed to use it till octoberish.

I could sent him away to be backed but would probably only be able to stretch to £600 in total for this process and not sure if you can get anyone decent for this price anymore!!!
 
I dont know how much it costs to send away to be backed in UK but here it's about €100 per week. If I were you, I would do all the ground work yourself, and have him ready to ride, that way, it wont take long and you'll be able to take over again yourself. Weight wise, i'd say you'll be fine. hope you get on well.
 
bakedbean said:
If he were mine, i'd leave him til next spring and back him at 4.
Your weight isn't an issue..his age is.
I find most Newfies mature mentally slowly..he would be a better person left til rising 4, rather than backed at 3.
Click to expand...
He may well be 4 by the time he's more level. I always leave them for 3 months after backing anyway so he wouldn't do major work till 4 as it is. It's more that intro stuff I'm worried about! But if others think the backing process best left till 4 may well have to do this.
 
Has your pony had any preparation work towards backing at all ?
Has he been bitted, had a roller and/or saddle on ?
Has he been long reined yet ? (I personally Never lunge youngsters).
As you have experience in backing and riding away 3 previous horses, you should be able to do this :).
I wouldn't worry at all about your weight, foresters are strong ponies for their size and 9 stone will be nothing to him, even for the first time you get on him :).
If you can prepare him first with all of the groundwork, up to the point where he is happy to work in long reins fully tacked up, is able to understand walk, trot, left, right, large circles and turns, halt and even a couple of steps of rein back. You don't even need a school for this although a safe place to start off with would be a good idea, is there a nearby school you could hire to begin with ? I find with New Forest ponies (foresters - Newfies are dogs ;)), once they learn something they tend to remember it very well which makes backing them pretty straightforward. The breed is renowned for its good temperament and ease of training :).
 
We've just backed our home bred filly ourselves. I am not the bravest, and haven't ridden a youngster for about 20 years, and I was going to be the one getting on! The reasons we backed her are many - we knew her inside out, we wanted to be hands on with the backing process whether we did it or someone else. The filly can be stressy, and so we were happy to go at her pace and keep her chilled - perhaps a professional would have been more efficient and correct, but we knew when to push her and when to back off. I also have a strong and brave helper - my husband. I knew that the first time I got on Ellie, no matter what happened, he would never let go. That gave me a lot of confidence.

Now, your questions.
1. I weigh substantially more than you. I first sat on our filly (who is very stocky, there are pics of her in PG) when she was rising four (DOB 8 June 2007). We were happy to wait until then to back her.

2. Can't help you here, but for the last 14 years I've only really ridden one horse, my cob, so changing to the youngster made me feel quite wobbly. Make full use of a neckstrap!

3. We have no arena, just a field with no flat area, very free draining (read that as like concrete with occasional lumps of granite poking up through it!). henryhorn is a good friend of mine, she and her family have backed many many horses over the years. We were struggling to long rein Ellie in the field, and she advised to get and ride her. I led her off my cob Harley for one 'around the block', which for us is a byway, and then the second half quiet country lanes, and then the next time I was legged up and OH rode Harley and I was on a leading rein. We did that twice, and then went free range! Did that for about three weeks, then sent her away to cazcrazyjonty (henryhorn's daughter) for a fortnight of intense work. She has come back with a more settled attitude, now I have to keep up the hacking on a regular basis.

Regards your budget for backing - I've been quoted weekly prices of £90, £120 and £140.
 
LittleWildOne said:
Has your pony had any preparation work towards backing at all ?
Has he been bitted, had a roller and/or saddle on ?
Has he been long reined yet ? (I personally Never lunge youngsters).
As you have experience in backing and riding away 3 previous horses, you should be able to do this :).
I wouldn't worry at all about your weight, foresters are strong ponies for their size and 9 stone will be nothing to him, even for the first time you get on him :).
If you can prepare him first with all of the groundwork, up to the point where he is happy to work in long reins fully tacked up, is able to understand walk, trot, left, right, large circles and turns, halt and even a couple of steps of rein back. You don't even need a school for this although a safe place to start off with would be a good idea, is there a nearby school you could hire to begin with ? I find with New Forest ponies (foresters - Newfies are dogs ;)), once they learn something they tend to remember it very well which makes backing them pretty straightforward. The breed is renowned for its good temperament and ease of training :).
Click to expand...
He is bitted as he goes out and about showing. He has been longreined with roller but not off the bit- I've basically threaded the lunge lines through the bit rings onto the sides of the headcollar as I didnt want to ruin his mouth. He has had a saddle on. He had a friends 9 year old daughter sit on him bareback for about 2 min -and he didnt even notice. See below.


howiesaton2.jpg

howiesaton.jpg
 
I think you'll be fine. To put it into perspective I backed my Fell when he was 4.5 years - I weigh considerably more than you (not just a little bit!) and am 5'8", he's 13.3hh and I'd never broken a young horse before in my life. About 14 months later we're still going, he hasn't snapped in two and nor does he turn and run when he sees me approaching with a saddle! You sound like you know what you're talking about so I'm sure you'll be fine. :)
 
If you were in my area you could come and ride one of mine to get back into it first? Whereabouts are you?

To answer the rest: I'm your height and weight and have backed 11.3hh upwards. If they're smaller, they've been 4yo or older, and I've only done the initial walk/trot work before putting a child on board who can carry on under my supervision. If 13.2hh upwards, I've done it. Fully grown, the 'old' type NFs were supposed to be able to carry nearly a stone per hand (incl tack etc of course), so a 9 stone human for short rides isn't an issue at three and a half/four. Our NFx wasn't properly backed until the summer of her 4yo year, and didn't mature properly mentally until she was about 9! She didn't carry anything heavier than me (I was about a stone lighter then but would prob have been fine at your weight) until she was six.
 
shadowboy said:
He is bitted as he goes out and about showing. He has been longreined with roller but not off the bit- I've basically threaded the lunge lines through the bit rings onto the sides of the headcollar as I didnt want to ruin his mouth. He has had a saddle on. He had a friends 9 year old daughter sit on him bareback for about 2 min -and he didnt even notice. See below.


howiesaton2.jpg

howiesaton.jpg
Click to expand...
What a lovely pony :D What's his breeding ? I have just bought a 2yo forest bred filly by Warren Playaway, out of a mare by Limekiln Endeavour.
It sounds like you are well on your way towards backing him :). He just needs to learn to work from the bit before you get on him.
My last NF filly, which I sadly lost 7 weeks ago, was very easy to back. I had been showing her in hand as a 3yo and was walking her out in hand a lot to develop good muscle tone. She was enjoying going out and about, was already bitted for showing and keen to learn more. She took easily to long reining from the bit, and loved the attention she was getting with learning new things. I first sat on her at 3 1/2 after long reining her one day. I had gone back to her stable and asked an experienced friend if she could help me with something. My friend came into the stable, (13.2hh pony & a high roof), and held her. With this pony, I didn't need to lean over her first. All I did was, with my friend holding her, put my foot in the stirrup. Watching at all times how she was reacting, and talking to her, I then hopped gently a few times with my foot in the stirrup. I made a fuss of her, did the same again and the third time, I gently put my other leg over the saddle and sat down, keeping my body low and close to her neck. Made a fuss of her again, my friend led her around the stable then we went outside and walked around the school a couple of times. Next day, I long reined her, asked a friend to hold her in the school and got on exactly the same way I had the day before. My friend then led us around the school. The following day, I tacked her up and tooh her into the school. Walking by her shoulder, I took the reins in my hands as if I was riding and worked her from the ground (easy with a 13.2hh :D). I asked her to walk, trot, halt, rein back, turn and do a large circle on each rein. After 15 - 20 minutes, I asked my friend to hold her head while I got on. After I was settled and comfortable, girth tightened and pony happy, I asked her to walk on and she did ! We repeated what I did from the ground on each rein, I stopped in the centre of the school and made a fuss of her before gently dismounting. She had a break after that but the next time I rode her, it was as if she had been ridden every day. I only ever managed to ride her a total of 12 times, spaced out over a year. She never once put a foot wrong. She too was a forest bred pony who I bought as a totally unhandled 2yo.
This was the 12th and last time I ever rode her. She was 4yo and in foal, due to foal around the beginning of May this year. I lost her, and the foal, to grass sickness 7 weeks ago.
DSCF8881.jpg
 
LittleWildOne- thanks for your response- so sorry to hear you lost your NF, she sounded a real gem, and a much more 'quality' show type than mine.

My boy is by Matley Crusader out of Fidleywood flite. He's a proper old fashioned leg at each corner chunky monkey type. Some judges love him, some prefer the slightly more fine and 'quality' modern NF. I was worried my lack of recent riding would be bad for him- but fingers crossed once he's a little more level I can try it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top