backing youngsters

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Marilyn

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I have been starting to work with my three year old going towards being ridden. So far he has had his tack on, learnt how to lunge (just at walk and knows what walk and whoa mean). We've also put pressure on his back, made sure he is hapy to be touched all over his back and laid across him. I have helped back youngsters before and rebacked my own mare whn I got her and he is being so good but I am just worried that either I ma not doing enough with him or I am doing things to upset him. When he does get upset, he just walks off (so yesterday he was cross that I touched the sensitive bit of his mane and then he was up set when the person who was being given a leg up jumped so we persisted and touched his mane until he was happy and then jumped around until he didn't care any more. Does anyone have any advice re: backing...is it better just to go slowly and gently and make sure he is 100% happy with each stage?
 
my concern is that he is three and we haven't done that much with him so I don't know whether I'm fighting a time constraint or whether it is a self imposed one...we bred him ourselves and we have just moved house so it is a hugely chaotic time and we only get the chance to do little bits with him every now and then, I don't know, I suppose I worry I am not doing the best for him :-(
 
My youngester went from being a never handled wild welsh cob to being a calm cuddly rideable horse in 6 weeks (not done by me I hasten to add!). If you are worrying about it, why not set aside 2 weeks where he is your priority and really tackle the last bits of his education so that you can get on and then turn him away for the winter? or alternatively stop worrying and leave him the winter to mature and come back to it in the spring. Either one would do. Don't rush yourself into doing anyhting before you're both ready though.
 
you're right, i think i'm trying to rush but not getting very far...I will try and do a bit with him each night...he's sweet really and I do want to do it myself...I have done this before, I'm just a bit rusty and a bit of a whimp!
 
Hi ya, you sound like your doing fine. He's only three so there's absolutely no rush. Just make sure you do everything enough that he becomes comfortable and accutomed to it. I bought my boy just before he turned 4 and he had been lightly handled, i'm taking as long as it needs to make him comfortable with everything i want to do. I spent the first month getting him ready to sit on and he's now being ridden. Every time i come up against something that makes him nervous i spend plenty of time repeating it over a period of time until he's relaxed. I've had set backs but time and repitition seems to be the best way forward.

xxx
 
thank you, that's reassuring...as I was bouncing around the field on my feet yesterday to get him used to the frightening bounce by his side I did wonder if I had lost the plot altogether!
 
As he's only three you have plenty of time to bring him into ridden work - more important at this stage I would think is to ensure he's totally comfortable with spooky things on the ground - like you leaping around besides him! You could start introducing trot work into his lunging, and walk him out on some quiet roads to get him out and about and seeing things? Absolutely no rush to sit on him yet though!
 
I am breaking a threeyo at the moment, and basically i let the horse tell me when its ready!! this one is very obliging i have had him 2wks so far and in this time he has accepted all his tack happily, lunges walk, trot and wo obediently, and have started longreining today which is brilliant for giving them a nice mouth, and longreined him all round the field, 2acre, he is a lovely aid back chappie mind, i always work on a little system that as long as they are accepting a stage well, then only then will i move on to the next stage, i will be aiming to get on this fellow by the end of next week, but they are all different. One thing i am a great believer in is longreining it really teaches horses to go forward on their own and helps prevent napping!! alot of people dont bother with this, but i find it marvelous. Good luck.
 
there are "people" at my yard that have broken and are riding ( and beating ) horses that are only 2.5....... how I haven't lost it ..... Oh ah I have and had to be dragged away by my friends before I got myself in deep trouble

You sound like you are doing fine.
 
Sounds like you are doing fine with him, three is still young to back a horse-we dont do ours til four at work. Im also a great believer in long reining, all of ours are long reined for a few weeks in the school and then up and down the roads before attempting to get on them. Good luck and let us know how you get on!
 
I agree with the long reinging bit, that's been good for my boy too. Not only from the work point of view but also as more bomb proofing. Gives them confidence with things moving around the side and behind of them. Also you got the advantage that you can teach them the same commands from the ground that you will use on board both vocal and with the contact from your hands.
 
also, what's the best sort of bit for baby horses...I've got a happy mouth straightbar bit I have to say that I am not a huge fan...any ideas? We also used to use KK ultras with lozenges but wondered what you would use?
 
I've just used an eggbutt snaffle the whole time. The first bit i actually put in his mouth was a hanging cheek snaffle (that's what i had around at the time) but bought an eggbutt when i knew the size was ok as i figured i'd try and use what i wanted to use in the future (hopefully will do dressage so some sort of snaffle was ideal). He accepted it happily from the start so i've stuck with it.
 
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