breaking first horse!any tips ?

XxhorzezxX

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tommorow im going to start breaking a lovely (most of the time) little pony .its my first time to break a horse so just wondering does any one have any tips ? :)
 

Kadastorm

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Ooh how exciting :)
to begin with i would make sure you get ground work and saddling/bitting out the way. Let the pony get used to it, give lits of praise. Do alot of lunging and lunging in side reins so he/she can get used to the contact. Maybe lead out on the road too to get used to traffic.
When it comes to actually backing, dont rush and give lots of praise and always lean over before sitting on.
The main thing is not rushing and frightening them and also be confident - they sense fear so easily.
And if you're unsure, dont be afraid to ask for help.
Im guessing you have people to help you?
Its a great feeling when you earn their trust and you're the first to ride them.

Keep us updated - piccies wanted :)
 

cob&onion

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As above :)
Also make sure you have manners and respect from the ground first before attempting to back your baby, makes it so much easier when they trust you :)

Lots of groundwork and long reining and make sure your youngster knows the basic voice commands - it always helps :)

Good luck!
 

horsey_jo

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Agree with all of the above - especially the bit about having some experienced to give you a hand.

How exciting though!!! :D:D:D:D Do keep us updated!
Pics pls!!!
 

Stacey6897

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As above :)
Also make sure you have manners and respect from the ground first before attempting to back your baby, makes it so much easier when they trust you :)

Lots of groundwork and long reining and make sure your youngster knows the basic voice commands - it always helps :)

Good luck!

What she said ^ plus, I wouldn't back a baby until it's happy and easy being taken for a walk in hand, if you wouldn't be confident walking your horse on the road, practice this before backing, and when it comes to backing be super confident, make a plan and act like you've done it a zillion times, your horse will be much happier. Have fun with your youngster!
 

eggs

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Unless you have several experienced people around you to help then I wouldn't. And by experienced I mean people that have backed youngsters before.

Ditto this. You need at least one experienced person to help you. Wear your hard hat whenever you are handling the pony.
 

XxhorzezxX

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thanks for all your advice :) he is already used to people and walking in hand
and yes i will have people around to help me :)

this is him about a month ago (looking a bit sandy)

picture.php
 

lachlanandmarcus

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veryyyyy cute!!

I broke my first horse with the aid of vv experienced YO/instructor. It couldnt have gone much better.

It was actually good for my confidence as with my old chap I was relying on him to behave and it freaked me when he didnt, whereas with a baby you know they will take their cues from you so you have to be Big Brave Bear for them!

Echo everything thats been said, the most important is to take things very slowly, it's waaaay easier to make slow positive progress than to undo problems caused by overfacing them, never introduce more than one or 2 new aspects in each session even tiny ones, work with them every day and short sessions, 15-20 mins max.

Bear in mind that sometimes toys will be thrown out of pram simply because they need to go away and process what it is they are being asked for. So altho with horses generally you wouldnt want to end a session on a bad note, if they arent getting something, it can be better to do something they are good at, finish the session then, and then try tomorrow, I was often amazed that Liesel was then perfect first time!

Here's my baby - shes just 8 now! (got her at 3 unbroken). It was the best thing I ever did horse-wise. Good luck with your baby, you will have such a close bond!
Liesel2corrachreeendurance2May10.jpg
 

Tinypony

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Without being harsh, unless you've already done some of this work under experienced supervision - don't.
So much can go wrong with a youngster so quickly, and then it can be a real job to help them back through it. You want to have your pony happy and relaxed and fun to be around, so why risk it? I'd find a recommended and kind trainer who would be prepared to come to you and do the job, but involving you so that you understand the process and can carry on the work when you're not there.
Once the youngster is backed, then I personally think the difficult bit starts. That's getting them responsive to nice light aids, carrying themselves well, hacking out etc. If you've not done that before I'd get help with that too.
He looks cute, how old is he?
 

tazzle

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It is a very rewarding thing to do, to back a young horse / pony .... but as others have said or intimated it is a lot of responsibility and something you really should have both assisted someone else with and / or be doing under the close supervision of an experienced person.

Not wanting to put a damper on it in any way ... just advising caution as you dont say how experienced you are.


The whole process is so much more that just getting the tack and rider on and is like passing your driving test .......... thats the basics and they have got to be rock solid so you can then build on it and get down to the business of learning even moreand becoming a GOOD driver(horseman). If the foundation is fragile you can then find you get problems further down the line and realise you have to go back to the basics again.
 

LaurenBay

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Just remember "slow and steady wins the race" :D

It's very exciting backing a youngster, I am helping a friend with hers at the moment, Make sure you have the ground work to a t! leading, bombproofing lungeing etc. Have you bitted Pony yet? If not I would bit then practice the leading with the bridle on before backing. If you have already bitted. I would just practice leaning over, climbing up on the mouting block and lean, get down and then repeat until you feel Pony is happy and confident. Lots of praise and if Pony does get scared then go back a step and work up again. there is no rush. Have someone experienced with you, But just rememeber that everyone has to start somewhere!, so if you have an expeirenced firned with you, you should be fine.

Good luck
 

Jade&Syrah

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Good luck! I personally love breaking and backing. It's so rewarding and it's addicting!! I even get excited when my friends do it!! (i'm very sad :p )

Just remember to take it at the horses pace and not yours! It's hard to be patient but it works out better :)

Pictures definately wanted!!

xx
 

tristar

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remember you can do everything on the ground first, teach the voice aids, teach it to go forward and most importantly to stop, go from halt walk, canter you can do all this before you ever sit on a horse, after the backing it should really be about riding the horse away and forward as it already knows what to do, have an assistant to pass the difficult moments when it does'nt understand what is being asked, take all the time in the world, you are after all conditioning and suppling the whole horse and this takes lots of time.

walk out in hand, get used to all things you might meet when riding, go to a few shows.


always put on your hat, wear proper footwear and gloves.
 

Ibblebibble

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Once the youngster is backed, then I personally think the difficult bit starts. That's getting them responsive to nice light aids, carrying themselves well, hacking out etc. If you've not done that before I'd get help with that too.

totally agree with this, i find the easy bit is the initial backing!
before you start anything , make a decision on what approach you are going to use and then stick with it, don't let people push you into doing things you are not comfortable with because they claim to have more experience;) you know your pony better than anyone!
good luck, i'm about to bring a 10 yr old back into work that was only broken at 7 and has had the last 2 years off! going to be almost like rebreaking i think, we can compare bruises if you like lol:eek::D
 

rowy

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As others have said, its best to have someone who has backed many before to help you.
Otherwise, the one piece of advice I would give, that would have saved me 2 falls if someone had told me before, is that if you feel they are tense underneath you and have their head stuck up higher than normal or dont want to walk forward straight away, then either just sit there and allow them to relax without moving at all OR get off and give them a lunge for a bit longer in the saddle.
I made the mistake of keeping on riding and consequently got bucked off :eek:
 

fleabittengrey

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Whilst I agree with having experienced supervision and someone to guide you - do remember that we all have to start somewhere, at some point everyone has broken their "first" horse... follow advice on here, make sure you have someone you trust on the yard who will step up and tell you if something is going wrong - but most of all, enjoy the experience, I find it hugely rewarding and fun!
 

Tinypony

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Yes, for sure I've started my first horse. But not alone, to start with I had expert help so that I didn't stuff it up. Once I knew what I was doing I was happy going it alone, and shock horror, don't even want someone holding the horse for me when I first get on now. The thing is, it's not just about us, we only get one chance to give a horse a good start, that's why I say get some good help. :)
 

LouS

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I could write a whole essay, but here's a few things.

Make sure all tack is comfortable, whatever you do with tack now, is going to create his attitude towards it for the rest of his life. If the saddle causes him pain, he will associate it with pain and you will have problems. Make sure he completely accepts the saddle before you even consider getting on. Put it on him then let him express him self, then take it off and on lots of times sending him out each time. Then let your stirrups down but secure them with an old stirrup leather so they don't flap too much.

I have mine long lining on a circle very well before I get on them, walk, trot, canter etc.

A few tips for when you get on, you must be a sympathetic rider. Pop a neckstrap on and stick a few fingers through so you don't yank him in the mouth if he suddenly shoots forward etc.

There's so much to it I really could go on forever, but just take things slowly and if he's not happy/comfortable with something don't move on until he is. There's no awards for bravery/stupidity. If I got on a horse for the first time and it threw me off then I wouldn't have done my job properly.
 
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