Breaking in - Ardall Training Aid (dummy)

[TulipBlaze]

Hello

Has anyone used the Ardall dummy rider training aid (http://www.ardall.com/) to break in a youngster? How useful was it?

Thinking of buying one to help break in a youngster so I dont hit the floor, but they are very expensive so want as much info as possible before purchasing!

Althernatively, anyone in the Staffordshire / Derbyshire / Cheshire area got one they would be willing to loan out for a small fee?

Thanks!

 

[StormyGale]

To be honest looking at the price of them - (please don't take this the wrong way as i don't know how experienced you are with breaking/starting etc) but you could pay someone to break the horse for you at the price they charge and although haven't a dummy on it back my help desensitize horse to a rider some still react as a dummy is not a living breathing thing so its not garuantee tee of not falling off - unfortunatly that is riding youngsters for you they are unpredictable. Thats just my view though but if i were you unless you were going to be doing it regularly and breaking in a lot of youngsters for some reason - id save your money and get someone to break for you whos experienced or if you want to be involved try and find someone you could pay the money to get on for you while you do groundwork - thats what id do in your situation - hope that helps!

 

[FairyLights]

I have 2 to back and an seriously considering buying and Ardall they look to be a good idea.

 

[TarrSteps]

I've used a dummy for specific situations (homemade one) but they are not necessarily a cure all. As said, they don't feel like a rider so it's not a guarantee that you'll be able to just get on and ride away.

Tbh, most properly prepared, well mannered, relaxed youngsters should be okay with the getting on bit if it's done correctly - it's just one more odd thing humans ask!

Those horses won't get stressed by the dummy but they wouldn't be stressed anyway.

BUT if the horse is going to be tricky about the process then it's not something that's going to be sorted by a bit of work in a gadget and will still likely take some careful riding initially. In that case, I'd agree, pay someone who gets on a lot of young horses and is used to things not going perfectly.

If you have a sharp one and you're concerned about getting hurt, think very carefully about how you proceed. A blase attitude goes a long way with young horses and that's hard to have if you don't feel safe. It is possible to create a problem right at the start that takes some fixing.

Obviously lots of people do start their own and, frankly, most young horses are not problem. Otherwise very few horses would ever get backed! But for that small percentage that are not straight forward enough to do with one of the standard systems 'by the book', I'd much rather see someone invest in professional help than attempt to use a piece of equipment for the first time on a horse that's also experiencing it for the first time, especially if their is already some cause for concern.

 

[Dry Rot]

Because I came to training horses from training other species, my approach is probably a bit unconventional!

I try to think out WHY a horse would react to having someone on it's back and spend a fair bit of time desensitising it to that before anyone gets on board. This is one of my youngsters being desensitised to having an old coat on the end of a stick dragged over it. She is so relaxed, grazing takes priority!

They get so used to this that when the vet wanted to examine one's eyes and said he'd need to get the pony into a dark stable (difficult!), we just threw a coat over it's head and he disappeared under it! Mission accomplished.

I think with a bit of inventiveness and lateral thinking you could save yourself a lot of money. Someone has also suggested that if a dummy came loose and slid around under the horse's belly, you could be cutting an enormous stick for your own back!

 

[Dry Rot]

Because I came to training horses from training other species, my approach is probably a bit unconventional!

I try to think out WHY a horse would react to having someone on it's back and spend a fair bit of time desensitising it to that before anyone gets on board. This is one of my youngsters being desensitised to having an old coat on the end of a stick dragged over it. She is so relaxed, grazing takes priority!

They get so used to this that when the vet wanted to examine one's eyes and said he'd need to get the pony into a dark stable (difficult!), we just threw a coat over it's head and he disappeared under too! Mission accomplished. Two youngsters were backed and ridden away after three short sessions, no bucking, no rearing.

I think with a bit of inventiveness and lateral thinking you could save yourself a lot of money. Someone has also suggested that if a dummy came loose and slid around under the horse's belly, you could be cutting an enormous stick for your own back!

 

[TarrSteps]

I don't think that's "unconventional" Dry Rot - that's what they cowboys call "sacking out". There is some confusion as the old style version of "sacking out" was pretty brutal, but in modern parlance it really just means getting a horse accustomed to having sacks and other potentially scary objects rubbed all over it, flapped at it etc. Just part of basic training.

Almost every training system has some way of gauging a horse's reaction to having something over it, partly to desensitise, partly to take note of what the horse is likely to do if it does have a moment of anxiety. I will say though, it's no guarantee with every single horse, that just because you can put a tarp or a dummy or something similar on top it will never, ever, react anxiously to a rider. It greatly lessens the odds, to prepare a horse properly, but then it largely comes down to those first few rides and how they go.

I stress again, MOST horses are not that bothered. Which is why there are so many very unexciting stories about starting horses. BUT not every single horse falls into this category and part of what experiences teaches is you is when you have an unusual one and how to proceed accordingly. The odds are good the OP's horse is perfectly usual - in which case the dummy is unlikely to make much of a difference either way - but i would be irresponsible to say that without seeing the horse.

 

[TulipBlaze]

Thankyou everyone for your input!

It has made me doubt the use of the Ardall, especially for the price, and I think I am going to continue as I am for now.

I have broken youngsters before but they were much smaller. I am happy to sit on a 14.2 pretty happily whatever it is doing, but this one is 16.2!

At the moment I am lunging him in tack, and sitting on him in the stable as often as possible, just to get him used to the feeling. I am planning on having a go in the menage this weekend, lying over the saddle "dead indian" style, while he walks round on the lunge. If he doesnt react to this then I will just take a deep breath and get on!

Any advice on next steps greatfully received!

 

[PoppyAnderson]

There's nothing like real, live, hands on experience but I watch videos and read endlessly and the 2 people I refer to time and time again are Endospink and Mr HorseProblems. Both are well worth watching, just to see how they do it. They tend to work with more tricky horses but I've learnt loads watching them. I've not used their techniques necessarily but they do give you another viewpoint and approach. The one rein stop is a useful tool, IMHO.

 

[JillA]

Jenny at Pendle Equestrian has one she is willing to hire (or even sell) if you sort out the postage Contact her via her website http://www.pendleequestrian.co.uk/
She found it extremely useful for a filly who bronced so badly it was impossible to sit, and had done all the in hand work etc. Sometimes the horse needs to learn that that thing on its back just ain't gonna get off no matter what it does.