Can you break a horse in without lunging/long reining?

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Pinkpeeper

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The reason i ask is because i had planned to do lots of the above with daughters pony before breaking. We spent last summer doing in hand shows and lots of walking out on the road and long reined about 5 times.
My daughter also used to lean over her back, until one day i said put your leg over and sit on pony. Dont think pony even noticed.
Some how this progressed over the winter from daughter sitting on pony and me leading round farm to a rising 4yr old that now happily hacks out with the others, or alone with me walking but not leading or helping at all.
Since abt Oct she has been going on short hacks once maybe twice a week, with plenty of weeks off in between. She often gives a lead to the older horses if needed and is generally known to be the safe non spooky one. You really would think she had been doing it all her life.

I had planned to start lunging/long reining in spring but can only do this if i hire an arena. But im starting to think whats the point? Pony with us for life and after the intitial breaking i cant see us doing it again as no where to do it!

I think the reason she is so good now is because we did a lot of in hand road work so doing the same with a rider on board is just the same to pony.

We do plan on doing some local ridden shows with her, and i will school her when the time comes. So what do you think? Come spring should i start more ground work or just let her carry on with my daughter as they are?

Sorry it got a bit long
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Thanks for reading.
 
I think she's more or less backed!

So I wouldn't personally worry
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Sounds like a sweetie.

A bit of extra- ground work if / when needed never does any harm though
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sounds like its already broken!!!!!!!!!!!! well done, however lungeing is a very useful exercise option and the pony ought to learn this at some point. the main reason for long reining is to establish brakes and steering before getting on board, but again is useful exercise, and teaches pony to go forward from behind and to go out and about on its own! i would just incorporate some lungeing and long reining into her work as a variation to help keep her sweet and for her brain to take on board and think and listen! perhaps she has been here before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had one that we put the tack on and off we went!
 
Thats wonderful, it just like the whole process crept up naturally on her and lol, she is backed and done!
My friend did the same with her two year old and horse was backed so fast with no fuss at 4 years old.
I hope to do the same with my new horse ( when I get one). Walking out around farm and lanes in hand works wonders, then the transfer to you sitting in the saddle but effectively "leading" the horse still from that position seems to give a very confident youngster.
Wouldn't bother at all with the lungeing - personally I don't think lungeing is particularly good for any horse.
 
I did this with a few of mine, just walked them out in a saddle and a bridle then I would lean over, the slowly make my way up. The one I completed to full hacking out alone happily was my mare's daughter and she was excellent, no fuss what so ever, and no lunging. She turned out to be a wonderful ridden horse who I enjoyed doing alot with. So if you ever need to do any ground work then maybe do it, but I do not see the problem in not doing it.
 
Hi, yes you can BUT you will have an easier transition if you long rein first as it gets them used to going forward on their own steam and steering. I'e broken in horses with no ground work but its harder to get them to understand what to do (one was a stallion who would come at you on the lunge). I wouldn't worry about the lunging, but certainly long reining her round the farm and field will help. FYI I normally long rein mine in the school once then straight out round the farm tracks.
 
Now, I'm not suggesting this is the right way to do it by any stretch, but does anyone else remember reading Ginny then-Holgate's autobiography when she talked about how they bought (I think it was) Night Cap... she said they'd admired him in the field and told the farmer to let them know if he wanted to sell... Then one day he turned up riding him... they asked could he jump, the farmer said yes and flew him over a massive hedge... then they asked him when he was backed and the farmer said 'I just got on him this morning'.

Not exactly relevant, but I really clearly remember reading it and your post reminded me of it... Crikey!
 
Thanks for all your coments.
Im very old school and really didnt intend breaking the pony to happen this way, it just did and before i new it pony hacking round like a pro!
And i give all credit to my 13yr old daughter, the bond they share is amazing.
Maybe next time i have a horse to back ill give it to a teenager to play games with for a year before hand
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Philamena- I know an old horseman who says even I take too long to back my youngsters! (and mine are all done in a week or so) He tells me about the days they would have an unbacked cob on the sunday, on the monday it would do the run in to town pulling a wagon and then the next day it would be ridden. Nothing like throwing them in at the deep end!
 
I wouldn't recommend it, but a friend of mine bought a horse who's Irish owner tacked it up one morning, put it in a box and went HUNTING. it had never been ridden in its life!!!! Said horse went on to become a very good showjumper.
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Pretty much what happened to my current loan horse!

Lots of inhand walking to see the world, little bit of sitting on at the field (no facilities what so ever!) and a week of longlining, though to be honest it wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't bothered. Then lead out from another horse then finially on his own. Learnt to trot, canter and jump behind other horses out hacking

He's a fabulous hacking horse now
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Now it's just a case of schooling him up.
 
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