Cost of Backing A Youngster

rocketdog69

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Has anyone had a youngster professionally backed this year.

I know every answer will be different and of course it all depends on the horse and to how "broken in" you want him/her to be.

I'll be having my youngster backed next year and I was wondering what to expect with regards to costs and time away!

Thanks
 

jewel

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i pay £100 a week this time last year he was there for a month. when he went he'd been bitted but that was it. when he came home i hack him the hours hack home throught 2 village and he was a gem.
 

Kub

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Oooo I've been wondering this so will be watching with interest. Also, hope you don't mind cecildog, but what levels of broken in are there??
 

rocketdog69

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I was thinking of backed and very slightly ridden on, to backed, hacking out and doing a bit of schooling. I know some people have them back home "just backed" and some people liked them to have done a"bit more".
 

Berkeley

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I got two quotes: £220 exc VAT per week and £170 p/w.
Damn expensive - so I did it myself with help from those people for an hour a week who gave me pointers for the week ahead.
 

ginginandtonic

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I had my youngster profressionally backed at the yard we are at, this summer.

I got it cheaper because I am already at the yard, but if I hadn't been they would have charged me £150 a week which is the approx. going rate for most places I believe. You're probably looking at about 6 weeks depending what stage your horse is at to begin with.
 

ihatework

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If you want your horse done from scratch to hacking confidently in company and walk/trot/canter easily in the school, so that a regular amatuer rider could get on with it then I would personally allow for 6 weeks and would expect to pay £120-150pw for it to be done really well. Obviously all horses are different. Some might be at this point in 3-4 weeks, others 10+ weeks
 

rocketdog69

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Well my boy has been bitted, been up and down the lorry to a couple of County Shows and he has been out round the country lanes on ride and lead! And he's been as good as gold and very easy despite his youth (2 in July and measured at 16.2 on his 2nd b'day. He's been so straightforward so far, I'm hoping the next stage wont be too difficult for him.
 

Matafleur

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I paid £180 a week in March this year. My four year had been handled and taught to lunge but that was all. She went for 4 weeks and I went up and rode her a few times in that period.

When I got her back she had been hacked out and popped over some small fences and was starting to offer an outline. I don't have any help at home so when she came back she was hacked out alone and was no problem.

I am very glad I sent her away as it let me crack on much more than if I'd tried to do it on my own.
 

jelibean

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My boy has been away since August, hes still a prat now, too athletic for his own good and nothing medically wrong with him, he’s had a full MOT, I sent him away as at the time i didnt have sufficient time or facilities, in hindsight it was the best option, as i can honestly say i would not have been able to break him myself and would most definately have been injured. If i didn’t believe he has something special about him i would have given up by now. This is a horse that has manners to burn on the ground he got an elite premium at Futurity, 9.5 awarded for type and temperament the assessors commented that "he has a charming temperament", he also won no end of youngstock classes this year. Just goes to show you can never tell. So as you expected everyones answer will be different, but most people have rightly stated that usually you can expect to spend about 6 weeks breaking, IMO just keep an open mind that 6 weeks may become more like 12 or more. Good luck.
 

Laafet

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I used to charge between £150 to £175 a week and recommended that they allow 6 to 8 weeks depending on how much handling the horse had had and what they wanted. Some people just wanted the horse sat on, others wanted their horse in an outline walk, trot and canter, hacking out and popping a small pole. I used to do a lot of ground work and would sometimes work them twice or three times a day in short burst and had fab facilities. Do not undestimate the time and skill taken to do this job properly. Good luck on finding someone good. Be careful of people who do it on the cheap or are just too good to be true. I used to allow owners up to see me work whenever they wanted and worked with them and their horse before I let the horse leave.
 

jess_asterix

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[ QUOTE ]
Can ayone recommend a decent yard to produce youngsters around the Midlands or further afield then.?

[/ QUOTE ]

My trainer does lots of breakers for other people and breeds and produces her own so is very experienced. They charge £120/130 p/w i can't remember.

They will do it from scrath and you can either take over just backed or they will produce it get it going hacking out, walk, trot, canter and working nicely in an outline.

They are in Eccleshall in Staffordshire
 
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