Do you have "practice" trips out with your youngster?

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Rochelle

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As the title says really. Do any of you with youngsters that you are planning to compete/travel regularly, take them out in the lorry/trailer for trips around the block or just get on with it on show day? I have a 4 year old and we are planning on competing next year but he hasn't done lots of travelling. He is a really laid back type and will just follow me into the box, so loading isn't a problem, but just wondered if it would benefit him going for a couple of short trips before a proper outing?!
 
I'm currently taking my 4yr old on little trips, firstly to get her used to going out and about and also to get her used to travelling. She hadnt been on the lorry since she arrived at our place as a yearling. I take her to Riding Club, fun rides and hopefully will do some little competitions with her over the winter. I just make sure that the journeys are short and so far she has always had a friend with her. But I wouldnt take her out just for a drive round.
 
I would, just take it out if you have a companion to ride with, maybe even go out then hack, re-load then home. Also go along to warm up arenas at local events. I have seen lots of people working in a youngster at local dressage, not dressed, then they just leave again.
 
The idea was to do this but our first practise trips ended up being to the vet. Thankfully he's only 15 mins away down a straight road so it was a reasonable trip for first time just not a nice end to it! However it doesn't seem to have put him off.
Touch wood I have a good loader and traveller.
 
Good idea, suppose it may be pretty pointless just driving round the block and then home! He would be better doing something at the other end then having to load again to go home! There is a riding centre that does clinics and courses etc that we could go to but its about an hours drive away I thought this might be a bit of a long journey for our first few outings? Saying that when we bought him and brought him home it took us about 1 1/2 hours and he took it all in his stride! Sure im just finding something else to worry about hehe
 
I did. We just used to take her everywhere with us. She learnt that it's perfectly normal to spend up to an hour travelling, then stand on the lorry for a couple of hours, then travel an hour back again.

Then when she was broken she used to be taken out, tacked up, ridden around and reloaded. That was well before she ever got to compete. As far as she's concerned this is part of what adult horses do - spend hours standing around in lorries either moving or parked!
 
My little chap is very laid back. I took him to his first show at 20 months with two other well behaved ponies on the horsebox. He was very well behaved.

After that we went out solo in the trailer and have done ever since. I love the fact that he does not depend on other horses and I take him anywhere without any fuss.

Depends on the horse, but I do personally feel that if they don't have other horses they learn from the start not to cling to them. I can now take Chancer with another horse if I wish and he is more than happy to stay put if they go off to compete, munching on his hay rather than screaming and playing up like some do.
 
We travel our youngsters out and hire an indoor school just to play in if we can't find a local show to go to.

They soon get used to it especially if you do it regularly!
 
We take our 3 & 1/2 yr old for 5 min trips to a local yard where she then has a lunging or longreining session with an instructor. She has always been a good loader but figets a bit when travelling so this is the ideal way to get her used to going out and having to do some work, then coming home again. She is doing these trips weekly at the moment and it seems to be helping
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If we have space on the lorry, all the newly broken horses are taken with the older ones to shows just for a ride around and to see the sights. Then, when they go to their first proper shows, they are quite happy with what is going on. For the first time ever, we took all the young horses to keysoe every month over the winter to do the unaffiliated dressage which worked really well. Gave them the chance to go out and about on a nice surface, not too busy, piped music to get them used to a little bit of bustle. Paid off very well!
 
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