Does anyone manage to break youngsters without a school or schooling area?

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Charla

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I have a 3 year old pony ready to break this year and also another youngster who will be coming back in to work this year. Problem is I moved yards from one with a floodlit arena, to literally just a basic 5 acre field, no facilities whatsoever. I would like to section off an area to do some lunging and schooling etc in, however this cannot be permanent as the field is just rented. How have other people managed in this situation?

The nearest menage to hire is a good 15 minute walk.
 
I backed my pony in a field. Ok she's only 12hh but i sectioned off a bit of the field school size using electric fencing and used that. I did this 5 years ago and she is the best behaved pony on the yard. I have every intention of doing the same with my Sec C when the time comes. i did do a lot of bomb proofing with her before, like taking her out inhand everyday to get used to surrounding areas, doing this with tack as i gradually introduced it. It made the whole having someone on her back less stressfull...
 
I don't have experince myself doing this as always been lucky enough to be on a yard with a sand-school. Howevre I do know of someone who does this, she is an eventer (look up shoestring eventing) and manages to do it well! There is some tips on her website I believe.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
 
I am looking into buying a project horse to bring on and sell. I will be keeping it at home and won't have access to an arena either so I shall be interested to see the replies to this thread. My boss doesn't have a school and she regularly buys, sells, breaks in and schools horses and ponies by doing mainly hacking and a bit of work in the field when the ground allows.
 
Ah brilliant! Thanks for the replies guys...it is manageable then. That was my plan, to electric fence off a section which is school sized. :)
 
Yes, I've done 3 before moving onto a livery yard, just used a stable for backing, the field for lunging and long reining and the roads and tracks for riding on, some times a school just gives you a false sense of security to be honest, although given the choice obviously you would opt for one but if a youngster is going to be a handful, or throw you off, it still hurts the same no matter where they choose to do it lol.
 
Kenzo said:
Yes, I've done 3 before moving onto a livery yard, just used a stable for backing, the field for lunging and long reining and the roads and tracks for riding on, some times a school just gives you a false sense of security to be honest, although given the choice obviously you would opt for one but if a youngster is going to be a handful, or throw you off, it still hurts the same no matter where they choose to do it lol.
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Very true, I've never looked at it like that before but you couldn't be more right. Can't wait for Spring now to get going haha!
 
We used to back all ours in a box, then went straight out down our lanes (very quiet ones) with a good lead horse. Although we have backed some of the nicer ones in the field (in small-ish area) done a little baby walk/trot with lead horse then out onto the lanes and tracks. All were longreined around the roads before backing.
 
Do it every year!
Never had a problem - do most of my schooling out hacking. The only time we see an arena or schooling area is when we take a lesson somewhere or when we go to dressage and more recently, my dabble into show jumping.
 
TBH in the old days that was what we did!Most people didnt have a schooling area let alone an arena. Started them in the field with someone leading of course. Then out on the road with someone on foot. We used poles to create a lungeing area. Obviously traffic is different now but I lived in Reading and the traffic was bad even then. But we did get away with riding on the pavements!:eek::D (Also we did a lot of inhand work on the roads prior to riding)

So long as you take it steadily and do lots of preparation before getting on, plus have a helper you should be ok.
 
Have done all of mine in the field - everything from ponies to 17hh.....stallions as well, and lots of them have gone to compete at a high level. In some ways I think it's an advantage as everything I've broken in a big field / lots of work out on the lanes has never had a problem hacking out alone etc. I sometimes think an arena can give them too much of 'safety blanket' where they always have 4 walls or a fence around them.
 
Agree with most of the above.

I wouldn't electrify the area though, I wouldn't want them touching the fence and getting a shock when being backed - tape alone should be fine.

Once you're long reining, a 15 minute walk isn't that far to the arena anyway..
 
Honey08 said:
Agree with most of the above.

I wouldn't electrify the area though, I wouldn't want them touching the fence and getting a shock when being backed - tape alone should be fine.

Once you're long reining, a 15 minute walk isn't that far to the arena anyway..
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I dont electrify the fencing just use the tape to create the area... sorry that wasn't very well explained... :eek:
 
If all goes to plan, I'll be able to back my colt at the livery yard where there is an arena, before moving to my place to bring him on, where all we have is the stable block and a field. Although, if we move before he's properly backed I don't see it being a problem :)
 
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