Green 10 year old... What would you do??

[BorgRae]

Background - Back in May I bought a 10 yr old ISH for my mum from our old YO. He had been sent to her for re-schooling and selling on. He was pretty green in the school, not naughty, just unknowing and lazy, but a lovely lad none the less. (He had been in a field for years not ridden).

We loved him instantly and decided to buy him as he had the manners that my mum needed and was a genuine sweetie and the perfect lad for her. However, we bought him before any re-schooling had commenced

He is relatively lazy and is a good boy (no bucking/rearing etc), but doesn’t really have a clue (canter is a totally clueless area for him!)!! My mum will quite happily plod round in a walk and trot, and that’s pretty much all he is capable of. He’s now settled really well and is well and truly part of the family…

I would now like to start his re-schooling and get him cantering and jumping etc, but am unsure of where to start with him?!

Do I:

A) Do it myself, bearing in mind I have my own lad to deal with and have limited time. I have help on my yard and am fairly competent myself, but am also not 100% on where to really start with him!!

B) Send him off for professional schooling.

So, the question is, if I pick A, does anyone have a good schooling plan on how I can get him started. Or B, can anyone shed any light on how long he would need to be sent away for (I understand every horse is different, but a ball park figure would be good i.e. 2 weeks, a month, more? and also do you know of any GOOD schooling/breaking yards in my area (Blackpool/Kirkham/Preston)…

So, what do you think?

Thanks everyone once again for your much welcomed advice and guidance!! Mince pies and Mulled wine all round!!!

 

[AmyMay]

Does he canter and jump out on hacks?

 

[OWLIE185]

You bought the horse for your mum to enjoy. Your mum is enjoying him and getting on fine. Leave him well alone and let your mother continue enjoying him. End of.

 

[BorgRae]

Does he canter and jump out on hacks?

Unfortunately we don't have anywhere for him to jump or canter on a hack as there are only small lanes or country roads near me. He's pretty good when we go down the lanes though. Nice and quiet.

We do however have a cross country course at our new yard, but we haven't taken him on that yet for a canter or a jump.

You bought the horse for your mum to enjoy. Your mum is enjoying him and getting on fine. Leave him well alone and let your mother continue enjoying him. End of.

It's my mum that is looking to get him schooled as well. She hoping to take him round the cross country course next summer, and she also wants to start doing some small local dressage things with him.

She's 60 in March and would prefer him to be a little more schooled before she attempted a gallop around the cross country field!!

I understand where your coming from though, I didn't make that clear in my original post

 

[be positive]

A month in a good yard should be plenty of time, assuming he has no physical issues, they should be able to get the basics of jumping and cantering into him also give you or your mum some lessons to help keep the work going. I would do this at a time when you can do the follow up work more easily and the weather is better.

 

[smiggy]

Just be a little cautious in who you choose, my laid back boy went to my dressage instructors for a schooling holiday while I was away for a week, came back like a ferrari took weeks to get back to the level I wnted

Have just taken on a 12yr old ex broodmare only broken a few mths, my plan is to have some lessons on her, see what we need to work on and practice between them. Might be a better plan for your mum-to progress together if you like. (assuming mum is competant as planning to go x country)

 

[BorgRae]

A month in a good yard should be plenty of time, assuming he has no physical issues, they should be able to get the basics of jumping and cantering into him also give you or your mum some lessons to help keep the work going. I would do this at a time when you can do the follow up work more easily and the weather is better.

Hmmm, don't suppose you know of any GOOD ones near Blackpool/Preston?

Just be a little cautious in who you choose, my laid back boy went to my dressage instructors for a schooling holiday while I was away for a week, came back like a ferrari took weeks to get back to the level I wnted

Have just taken on a 12yr old ex broodmare only broken a few mths, my plan is to have some lessons on her, see what we need to work on and practice between them. Might be a better plan for your mum-to progress together if you like. (assuming mum is competant as planning to go x country)

Hmm, it is a difficult one as mum has almost no fear!! Unlike me, who shall we say, airs on the side of caution!

She's not planning on doing x-country, but she'd like to have a good gallop and canter round the fields on him for fun this coming summer, and pop a few normal fences etc. We'd also like to take both the boys away for hacks else where etc.

My ultimate fear is that if we send him away to the worng place and they, not so much ruin him, as much as mis treat him, I couldn't bear that! Also, if he came back completely different?! And like you say, I wouldn't want him coming back with a rocket up his bum either. Although mum has a good seat and can ride relatively well, she's still 60!!

...Perhaps asking one of the YO's at our yard to school him a couple of days a week is a better option?? I already have lessons from one of them, so know they are capable.

 

[be positive]

No sorry, you are a bit too far from Somerset As suggested you do not need anywhere too high end, possibly look for a small producer, Horse Gossip has a good section on livery/schooling would be worth looking there.

 

[Polotash]

Personally now he is settled with you I would have lessons from a good instructor and school him as you go... then your mum could have lessons on him too. It'll take longer but you'll learn with him and you'll get him schooled as you want him.

 

[BorgRae]

Personally now he is settled with you I would have lessons from a good instructor and school him as you go... then your mum could have lessons on him too. It'll take longer but you'll learn with him and you'll get him schooled as you want him.

I agree, and honestly think after reading people's replies and having a good think about it, that this is the best way forward now...

...Funny, as when I first wrote the thread, I was really leaning towards sending him away!!

I don't mind how long it takes, but agree that it would be better that both him and my mum progressed at the same time. It'll be a nice learning curve for all of us

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply and share your experiences.

I will keep you posted and let you know how our young man comes along!!!

 

[indi4]

I've reschooled a few older horses, and found lunging them a couple of times a week really helped sort the canter out, as they can learn to balance themselves and from the ground you can help to keep them going forward. I would then have some lessons so we could Improve together

 

[BorgRae]

I've reschooled a few older horses, and found lunging them a couple of times a week really helped sort the canter out, as they can learn to balance themselves and from the ground you can help to keep them going forward. I would then have some lessons so we could Improve together

Thanks for this... That was definitely going to be my starting point. A friend of mine at the yard leant me her pessoa to lunge him in as she said he would benefit from that (I generally use side reigns).

Do you think a pessoa is best? Or Side reigns? Or nothing/something else??

Thanks again

 

[AmyMay]

Unfortunately we don't have anywhere for him to jump or canter on a hack as there are only small lanes or country roads near me. He's pretty good when we go down the lanes though. Nice and quiet.

We do however have a cross country course at our new yard, but we haven't taken him on that yet for a canter or a jump.

That's where I'd take him then - he needs to learn to canter in straight lines first. Take him with your horse, and just 'use' the field as one big school.

 

[dapplepink]

Ive got a green 11yr old ISH that I've schooled myself as personally I find it's more rewarding and you get them exactly how you want them and know how they are being treated. I'd definatly start off with lunging and I prefer the pessoa over side reins but only use it for short amounts of time and on a loose setting to start with as it'll be a totally foreign way of working to him! It also encourages them to work correctly and come underneath themselves rather than side reins fixing them into position. Lunging will certainly help balance his canter, don't introduce jumps until you have got a good forward going, balanced canter.

I'm in the local area to you do feel free to pm me if you want any help or info!

 

[Maesfen]

When I went with friends to try a pony I was very impressed with the Woodheads (Ian, who shows Arabs!) The pony hadn't long been broken and was going beautifully with a very nice attitude; he's up that way, near the coast.