Having ‘the easy youngster’

southerncomfort said:
Don't downplay the part you've played here OP.

Relaxed owners produce relaxed youngsters. He doesn't worry about anything because he's learnt from you not to panic about new things.

My boy Bo was so laid back as a youngster, but I walked miles and miles with him over the course of a year, and introduced him to everything and anything that he might meet out hacking.

He went through a bit of a 'why should I?' phase at 6, but it was short lived, and he is the bravest, boldest hacking pony, and still very laid back about life.

You are creating a great partnership with your baby, so don't let other people's snidey comments make you doubt yourself.
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Agree with this 100 %
 
Mim has always been a dream.

That's not to say she hasn't been babyish or there weren't occasional wobbles but they were all completely understandable and attributable to a genuinely confusing scenario. Like a herd of alpacas cantering over, or a massive wedding tent being pitched next to her field. Or finding learning to bend through her body a bit confusing and getting a bit tense.

There were days I didn't communicate clearly enough, days where she was just very green. But she has always been in good humour and tries her heart out. She'll be 10 next year and she's just a wonderful as ever.
 
My easiest youngster grew inot my easiest horse. Easy to back, easy to train (reads the book and then goes out an wins), fun, confident. He had energy and was very playful as a baby, with other horses mostly but engaged and fun with people, but completely MEH about everything. Blind to new things, unflappable. As a result, he grew into a chill amateur eventer (competitive at 90, fun and clear with the odd pole/never a stop, but impossible to make the time at 100). Nothing can spook him, hunts on the buckle, stands on the box all day. He is now in his 20s, still jumping clear, still nannying the baby horses. He had a "kevins" phase at about 5 perhaps 3-4 months after backing where he realised he could use leaps and rears against difficult work. He has terrible conformation, downhill build, awful hock structure, outward facing toes, so canter and collection were hard for him. Be we stayed calm and understood the reasons and he grew strong and stopped doing it quickly (though he then went through a phase of trying to lope about on the forehand instead). He would never have passed a vetting when I got him as a wonky 18 month old, cheap as chips. Never a lame day other than an injury, clean X-rays, was stretched and worked into structural and functional straightness. Give me another one like that for the next 20 years, and I will die happy.
 
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