How do you bring on you're youngster?

[trefnantblackknight]

I know it looks daunting.... but would love and ideas/tips/opinions

4 years ago i backed my lovely welshie Cisco
I wanted him to be completely independant - he is doesn't even make a fuss if i ask him to leave his friends while were on a hack - So i never hacked him out or led him with another horse until he listened to me a trusted me - which he does completely, he was badly treated so getting his trust was a challenge in the first place - people always said he will blow up around other horses if i dont take him out with them straight away to get him used to them but i always said 'but if he doesn't listen to me or know all my commands yet isn't it more dangerous?'

He is the best horse i have ever ridden and can go out in company but is still independant from them as i am sort of his leader he will always rather be with me than his friends but people always said i was babying him and should leave him be - but i can't help it if he comes over and loves a good cuddle -

So anyway i have just bought another baby - a lipizzaner which i am very excited about but everyone is already saying i hope you're not going to do with him what you did with Cisco but i am begining to doubt my methods
Banner has the same i love you attitude and is very independent like Cisco but these people can't go out on there own because there ponies are nutty nuts :/

So how do you break in your ponies do you have another horse or someone on the ground - i always used to get off if there was something scary so i could say it was ok....

 

[asommerville]

If your happy with your horse and hes safe an does what you want then do it your way!

 

[Sparkles]

Depends on the horse....if it's a standard breaker in to do, ie, with a time limit to an extent, then I'll always have someone on the ground with me to get them started as I don't know the horse, they don't know me, etc etc.
A lot we have are also entire and we're on a shared yard, so I'd rather have someone keeping an eye out on the ground just to be around to warn people we've got one in the school/or hacking round the yard for the first time etc.

However, I've done a couple of quiet ones by myself before with problems. I do everything on my own with them riding wise - I'll just crack on schooling them, either with other horses in the school or by myself, I don't find it makes a huge difference as it's all new to them anyway! I'll take them out hacking on their own, I prefer them to have to be bold and not get nappy. I'll take them out on their own for a week or so, then take them out with other horses - but make them go in front the first few times, then change around a bit and make them go behind/side by side, etc.

With my lad, I've been doing him by myself, but I've had him from the start, done all his halter breaking/first times tacking up/long reining/ground work/etc. He pretty much trusts me as I'm his only handler and vice versa - when in doubt, he'll just turn to me for support and then carry on as normal. He's just a real dude of a baby. I'm just doing things properly and slowly with him - before I even think about riding him, I want him quiet to tack up, flappy things, perfect off the bit and voice, him long reining anywhere [roads/bridges/bridleways/school/farm/etc] and just 'soft' in general. I'll have him already quiet to stand to mount - he'll have to learn to be used to be standing up in one stirrup both sides, getting on and off, etc. He already ground ties and is used to ropes round his legs with panicing, which has been a god send as he bought his haynet down but got it caught and had his leg caught up in it - didn't panic at all, just stood there and let us squeeze underneath him to cut him free.

I think it's not so much how many people there are, but how much of the ground work is already in place. With the ones we've had in for a long time before backing, they've been easy as pie to do as when they had a confused moment, they had adequate ground work in place to fall back on and use to make them realise what to do.