How does everyone start their youngsters?

ktj1891

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What process/steps do you generally follow when starting a youngster?

I know every horse is different and therefore it may not be the same each time but what would be the general process/order you would do things and how long would you take on each step before moving on?
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I wouldn’t say there is a timescale on anything it depends on how the horse responds. My yearling will already walk round me in a circle so lunging will be fine, he has already walked over poles, been out hacking inhand, been to lots of shows and taught to climb stairs and walk on wooden bridges etc he will be bitted for showing this NY, he has had boots and bandages on in the course of showing. Has had his first bridle on minus the bit of course.

I tend to start with long lining equipment, surcingle pad etc. I start long lining off the headcollar with the bridle on underneath, then as this gets more acceptable then I put the lines through the bit but still attached primarily to the headcollar then once this is accepted it goes on the bit. Then the circle work stars and once I’m confident of full control the roadwork starts.

Once this is done the saddle is introduced with stirrups flapping, then long lined with that and leaning over. Once this is perfectly acceptable it’s leg over and walking round. If too much back a step.

For me it’s not a short process.
 

windand rain

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Showing in hand teaches manners and acceptance of slow moving traffic ie horse boxes and rattly trailers. It teaches washing off, leading and loading, grooming leg coverings and rugs. We hack out in hand alone and with company and then turn round and let the company go on or vice versa. At a point past their 4th birthday they wear tack to go out and about and maybe a rider. Late 4 they are accepting tack so it is usually an easy move to hack out with a rider. Once hacking out they are lunged and schooled as they mostly understand the question
 

scruffyponies

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All of our work is done out on public lanes / estates, which I'm convinced actually helps. Once moving forward with a halter they are walked out in hand with voice aids introduced for stand, walk, trot.

This is the basis of everything that follows. Putting on the headcollar means we're going out, which is an exciting treat

Aged between 2 and 3 a bit is introduced. This might be tied to headcollar, or if pony isn't headshy we just pop on a bridle without reins, before walking out as usual (led from headcollar, not bit). When pony is ready, long reins are added with a saddle and pony is led whilst being 'driven' - a feel on the reins is gradually introduced, until the leader is able to drop back behind the shoulder, unclip the rope and pony is now long-reining on mouth and voice. More long reining then, paying attention to take them into different situations - past building sites, livestock, traffic etc. He may then be put to a light exercise cart and driven.
Aged about 3 he is backed and ridden away from the yard with a lightweight (child) rider and a leader. At this stage he is mouthed, knows voice commands, and is familiar with the route and everything he might see, so we rarely experience a problem
He will continue to do some solo hacks and driving, as well as tagging along with the slower group rides.
As he's still young, it might be up to a year before he is asked to do anything faster or more athletic... by which time he should be confident and safe.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I started training my boy as soon as I bought him as a weanling. Basic commands inhand walks, showing etc. He’s nearly 18months old and he’s as calm as a mature horse with better manners than some and bold with new challenges. Exactly how I want him :)
 
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I started training my boy as soon as I bought him as a weanling. Basic commands inhand walks, showing etc. He’s nearly 18months old and he’s as calm as a mature horse with better manners than some and bold with new challenges. Exactly how I want him :)

I kind of do the same with mine but they don't go on the road as it's far too dangerous here. They do get dragged round with me everywhere though! They help me muck out - including coming up on the muck heap, turning round and following me back down, they walk about with barrows of hay delivering it to the fields, they walk amongst big horses and small ponies of all genders, up and over the trailer ramp, in and out of the garden etc - where I go they go and are expected just to follow like a dog to heel. Which is why my stallion is so chilled about shows and life!

When backing them I jist throw tack on, walk them round in a wee circle, do the girth up again, walk in a circle then hop on. Once they have stood for a few mins I ask them to walk forwards. Once they get the hang of that I send them on to trot. And then again canter. I keep them going forwards. Before they get rhe chance to think about doing something daft I send them up a gear or cbange direction rapidly to confuse them. Generally by the end of day 3 they walk, trot and canter about quite the thing. It's after that- once they are going forwards that I ask them to start coming into a shape and schooling for the show ring. A simple small ringed egbut snaffle is all I use. I would never use a wilkie, its cutting corners.

It's easy doing it this was with little ponies because you are always above them and by their shoulders. So transfering that to being directly behind the head carrying weight it generally quite easy. I'm not sure I would try that method with a big horse though 😂😂😂
 

TheMule

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Very slowly, very progressively and with the aim of gradually building muscle and strength whilst allowing their brains to just process and learn. I hate the 6 week timeline traditionally given to go from nothing to WTC under saddle.
I personally like to introduce the concepts of responding to the voice and rein in hand but don’t do any formal lunging. Their early muscle building is done out on ride and lead hacks, they then hack the same routes with a rider on board for a couple of months before doing anything more serious. I don't turn them away to just waste all that good muscle, they stay in quiet work 3-4 times a week
 

sport horse

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Mine are taught to wear a headcollar and lead from birth. They are turned out as a herd from the beginning of their yearling spring and only touchin the winter months (Jan - April) while they are in yard. They are then led from place to place asneeded.
At 3 years old they come in one at a time to be backed. They are taught to lunge on a caveson, then they are bitted and a surcingle then saddle added. hey are leaned over then backed and ridden away in the arena. This process can take a nnything from 10 days to 8 weeks - depending on the horse and the number of times each day/week that we can spend a few minutes with it. No young horse can concentrate for more than 15 - 20 minutes in any one stretch.
Once backed they are turned back out in the herd until the middle of their 4 year old summer when they come back in to start proper training. The 4 year olds are nearly ready to go out to course hire and to start competing in a month or so.
I have done this for years and produced horses up to international level in several disciplines. The basics are the same wherever they are going to be directed in the end. The worst thing for young horses is to keep niggling around with them all the time - let them get out in the herd and be untouched.
 

ktj1891

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What age/stage are we talking about here?

She’s a 6 year old Welsh D. She’s been started on and off a few times but never been in consistent work. I’ve sat on her a couple times. The further she has gotten is being walked around the school unaided by a leader. I’ve said I will help get her properly going before winter sets in.

She’s also starting her bitless which makes me a bit twitchy. Does anyone have experience with this?
 

SpottyMare

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She’s also starting her bitless which makes me a bit twitchy. Does anyone have experience with this?

Most of the youngsters on the yard I'm on have been started bitless - there haven't been any particular issues related to that. The key thing is making sure all the groundwork (as described by most people above) has been done.
 

ktj1891

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Most of the youngsters on the yard I'm on have been started bitless - there haven't been any particular issues related to that. The key thing is making sure all the groundwork (as described by most people above) has been done.

That's good to know as I was worried about stopping and steering. Particularly, if she spooks!
 

maya2008

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It depends entirely on the horse!

Some of varying experiences of mine:

1) 3.5yo filly, had shown in-hand, liked people, stud bred. Got her home, popped saddle on to see what she would think the next day, she didn’t bat an eyelid. Girthed it up, no issue. Bridle, no issue. Leant over - no issue. She just kind of looked at me as if to say ‘well get on then!’ So I did. OH took us for a little stroll round the yard, and I got off and gave her lots of cuddles. Lunging took a day to learn, she was off the lead by day 3, w/t/c by day 5 and we hacked down the road solo at the end of the first week. Spent the next six months hacking, then started schooling aged 4.

2) 5yo mare arrived from the sales wild and unhandled with foal at foot. Took two weeks with her shut in a stable to get her to the point where she would let me catch her, brush her, give her treats, lean over, wave my arms around, pat everywhere and put weight on her back. Then I taught her to lead round the stable, then outside it. By the time we went in the school she trusted me and would let me on board no problem. She got the basics in a day, but didn’t like the idea of going forward on her own. Took about a week for walk and trot solo then I recruited a child to do canter as she was a little small for me.

3) Gelding, arrived mostly unhandled. Slowest processing speed I have ever experienced. So sweet though. Took weeks to get him going forwards solo because he was scared of going first. So I lunged him in circles, then round the outside of the school, then long-reined him in the school, then long-reined on hacks behind other horses and then in front for increasing periods. Eventually he was confident doing that, so I could do the same ridden. He was also weaker than the fillies had been at the same age, so we did less over his first winter. Gentle hacks and 10min schooling sessions a few days a week. He is miles behind where they were at the age he is now, but he will be a great horse when he is finished. You can only go at the speed they can progress at!

4) sister of no.3 - same upbringing, similar breeding. Backed by a six year old child, w/t/c within a couple of weeks out hacking on the lead rein, off the lead with that child 3 months or so later. No schooling to date (she will trot round in one!), we will do that in the spring. She never had any issues going forward on her own, learnt to lunge in ten minutes, easy as pie.

So all the fillies were easy and quick, and the one gelding (rubbish sample size!!) needed more traditional methods and took forever.

If you don’t know what order to do things in, then you need someone with you to help you. First one I did, I did with a friend. Our gelding would lunge with me far before he would for my less experienced husband, and doing it right the first time means progress is steady and no one gets upset. I have also rebacked quite a few where the process was mucked up the first time, and that takes so much longer. Some of them never get over that bad first experience.
 

Hallo2012

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my last one was by far the easiest-shown in hand from foal to 2yo, super well handled but not over faffed with, really used to people and confident but not pushy.

we carried on showing him as 2yo and backed him as a 3yo-i sat on him once in the stable, once in the yard and then once in the arena all bareback, lunged him twice for ten minutes in a saddle, long lined for 5 minutes and then started leading him out in hand and popping on and riding home! over about 3/4 hacks we reduced the leading time and then declared him backed.

i hasten to add at 13hh hes very none intimidating and i wouldn't do a big strong 16hh the same i dont think but Raf has never so much as put his back up and has matured in to the most straightforward and easy to ride 4yo, any half decent kid could get on w/t/c and pop a fence, hes a gem.

pic below of BHS backing!backing.JPG
 

ihatework

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Depends on the horse and my situation at the time.

I’ve been happy to do the groundwork myself and be the person at the head end, whilst bringing in a jockey for the early getting on, then ride away myself in the right circumstances ... but in all honesty having just sent one away to someone I’ve had my eye on for a while, it’s just not worth messing around with anything aspirational - the job they have done is 10x better than what I could have done
 

J1993

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My 3 year old (was 3 in May) is lunging with a roller on. Shes had a bit in but is lunged off a dually. I plan to get her sent away in April depending on how shes looking. Deciding whether or not to introduce side reins and whether to attach to dually or bit. To be honest I'm half tempted not to send her away as shes so easy going I expect her to be a doddle but I have never done one myself before, don't have trustworthy and reliable help and dont want to mess up.
 

blitznbobs

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Mine get the same start it’s just the length of time that changes for each stage.

This starts only when they are well handled.

1 introduce tack
2 lunge with one rein in tack til walk and trot commands understood... could be 5 minutes could be a month.
3 introduce second rein round bottom usually ok after 5 to 10 minutes... lunge with 2 reins and convert to long reining - never taken longer than a session.
4 long rein everywhere. Lots and lots (this continues for a while in conjunction with riding.)
5 sit on horse ... literally just at the mounting block. Get on and off a couple of times. Repeat til this is really boring for both parties.
6 continue long reining with short bouts of walk on the lunge with a person passenger... instructions from the ground not from rider.
7 start to introduce aids from rider.
8 remove lunge line but keep the same positions now all instructions from rider.
9 remove the person in the center lunging position so just the rider and horse.
10 as soon as it is safe get horse out of arena and hacking preferably off road in straight lines building strength, confidence and muscle.
11 once strong enough return to school for more formal training.

Apart from the hacking once the horse is ridden away I keep sessions very short... if it can’t be done in 15 mins then it isn’t going to get done, I always finish with something the horse finds easy so we finish on a good note,
 
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