How much do you do with your 4/5 year olds?

[gryff]

Just wondering really. I've just bought an arab mare - she's 5 in a couple of weeks. She was broken in in October and has been hacking out since. The previous owners have taken their time breaking her but had been hacking her out for two/three hours most days. She has thrived on this work.

I'm just a little worried about doing this much with her - she's so good, it will be tempting to push it. What would you consider doing with a horse this age? Would you work them through the summer then give them time off to mature over winter?

Just looking for different experiences.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If she thrives on work and seems to get bored with nothing to do, then I would consider keeping her in light work except for when the weather naturally dictates a break and take the break then. That way you get the nice weather and they dont get bored (esp as horsie wasnt broken specially early so is nice and mentally mature). But let the horse tell you if they are bored or not, you could try turning them away but be ready to change plan if horse is bored.

My (then) four year old did walk and trot dressage test competitions (altho not with any aim to come high in placings or be on the bit/collected, just as a fun outing) little local shows (ditto just for experience), but mostly hacking with some schooling. As a five year old we started much longer 3 hour ish hacking rides and started popping tiny logs out hacking (more branches really but at that age they give them plenty of air!).
At six we did our first endurance ride, and shes just nearly 7 now and we are starting to think about having a xc jumping lesson.

 

[sugarpuff]

My boy has just turned 5, (15.2 WB X so will be late to mature) and he is currently having a few months rest as he's been in work for about 11 months. As I only got him last summer I've mainly spent time doing basic schooling, a few jumping sessions (nothing massive as I'm not brave), hacking, lessons at other yards to get him used to going in the trailer, a few prelim dressage tests for experience and some basic ground work to make sure he doesn't turn into a "gobby teenager"! And to let me get used to him.

We decided to turn him away now the weather is better as I think he would have been bored if he had had to come in every night, and as we have heavy clay soil there have been occasions this winter when for the odd day we haven't been able to turn out as our fields resembled a swamp. I didn't want to turn him away and him to have to come due to bad weather, so I waited. It had got to the stage with him where he was mentally tired as he'd learnt loads and was getting a bit stroppy and starting to throw the toys out of the pram when we asked him to just try for that last little bit "extra". He has "bratitude" shall we say!

I sometimes see adverts for 4/5 year olds for sale that seem to have done lots of competitions, but I'm quite happy to take things slowly with my neddy. I've bought him to keep, not to sell on, so I'm in no rush to get a proven competition record behind us and I've spent loads of time getting to know him so he trusts me. I've not done any cross county schooling with him yet, but his previous owner had done a little bit, but jumping really is his strong point so I'm not too worried. He jumps more like a school master - steady, brave, balanced, never stops, sorts his own legs out, careful, etc. We've worked more on the bad bits really. (His and mine!!)

We'll start doing some stuff in a few weeks and aim to do a few more local competitions later this summer/ autumn. I'm also planning to do some clinics (quieter) and just have lots more lessons.

 

[JenTaz]

taz has done far to much for only being 5, i got him when he was three, but was told when i bought him that he was five, only to find out a few months later that he was actually three.
By this time we had been to most of the borders common rides and hacking out every day, doing flatwork and jumping up to 2"9 which he absolutely loved. So i've kept things pretty much the same, apart from the jumping ive brought it down alot my max is now 2"3 unless he feels really good and balanced as he is now 5 as i have had him for two years.

 

[Llanali]

My 4 year old came to me in July last year, had a month off, and then I got on. She had been very, very lightly backed before that, but only in the rough Irish sense of the phrase.


Through August we hacked, in September we did hacking and schooling very lightly. In October she did a little dressage prelim test, and in beginning of November just did a little 2"6 ish course at an indoor competition.

Through December she schooled, hacked and did more 2'6 ish and 2'9 courses out and about. Had a break in January, then hacked through February, schooled/hacked/jumped in March. Did her first XC and schooling sessions in April. Continued work and has been hacking lightly since Beginning of May, due to my other commitments.

She's going to start some more competitions in June again, with a view to some affiliated jumping and dressage in August.

I would always go by the fact that they'll tell you how they're doing work wise, and if the horse is happy, keep going.

I don't believe it's necessary to have loads of month long breaks, but mine has had several fortnights scattered throughtout chilling in field, and has had some weels of just hacking etc.

Important to remember as well that I school on grass.

 

[KatB]

My rising 5yr old (5 in june) has been backed since last May. She has done a little ODE, done low level BSJA (upto 1m) and trailblazers SJing, as well as having about 9/10 lessons jumping grids, etc, with one or two of them jumping upto 1.15m Most of her work at home is hacking of about 1hr with one or two sessions of schooling or lunging a week. She has had regular breaks ( a mnth in October, and then a few weeks here and there since March). She looks fantastic, as she is muscling up well from working correctly, and having lots of slow hacks to strengthen her up.

IMHO the best thing you can do with a young horse is lots of hacking slowly on varied terrain to teach them balance, and to strengthen them up, and make sure they are working correctly (over their backs, long and low) right from day one. Allowing them to slop about on a long rein is fine, but won't develop the correct muscles to support themselves. This doesnt mean hauling them in, but teaching them to work from behind into a soft contact, and working in a rounded frame.

Mine is naturally quite sharp and enjoys her work, so I haven' got away with giving her any more than a couple of weeks off completely, as she just turns into a hooligan! However, she has plenty of easy weeks just hacking in walk and trot

 

[FionaMc]

I got mine at 4 and a half and probably did way too much with her too soon, as she was my first baby and first horse (too used to bombing round on a mental pony), but frankly, it's not done her any harm and she tackled everything I asked of her sensibly and with great success. From the get-go I was riding her 6 days a week, long hacks at weekends, schooling and lots of grid work. It was always clear when she started to get tired and we should stop.

She was busy at local shows jumping and hunter trials at 5, think we stuck to under 2'9 in her first year but at 6 she was doing the open classes quite happily. Now she's 16 and after a few years of being out on loan, with no schooling, I feel like I have 4 year old Cleo back all over again!

That said, if I did it again, I'd probably do it quite differently - but then, I probably still believe that if they're physically capable, there's no reason why we shouldn't always be asking little questions of them and getting them out and about and doing things - otherwise how will they learn?