How much do you do with your youngster?

[welshiewhiskers]

Just wanting to know how much and what you do with your youngster!

I have a 5 year old and a 4 year old! they have been going out to shows and the 5 year old has been having weekly lessons! they both school, lunge and hack!!

do any of you hunt? what do you do in your schooling sessions?

do you jump?

just nice to know what you all do as i want to get a rough idea as to what others their age are doing

 

[Tia]

I'm primarily a western rider these days. I have a fair amount of youngsters here and each and every one of them is brought on incredibly slowly, however they are started at a far earlier age than what British people might be comfortable with.

So long as they are physically and mentally well adjusted then I lightly back them at about 2 years old. They are first started loose in the round pen where they learn about directions and basic ridden aids. Then they are ridden out on trails perhaps once or twice a week, at walk, for short rides of about 30 minutes at this age. This continues into their 3rd year, when I generally take them to meet cattle. Most of them just take this in their stride and I will quietly and slowly work a small herd of cattle (15) with them.

By 3 or 4 years old (depending on the horse), they will be competent at all gaits; they will know neck-reining and many of the basic movements and will be able to put in quick turns and immediate stops. They will be riding out most days, however once again generally for short periods of about an hour. Their learning continues out on the trails.

I don't lunge. I only ever do free work with them. I don't school in any of my arenas, I prefer to teach them the hard way out on the trails. Mine are not school horses, they are potential working cattle horses, so there is absolutely no point in getting a straight line with the reliance on post and rail fencing to get them there - they have to learn this out in the big wide world to be any good to anyone who wants to work them. At 3 or 4 they should know most of the less stressful movements - I don't go beyond this stage as most buyers aren't up to that stage anyway. I don't take my horses down any line as this could be counter-productive to what their buyers are looking for. My youngsters at 3 or 4 years old are ready to be sold onto caring owners who will continue with their training.

The horses I have as keepers are treated in the same fashion.

If I was riding English then my horses would be backed in a completely different way. Jumping is introduced at 5 years old. I know most people introduce it earlier than me, however this is the age I am comfortable with. I won't hunt a horse younger than 5, although once again I know plenty of people who do. Just personal choices really.

Best piece of advice is, don't rush them, by that I don't mean the age at which you start them at, but rather the amount of stress you pile on and the speed at which you move up to the next training level. Always make sure they fully understand what you are teaching them before you move onto something else.

 

[_daisy_]

Mine has weekly lessons, lunges and regularly hacks out. Shes been hunting once and thats it but I havent started jumping her yet as I want to fully establish her flatwork. She has only really become mentally and physically ready for this amount of work this year due to her size etc.
Each horse will be able to work at a different level to another but basically keep it easy and dont rush them. Keep it steady and at a pace they can cope with.

 

[lizzieuk1]

my boy is 5 now and just doing lolcal shows and hunter trials with flatwork at home, however i met a girl last week also with a 5yo and he's doing prenovice so in full work, seems fine with that. intro for us next year