how much is it to get my horse broken to ride? (uk)

A

Ambie

New User
Joined
16 September 2013
Messages
9
Location
essex
Visit site
I have a 4year old riding pony. He is around 15.2hh. I would like to get him broken professionally as i dont think ji am cabable to do it my self. However i have brode him, but this was only for around 5minuets. A he freaked.
I
am in the essex area so it would be great if someone would be able to advise a local person to do this and thier price.
thankyou/
 
Sorry, not clear from your post whether you actually "rode" the pony???

This is presuming that you have worked in hand with him and on the ground first to gain his confidence, and THEN when the time was right you would have "backed" him??? Or did you just jump up and hope for the best? And he, obviously, didn't want you on board and told you so???!!!

I do hope I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick here...... but IF you're saying you "rode him, but this was only for about 5 minutes, and he freaked", is this correct?

Um, sorry if I HAVE got it wrong, but the way I interpret that is that you had a pony which you just got up onto (possibly without doing any preparation work beforehand), and he then "freaked", then TBH I'm not surprised!!!! You were lucky not to be injured if so.

But whatever, maybe I'm reading your post totally wrongly...... and that you've got a pony that you recognise you can't "back" yourself, so are looking to send away to be done professionally: is this what you are asking??? If so, that's a good place to be in, i.e. you realise you're having difficulties and so recognise you're needing an expert.

Dunno if anyone else read the post the same as me??

Anyone in the Essex area able to help??

Sorry if jumping to the wrong conclusion.
 
Last edited:
Thankyou for our opinion.
No this isnt what i did. when i bought him around 10months ago, the previous owner had told me he had been backed. however he was in poor condition so i idnt want to ride him as i didnt think he was fit enough. therefore i waited around a month so he could gain weight. during this time i lunnged him very lightly and went for walks down the bridle paths offten to gain trust.

When i thought he was well enough i introduced the saddle again. I first started just walking him with the saddle on. He was very tense and jumpy. However after lungeing him with it on he began to relax after around a week. So after being told he had been backed i tried to get on him. he became tense however was fine. once i was on we rode round the field around 4 times then he shot foward so i got off as i knew he wasnt comfortable wih it.

Snce this happened i have tried to put the saddle on him variouse times but he just rears. Hwever i sucseeded twice and one time i lunged him with it on again. H started tense however relaxed after a few minuets. Ad the othere i just walked him around the feild. when i tried to get on him this time he reared so i took it off.
Ihave tried two different saddles and he reacts the same with both. Therefore i dont think i am able to break him myself as i am only a teenager and he is a very large horse.
 
Depends on horse, what level you need them to be educated to & area. Get some trainer recommendations & make enquiries, only way you'll get an idea.
 
Maybe your saddle doesn't fit him?

I would try lunging/leading/long lining him in a roller and sheepskin for the time being, to get him used to the girth and pressure without a saddle and stirrups banging around. (try not to lunge too much as it is hard on young joints)

DEFINATELY get a professional involved. Might be better to have someone come to you and show you how to do things rather than send him away, because there's a chance you are doing something to stress him out, and he could come back to you properly broken to ride, but then still respond badly.
 
It sounds like the saddle may be a problem possibly?

As for breaking the following are prices I was quoted -

Breaking and basic schooling - 4 weeks on livery at a trainers yard at £130 a week

8-10 weeks for breaking and some quite decent foundation schooling

Horse stays at home £70 for initial backing £25 per hour thereafter plus expenses
 
Thankyou for your replys.
However i have said i have used two different saddles with different girths and he racted the same with both. I was thinking of getting his back checked. However im going to discuss this with my mum.
I will take your comments on borad. They were very helpful.
 
also after seeing him react like that when puting the saddle on him i done the girth up one hole at a time.
so i don it up very lose but so it stays on and walked him the done it up a bit tighter and walked him and so on and h was fine until i went to get on him.
 
Have you had the saddles fitted to him? If not, it is highly likely that both are the wrong fit for him. When trying random saddles on horses, very few will actually fit correctly. If you took twenty random saddles, then it is very unlikely that more than one, if any, would fit your horse. So unless the saddles have been professionally fitted, or you are an expert at fitting saddles yourself, then I would bet that both those saddles are a poor fit and will be hurting your horse.

Regarding your original question, then I would expect to pay around £800 to have a horse professionally broken. Usually they charge by the week, so some will cost more than others. Around £160 a week is pretty average. Some horses can be broken in three weeks, others may take eight.
 
Ambie said:
Thankyou for your replys.
However i have said i have used two different saddles with different girths and he racted the same with both. I was thinking of getting his back checked. However im going to discuss this with my mum.
I will take your comments on borad. They were very helpful.
Click to expand...

Maybe they both don't fit? Do you know the basics on how to tell if a saddle fits or not?
 
Did you buy your pony locally? i.e. Essex? Maybe the person who originally 'broke' your pony was the same one who 'broke' mine! I bought a lovely pony from a lady in Essex who said she'd had the pony professionally broken. 6 months into the re-breaking she is still not safe enough to be ridden without an assistant by her side. Although her manners have improved considerably & she is now wonderful in the stable, in hand & on lunge. Her previous backing & ridden experiences have been very traumatic for her & I don't know if we shall ever overcome them completely. So if you take her to a professional be careful who you choose.
 
OFGS, just take the "pony" (at 15.2hh it's a horse....) to a professional, at whatever the going rate may be, get it properly backed/broken/ridden away, take a whole bunch of lessons and learn how to handle/look after/deal with/feed/ride/etc. your horse. Please DO NOT attempt to "learn together", just go away and get some proper, professional help and then make sure you keep the horse somewhere where you can get experienced help and continuing input into its management. Otherwise this is a story with a potentially poor outcome for horse and owner, and unfortunately an all too common one.
 
It is likely to take longer and cost you more to get a horse like this riding nicely than one which has come straight from the field without being messed about with and having had bad experiences.
 
Take a chill pill everyone! She's a kid who didn't express herself very well initially (takes bit of practice to get the hang of asking questions on a forum without being lynched!) and everyone jumped to conclusions. Sounds like shes tried a sensible method of getting a pony, that she'd been told was already broken, back into work. And now it sounds like she's prob been lied to about the pony's experience.

Ambie: how much does depend on quality and area. Around here it's about £100 a week for standard breaking but up to £160 or so for 'posh' yard to do it. There will be far cheaper places but be very very careful as there is some shocking stories. Make sure you see exactly what the rider is like and how they handle horses etc and that you're 100% happy before you send your horse off.
 
Hi
I have a lady that I use who is £120 per week who is based in the Epping/Nazeing area, there is also a lady called Claire Fielding who has been recommended to me for my pony. Apparently she does a lot for pony club/ If you want to PM me, I can pass on the details of the lady that I use :) xx
 
Ambie, I would definitely get his back checked. I recently sent my boy away for backing professionally - he had previously loose jumped at home, no signs of a problem, but seemed stiff when ridden. He had a very frozen neck and back and was so genuine to have done all he had without complaint. So very worth checking even if they seem ok.
 
Cortez said:
OFGS, just take the "pony" (at 15.2hh it's a horse....) to a professional, at whatever the going rate may be, get it properly backed/broken/ridden away, take a whole bunch of lessons and learn how to handle/look after/deal with/feed/ride/etc. your horse. Please DO NOT attempt to "learn together", just go away and get some proper, professional help and then make sure you keep the horse somewhere where you can get experienced help and continuing input into its management. Otherwise this is a story with a potentially poor outcome for horse and owner, and unfortunately an all too common one.
Click to expand...

Cortez, Ambie is obviously a child, so please, is there a real need for you to respond to her post in such a way? She has asked for advice, and should get it from adults in a fair and kind manner!
 
Claire Fielding all the way. She is fab and will also give you lessons and help you on an ongoing basis. She advertises on the Essex Hunt North Pony Club website.
 
Ambie said:
when i bought him around 10months ago, the previous owner had told me he had been backed. however he was in poor condition so i idnt want to ride him as i didnt think he was fit enough. therefore i waited around a month so he could gain weight. during this time i lunnged him very lightly and went for walks down the bridle paths offten to gain trust.
Click to expand...

Poor chap - and poor you. So he was just 3 when you bought him (untried) and he was supposed to be backed - but in poor condition. This would suggest that if he'd been backed at all it would have been while he was in poor condition (and not very well done.) Now he is strong and well - he's making his feelings known and he is - effectively - unbacked (or rather worse than unbacked as he was badly backed.)

I would want his back and his mouth thoroughly checked out before starting. i can't help with a recommendation for a trainer down your way but make sure it's someone who will let you come and see work being done.
 
Cortez said:
OFGS, just take the "pony" (at 15.2hh it's a horse....) to a professional, at whatever the going rate may be, get it properly backed/broken/ridden away, take a whole bunch of lessons and learn how to handle/look after/deal with/feed/ride/etc. your horse. Please DO NOT attempt to "learn together", just go away and get some proper, professional help and then make sure you keep the horse somewhere where you can get experienced help and continuing input into its management. Otherwise this is a story with a potentially poor outcome for horse and owner, and unfortunately an all too common one.
Click to expand...

Not being funny but on his pass port he is classed as a riding pony.
 
Mari said:
Did you buy your pony locally? i.e. Essex? Maybe the person who originally 'broke' your pony was the same one who 'broke' mine! I bought a lovely pony from a lady in Essex who said she'd had the pony professionally broken. 6 months into the re-breaking she is still not safe enough to be ridden without an assistant by her side. Although her manners have improved considerably & she is now wonderful in the stable, in hand & on lunge. Her previous backing & ridden experiences have been very traumatic for her & I don't know if we shall ever overcome them completely. So if you take her to a professional be careful who you choose.
Click to expand...

I did buy him locally. I bought him from Pitsea. However i bought him off of two young men around 18years old.
 
Cortez said:
OFGS, just take the "pony" (at 15.2hh it's a horse....) to a professional, at whatever the going rate may be, get it properly backed/broken/ridden away, take a whole bunch of lessons and learn how to handle/look after/deal with/feed/ride/etc. your horse. Please DO NOT attempt to "learn together", just go away and get some proper, professional help and then make sure you keep the horse somewhere where you can get experienced help and continuing input into its management. Otherwise this is a story with a potentially poor outcome for horse and owner, and unfortunately an all too common one.
Click to expand...
Also i know how to ride and look after my horses, i have had horses for 16 years. Theres no need to be rude. jheeze
 
Ambie said:
Also i know how to ride and look after my horses, i have had horses for 16 years. Theres no need to be rude. jheeze
Click to expand...


So you have had horses for 16 years (was this from birth???), but you don't know that you have to have a saddle fitted professionally, especially bearing in mind that horse is underweight, you don't know to have the animal checked over by a physio and dentist given you know NOTHING of his background and you don't know who locally to go to for professional breaking, or even who to ask locally who might know?

And its Jeez, not jheeze. And minute, not minuet.

Oh dear.
 
JanetGeorge said:
Poor chap - and poor you. So he was just 3 when you bought him (untried) and he was supposed to be backed - but in poor condition. This would suggest that if he'd been backed at all it would have been while he was in poor condition (and not very well done.) Now he is strong and well - he's making his feelings known and he is - effectively - unbacked (or rather worse than unbacked as he was badly backed.)

I would want his back and his mouth thoroughly checked out before starting. i can't help with a recommendation for a trainer down your way but make sure it's someone who will let you come and see work being done.
Click to expand...

I would think this is a very accurate assessment of what's gone on with this unfortunate pony; TBH think the OP has done very well to cope with such a difficult situation. Can't help but think that someone, somewhere, regrettably of the unscrupulous variety, has sold something that isn't what it was supposed to be; and now OP has a difficult and potentially dangerous situation on her (and her parents) hands. Unfortunately this sort of thing goes on a lot.

OP........ there are a lot of good recommendations on here from people in the area, who are giving names of people who might help you.

Please note I am trying to say this VERY sensitively.......... and am not for one minute doubting your obvious ability to deal with horses coz IMO you've done blimmin well with the situation up till now, BUT the bottom line is that you are very young to be dealing with a pony who has very obviously got all sorts of "issues". That's not saying you can't cope with it, coz it looks like you've tried, very hard, BUT its possible that even if this pony goes to a profesional (and costs a lot of money), there still won't be any quick "fix" and you still might not find it suitable - or safe - for you to ride. A lot of us on here - including me!!! - would have run scared well before now, dealing with a youngster with obvious issues, so its not a case of me saying you're not capable because you very obviuosly are.

I guess you're just wanting a really nice pony which you can maybe do a bit of pony club with? take to shows? hack out with your friends? You DON'T need a pony which may cause you a great deal of grief in the long run, plus may actually never be safe for you to ride the way you want to.

This is a situation which is NOT you fault, it is unfortunately the way of the world and there are some very dishonest people around (makes my blood boil this sort of thing). Something similar happened to me when I was a child: a dishonest dealer "dumped" a pony on us and despite repeated requests from my parents, wouldn't take it away. Result: I got all silly and soppy over it, and even though it was frankly dangerous (looking back, yes it was), I wouldn't ever of dreamed of parting with it. In the end it DID have to be sold, and because of its behavioural issues I very much suspect (looking back) that it had to be PTS although I don't know that for sure.

Yes you are obviously VERY fond of your little pony, and I'm trying to say this as kindly as I can, BUT I just wonder IF there isn't another pony out there somewhere which will be the "right" one for you, rather than this pony which is only going to cause you upset and possibly harm you.

Can I urge you (and your parents) to consider consulting one of the professionals that people have suggested, with a view to perhaps letting this pony go on to another home, and asking them to find you something which will be more suitable???

Believe me, while it will be awful to say goodbye to what you have, and it won't be easy, owning a pony is meant to be fun and your parents I'm sure would wish you to enjoy your riding and be safe.

You've got an awful situation on your hands, and it feels very much like you need a professional/adult to come alongside you and help you to make decisions and give you an honest appraisal of the situation.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top