How much to do with almost 4 y/o?

[EmmaB]

So my little welsh Flash is going to be 4 in May, he was broken last summer and just did a bit, I got him in November and took him on a few hacks and he's had time off until now to chill! I want to get going with him now so we can do some shows in the summer, I'm going to do some inhand but I'd like to try some intro dressage just to get him out being ridden at shows, and then maybe some ridden showing if all goes well towards the end of the season.

I don't want to over do it though, he doesn't know how to canter yet (legs go everywhere and he gets confused!) so I want to start hacking him again until he gets a bit stronger before we canter, I was thinking a couple of hacks a week but not sure if this would be enough for him to strengthen his muscles up?

Whats everyone else doing with their youngsters? Also feel free to post pics :biggrin3:

Pretty boy :biggrin3:

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My three year old is still very immature, so he's walked and trained in-hand and only ridden by the cat. He has worn a saddle though and was fine with that. I'm still working on the standing still when asked thing, as he's a terrible fidget and likes to walk off before I've asked, but the weather has really been against us so we've not done as many training sessions as I would have liked.

He's also flaxen chestnut.

I know he's got a rug on, but you can see how short his spine is at the moment. He's still got to widen a lot too.

One without his face in a bucket.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Mine is doing nothing.
Having been bought by my as a 2.5 year old he had already been broken in and hacked. He was all over the place mentally and very immature, you couldn't do a thing with him, literally, when I first got him. Last summer he was tacked up a few times and sat on but thats it. He has been handled in the field etc but nothing else. Im hoping to have him professionally restarted around April/May this year so really need to crack on with some more work now....if only the weather was a bit better lol. He has also shot up and filled out alot over the last 12 months so Im glad he has been turned away to develop...despite people telling me he should be ridden by now

 

[FairyLights]

my horse is 4 in May. He's doing nothing at present except feet picked out and the odd brush of mane and tail. he was backed last autumn but wont be brought into anykind of work, either inhand or ridden until the weather improves sufficiently and there is enough light, probably April or even May.

 

[cob&onion]

I also have a welsh D, he is 4 in april. We backed him beginning of December - he can walk trot and canter in the school and walks and trots over colored poles, he found this easy! . This was done on days 1 - 3 of his education. He has hacked out alone up the road with someone on the ground twice - i have taken him ot 3 x with another horse for a short 20 min hack where we crossed a bridge, he goes in front or will follow behind. He is a very smart cookie and so trainable! took him in the school a week or so back and did a bit with him for 10 mins then we had our first hack alone back to the field (only a 3 min walk) such a good boy!
So far he has been ridden about 8 x.
The weather is awful at the moment plus the saddler is due out end of jan so until i am sure he is 100% with his saddle he won't be ridden till then. Will keep him ticking over with the aim of a w&t test in May and lightly showing during the summer
Expecting him to fill out and chunk up a far bit yet, he's around 14.2 - i was worried i ould look massive on him as am 5ft9.5 but actually look okay on him

 

[Cortez]

A rising 4 year old that is backed and ridden away I would expect to be just coming in to work doing a little walk-trot & tiny canters if he's wobbly, learning to balance through simple transitions and generally starting to strengthen up. If the horse is mature enough I would be thinking of going to some baby shows later on in the year, maybe a little prelim or a showing class. Also maybe popping a cross pole now and again with further jumps and little courses later on if that is they way he was being directed. Time to go to Big School, not kindergarten.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Show in hand is best, start riding him when he is rising 5!

 

[mudmudmud]

I'd do light hacking 2-3 times a week with some small canters in straight line son even ground and the occasional schooling session for 20 minutes just to establish basics. I'd start to introduce poles towards the end of the summer and aim to be jumping small cross poles when he's rising 5. Intro dressage and in-hand showing should be a problem, good luck!

 

[Tia0513]

My rising 4 year old IDxTB is hacked out mostly, anything from 20 minutes up to an hour now, on the land or roads. She will lead and follow and goes out with either one other or up to three others. It is mostly walking we do but have the occasional trot. I am now thinking about increasing her trotting, do a bit of interval work when out, to help her strengthen up. If I am on my own I will pop her in the menage but only do a max of 30 mins in there and it is only walk & trot as by the time she gets herself sorted in canter we run out of room before having to turn! I am hoping to have her at some local shows May time so just keeping things steady with her.
My mums rising 4 year old Welsh D however is not in as much 'work'. He was backed late summer last year and then has been mainly turned away to mature more. We lunge him & maybe get on him once every 3 weeks so he doesn't forget things completely.

 

[saddlesore]

Show in hand is best, start riding him when he is rising 5!

why would you leave it so late to ride?

 

[charlimouse]

Here is a link to a thread I wrote in the Competing and Training section of the forum yesterday about what I've been doing with my rising 4 year old, with lots of pictures and videos.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...Videos-Breaking-in-the-Baby-a-Progress-Report

 

[Clava]

My Haffy will be 4 in April, I backed her last summer and we've done very little so far, but I'd like to get her hacking out once a week if possible by the spring, but it will probably be less.

 

[cob&onion]

Interesting to see what everyone is doing with their babies
Can't wait to get cracking with my boy again

 

[samlf]

Mine is also rising 4, although I have only had her for 3 weeks. She was w/t/c in the school, would hack out alone or in company sweetly and has seen traffic. That's plenty for me, plus even if I did want to ride her it would be more like swimming at the moment! So she has from when I got her until april/may off, then I will bring her back into work and see how she goes, playing it by ear really, probably do a few inhand shows but I doubt any ridden shows this year.

 

[Kallibear]

Another chestnut with a flaxen mane!

Roo is ID x TB and will be 4 in april.

He was lightly backed this summer and occasionally hacked. Recently he's started hacking out a couple of times a week. It's very noticeable that recently he's been much more able and gets tired less easily. He now goes for a walk for an hour or so, most of it led inhand. He recently went to the local school and had his first little canter.

The plan is to get him fit and able to do some of the slower shorter common rides this summer

 

[Queenbee]

Ben turned four last June. By then he had been backed for the best part of a year. He was working five days a week in the summer, two 20 min schooling sessions with warm up and cool down hack of about 10 mins total either side. Three hacks a week one 1 hr and two 40 mins. We had a few 1 1/2 hour over the summer but normally 1 hr was the max. It must be said that he loved his work and pretty much hasn't grown since he was two, he developed quite a mature frame early on. Everything was done gradually starting with hacks of 10 mins long a year before. He also took about 7 months of riding before he was mentally able to cope with schooling.

 

[paulineh]

Why oh why are everybody in a rush to ride a baby.

Mine are backed at 4 then turned away until they are 5 , then they are taken very slowly throughout that year , turned away over the winter and start real work as a 6 year old.

 

[EmmaB]

My three year old is still very immature, so he's walked and trained in-hand and only ridden by the cat. He has worn a saddle though and was fine with that. I'm still working on the standing still when asked thing, as he's a terrible fidget and likes to walk off before I've asked, but the weather has really been against us so we've not done as many training sessions as I would have liked.

He's also flaxen chestnut.

He's gorgeous! Not that I'm now biased to chestnut with flaxen or anything ;D but yeah your boy does look like he's got some more growing to do yet! Haha we also have a cat that like to ride the horses :biggrin3: and same here with the weather, its been awful, can hardly do anything

I also have a welsh D, he is 4 in april. We backed him beginning of December - he can walk trot and canter in the school and walks and trots over colored poles, he found this easy! . This was done on days 1 - 3 of his education. He has hacked out alone up the road with someone on the ground twice - i have taken him ot 3 x with another horse for a short 20 min hack where we crossed a bridge, he goes in front or will follow behind. He is a very smart cookie and so trainable! took him in the school a week or so back and did a bit with him for 10 mins then we had our first hack alone back to the field (only a 3 min walk) such a good boy!
So far he has been ridden about 8 x.
The weather is awful at the moment plus the saddler is due out end of jan so until i am sure he is 100% with his saddle he won't be ridden till then. Will keep him ticking over with the aim of a w&t test in May and lightly showing during the summer
Expecting him to fill out and chunk up a far bit yet, he's around 14.2 - i was worried i ould look massive on him as am 5ft9.5 but actually look okay on him

Also beautiful! You look good on him height wise! Yours sounds similar to mine (except mine can't canter haha) but sound like we have similar aims, mines welsh C but he seems trainable too like you say, I hacked him in company and he went in front and behind so it'll soon be time for a solo mission!

A rising 4 year old that is backed and ridden away I would expect to be just coming in to work doing a little walk-trot & tiny canters if he's wobbly, learning to balance through simple transitions and generally starting to strengthen up. If the horse is mature enough I would be thinking of going to some baby shows later on in the year, maybe a little prelim or a showing class. Also maybe popping a cross pole now and again with further jumps and little courses later on if that is they way he was being directed. Time to go to Big School, not kindergarten.

Yep this is what I'm aiming for I'm going to try and get the canter out hacking first, school is bogged down anyway, he just seems to get confused where his legs go in canter even on the lunge so will do some nice straight lines out hacking until it clicks!

Here is a link to a thread I wrote in the Competing and Training section of the forum yesterday about what I've been doing with my rising 4 year old, with lots of pictures and videos.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...Videos-Breaking-in-the-Baby-a-Progress-Report

Just had a look, she looks fab! I see her first canter was after the little jumps, I suppose it comes natural to land into a canter. Mine has done tiny jumps on the lunge which he wasn't bothered by so hoping he will jump eventually. How was she with the canter, wobbly I imagine? Or did all the work you put in with the walk and trot work help sort out any balance issues?

thanks for all the replies! So interesting to see how others are doing with their babies! The people who think they shouldn't be doing much work yet - well he really isn't. I've ridden him 4 times in total and all were short hacks, I don't think a few hacks a week now are going to hurt him when he has the rest of the time to play in the field. I know he has still got growing and filling out to do but he's not going to be over worked, he needs something to do really!

He's been easy with everything so far, has good manners for a baby, though still plays around getting into everything! I've been careful to stop him before he gets anything like bargy as these cobs can easily become! Before every feed I tell him back and he steps back and waits until he can have it. He's so good natured I'm hoping he will carry on being easy and not have a horrible teenage phase :biggrin3:

 

[charlimouse]

Just had a look, she looks fab! I see her first canter was after the little jumps, I suppose it comes natural to land into a canter. Mine has done tiny jumps on the lunge which he wasn't bothered by so hoping he will jump eventually. How was she with the canter, wobbly I imagine? Or did all the work you put in with the walk and trot work help sort out any balance issues?

Yeah, as she got more confident over the small jump she voluntarily (sp?) landed in canter. It is actually pretty balanced considering she is such a baby (the most balanced rising 4yo I have ever sat on!. Today I did 15 minutes in the arena and worked a bit more in the canter. She was very good in the transitions, on the right rein she got the wrong lead first time, but after that worked it out. she was able to canter large around my 20x40 arena without difficulty.

 

[Kallibear]

Some just have a very natural canter. Roo has never cantered before under saddle but canter is def his best pace. I just nudged gently and off he went, cantering steadily right round the school. I expected a long side before he wobbled and broke but nope, after a lap I decided it was time to stop and had to ask him to trot! Both reins too, on the right leg.
Thank god. All previous horses (cobby types) struggled with their canter.

 

[Queenbee]

Because my baby flipping loves his work. He is never pushed, he is however ridden. Furthermore, he still gets holidays, he's just had the best part of three months off. There is absolutely nothing wrong with riding a baby that is physically and mentally suitable to be ridden if the work is built up in a sensible, gradual manner.

 

[EmmaB]

Yeah, as she got more confident over the small jump she voluntarily (sp?) landed in canter. It is actually pretty balanced considering she is such a baby (the most balanced rising 4yo I have ever sat on!. Today I did 15 minutes in the arena and worked a bit more in the canter. She was very good in the transitions, on the right rein she got the wrong lead first time, but after that worked it out. she was able to canter large around my 20x40 arena without difficulty.

Some just have a very natural canter. Roo has never cantered before under saddle but canter is def his best pace. I just nudged gently and off he went, cantering steadily right round the school. I expected a long side before he wobbled and broke but nope, after a lap I decided it was time to stop and had to ask him to trot! Both reins too, on the right leg.
Thank god. All previous horses (cobby types) struggled with their canter.

Interesting, I suppose it depends on the horse then, maybe him being cobby doesn't help, he does happily canter around the field but he also likes to get his massive welsh trot out...which I'm going to have to run next to in the show ring haha! I'll see how he goes, maybe the canter will come with more ridden work in general, if not I might try the poles/little jump to see if he gets it then. Actually maybe trot poles for now will also help him figure out where his legs are going!

Because my baby flipping loves his work. He is never pushed, he is however ridden. Furthermore, he still gets holidays, he's just had the best part of three months off. There is absolutely nothing wrong with riding a baby that is physically and mentally suitable to be ridden if the work is built up in a sensible, gradual manner.

This is my attitude too, done sensibly its not going to hurt the horse. I'd much rather have a baby that has the basics in place while still young, rather than (as I have seen happen many times) people who end up with an unruly 4 y/o who has been left in a field to 'be a baby' all its life and doesn't have a clue why you suddenly want it to do something!

 

[kerrieberry2]

mine will be 4 in may, hes going to be backed in March. so far, he's pretty cool with everything, walking out in hand, being tacked up etc

he looks mature but still acts a bit babyish, so haven't pushed him too much

 

[flirtygerty]

My baby will be 4 in June, bought as a ride n drive, we did a couple of in hand shows last year which he loved, he has been gently hacked and long reined in his harness and taught manners, he learns a lot by being led out with his field mates and learns quickly, he crossed a stream the other day which was up to his belly and had great fun copying my lad who was splashing around in it, getting his rider wet, the baby was led through by the grandson, also waist deep in water, i jumped on my 17hh TB and kept dry

 

[Cortez]

Why oh why are everybody in a rush to ride a baby.

Mine are backed at 4 then turned away until they are 5 , then they are taken very slowly throughout that year , turned away over the winter and start real work as a 6 year old.

Because there are certain things that need to be established early, because if you wait forever you will have run out of time to actually do anything, because horses benefit from some early conditioning, because horses left to moulder until they are 6 will have some firmly held views on NOT doing what you want. The vast majority of horses which will actually have a job to do are started at 3, conditioned and strengthened at 4 - 5 and go to "work" at 6. Time tested; it works, and horses left "to be babies" have a tendency to remain babies and have poor attitudes to work.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

why would you leave it so late to ride?

He looks quite young and needs time to fill out and strengthen, I am not suggesting he can't have a light rider on him, but he will be a better horse if not pushed, that is my opinion. Four years old is not late to start riding, by which I mean walk trot and canter in a school situation.

 

[Queenbee]

Emmab I completely agree, ebony was a very green 7 yr old when I got her, and as fantastic as she turned out, it was the hardest, most soul destroying battle at times working with a horse that thought it knew everything when in fact it knew nothing! When I go to the yard to bring Ben in, he is waiting at the gate, eager to come in to his stable and have fusses, when morning comes he waits patiently to go out and thoroughly loves his field, he has a good (sometimes too good) hoon around and in the summer he delights in pulling his neighbours fly masks off . when ridden out, he strides out with such enthusiasm and confidence, his favourite hack is going somewhere new. He adores jumping, thinks its super fun, so we pop over the smallest cross pole once in a blue moon. Schooling wise, he is good, but it's his least favourite subject, but the more he does, the more confident he becomes and the more eager he is. Everything he does is rewarded with huge fusses and he really is a sucker for praise, he struts around like a cockerel. It never was my intention to back at three, I always planned to back at four. However, he became so problematic, finding all sorts of trouble to cause and get into because he was bored despite being handled and worked in hand. Strangely enough since backing him and working him, I can now lay him off for decent periods of time, know he will behave and know he will be as good as when I last rode him with no funny business when I get back on, being a working boy suits him and has completely changed his attitude to being idle.

 

[Fools Motto]

My filly will be 4 in April. She may only be a NF X pony, but she also loves to work. Last summer, she was hacked out, did w,t and c out on rides, often leading the way. I also did lots of long lining, and she has been introduced to some poles, and jumped on the lunge.
She has since been left from mid November, is currently woolly and causing mayhem to anyone who dare walk through her field! She won't have anything done til least March/April where the aim is to carry on from where we left off! Although I have ridden her, I normally get a lighter weight rider (my mum!), as I do think that I'm a bit big for her size. just wish she'd grow another couple of inches!!
If I hadn't of done anything with her til now, she would be a right spoilt troublesome pony, and I want her to be a good PC type. I know I've done it right so far.
During the summer, I want to find a little rider and get her to go to camp. Would do her the world of good to learn 'grown up pony' stuff!!

 

[Cortez]

I would really like to know why everyone is so fearful of "doing too much" with their horses? What, exactly, do you suppose will happen if you do? The vast majority of problems people seem to have are the direct result of doing to little! Surely anyone with an iota of sense knows that running the legs off a 3 year old is not sensible, but archiving horses until they are deemed "mature" is surely counter productive when there is so much for a horse to tackle and learn, both physically and mentally, in order to be a useful riding animal.

 

[natalia]

My nearly 4 yr old has just done approx 1 months work. She's backed, hacking out alone and in company, popping small logs out hacking and working very well in the school. She's taken everything in her stride and works like a 6 yr old! I haven't pushed her just got a lovely brain. I've just turned her away today and she will now have until march off to chill and mature, then back in and ready to start getting ready for 4yr old classes BYEH as she's more than capable and has the right attitude. Love her!