How much to do with almost 4 y/o?

paulineh said:
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.
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I'm with you on this :) my rising five year old is currently up in Northumberland on his jollies. Started at 3 - turned away - backed properly at 4 - turned away - will be started again this spring spend the summer hacking, hopefully some unaff dressage and them probably turn away again next winter. Mine is huge which is one of the reasons for his slow and steady start.
 
Cortez said:
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.
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Cortez said:
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.
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Totally agree. Wise words.
 
It's nothing to do with being fearful - it's simply a case of 'my horse, my decision' and I assessed him and decided that he wasn't ready to be backed in his three year old year. This doesn't mean that he hasn't had any training or has been spoilt. :)
 
Bought mine when he was turning 4 in May. He'll hack alone and in company, goes round the fields walk, trot, canter to/from home happily, I did approx 20-30 mins schooling in field or arena maybe once a week but used the other work for schooling too. I took him to little local comps and just worked him quietly there. Popped the practice fence when it was low and mosied around the clear round fences, lorry park etc and let him digest. I took him XC schooling 3 times and had to be careful not to overdo him as he doesn't have anywhere near the stamina of the older ones but he popped a nice variety happily. I think he enjoyed it. Turned him away til I have my next baby (child not horse!) I didn't jump him much at home but at all times I just looked for any point at which I thought he'd done enough. I think listen to your horse and keep it interesting and fairly short and sweet and crack on and enjoy! I could have kept schooling him in my pregnant state but thought that would just bore him whilst pretty safe for me. He's better off having time away if its just that.
 
Little Alf is just three now.
But we have done a bit of ground work with him.

He was a rescue cob that if had been left much longer would not have made it :(

It has been slow/slow/slow but he loves us and we love him.
He's had a lot of walking out getting used to this and that.
Been lightly lunging him.
He has been tacked up, saddled and walked out.

He is blummin great to do in all ways, bless him

We aim to back him this spring and lightly hack.

We don't know if this is correct but it seems right to us, and I hope Alfie.

If we are wrong please let us know.
 
Nothing as my rising 4 year old (April) Warmblood just had surgery and the vet recommended to wait until he is 5 before riding him. I am rather gutted but as long as he makes a full recovery I will be happy. So hopefully I will take him to a few in hand shows and some agility over the next year.
 
sz90168 said:
Nothing as my rising 4 year old (April) Warmblood just had surgery and the vet recommended to wait until he is 5 before riding him. I am rather gutted but as long as he makes a full recovery I will be happy. So hopefully I will take him to a few in hand shows and some agility over the next year.
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Sorry to hear that, I bet you are gutted (understatement of the year)
Hang in there and you go out and win them shows :)
Good luck
 
generaly racehorses are backed early and kept in work (not all!) but i understand both views on leaving a horse to it and also leaving it too late. (if that makes sence) we had a 2 year old filly that my boss bought from DBS a few years back. she was virtually wild, had no basic training and had to be sedated to travel. never been handled till they dragged her in to the sales. the yard i worked at was one of the leading NH yards in the uk but it took us months to be able to get a saddle on her, anyway to cut a long story short, she wasnt mentaly prepared to be properly backed so after having a saddle on her and being turned loose in the school with "teddy McCoy" (which didn't go down to well) we gave her a year off to mature. kept her in a paddock right next to the yard so she could see people (she had a pony as companion) and so we could continue on with her training of just getting used to people in her personal space. she came to us as a 2yr old but wasnt properly backed till she was a 6yr old.

i guess as people have said it just depends on the horse. ive known horses come to the yard at 4yrs old that have done a lot more than others yet it hasnt effected them in a negative way. and yet ive seen older horses that had been backed and ridden away at an older age that have been difficult to handle/deal with due to proper training.
 
Cortez said:
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.
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This is so true, it makes for a much better 'attitude towards work' in the horse, and there is also a strong argument in many quarters that done correctly it can help not hinder the horse physiologically. There is nothing worse than getting on a strong minded 7year old who has done nothing and therefore developed a serious attitude problem, won't even stand to be mounted and behaves like a prize git. Furthermore, whatever the age started, you would still have to go through the same process Cortez described if you want to do it properly, so let's say you back at 5 this year learning the ropes, 6&7 strengthening and stamina, 8 starting proper work.... All the while trying to do this with a horse that is more than likely obstinate and single minded by this time. Nope, not for me.
 
Faracat said:
It's nothing to do with being fearful - it's simply a case of 'my horse, my decision' and I assessed him and decided that he wasn't ready to be backed in his three year old year. This doesn't mean that he hasn't had any training or has been spoilt. :)
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Yes but this is quite different, your intention was to back when physiologically and mentally mature enough, were he mature enough at three, you may have backed him then. We are all ruled (or should be) by growth spurts and differing development speeds. If I had not assessed that Ben was physically and mentally sound for backing, I too would have done what you have. It's not about having one set rule for all, it's about creating an approach suitable for the individual horse.
 
I guess all horses are individuals. I feel I've done the right thing with my lad as he has grown alot physically in the last 12 months. In fairness I probably should have been doing alot more groundwork with him but he is fantastic compared to when I got him. He is excellent for the dentist and vet, very good for the farrier. I can rug him, groom all over, tack him up etc. All that said he is now at the stage of getting a bit strong and full of himself so starting some work soon will hopefully channel his brain more appropriately.
 
But there is one thing that is true of all horses that should be taken into account - no horse is skeletally mature before the age of 5 1/2 and the spine matures last. When I see ads for young horses that have far too big riders on and have done a lot of work, I do wonder if this is detrimental to them.

Also I did help back an 8 year old ex broodmare who'd never been ridden before and she was incredibly willing. I don't think that you can have a blanket statement that you have to back them young before they get ideas of their own.

Seeing how my grey developed between the ages of three and five (she was very lightly backed at four) and then seeing my gelding at three, confirmed my opinion that I wont personally back any of my horses at three.
 
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