How much work should a 3 yr old be doing?

[JJ2]

I have recently bought a 3 yr old gelding. He has been lightly backed and hacked a couple of times with the previous owner.

At the moment i have had him six weeks and i have lunged him in tack three times and hacked him twice each for about ten/fifteen minutes in walk.

I am wanting to continue with him for a bit and maybe turn him away in the winter. Do you think being ridden or lunged lightly once a week is too much or too little?

He is very mature for his age and just gets on with all you want. I am not wanting to school him for a long while yet as he is too weak in his frame but do you think this sounds ok at the moment? I dont want to over do it but like to keep him ticking over especially as he is so freshly backed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[popp]

my friend has just bought a just turned 3year old and since getting him a month ago has only had a day or two off she broke him now hes hacking out and has started pole work hes 14hh

 

[toffeesmarty]

I would long rein before riding and then continue until he is walking, trotting and cantering happily then turn him away until the Spring. Unless you have access to softer ground/tracks I personally don't hack a youngster on roads until they are a bit older. I prefer to lead them in hand and depending on the horse mught continue to do this until ready for restarting at 4. Hope this helps.

 

[Cop-Pop]

I would ride (as long as you aren't too heavy) or long rein rather than lunge. In hand work is great too - I always found biulding mini handy pony courses etc really helped with bomb proofing etc, also just being handled often really helps in their education. At 3 he shouldn't be doing too much apart from growing

 

[mrogers]

i personally dont like to see 3 yo being ridden. I like to see then backed and turned away so i would just keep him in very light work and start the serious stuff when hes 4

 

[Joss]

It obviously depends a lot on the individual horse, but personally I would do a bit more than this. It is expecting quite a lot of them to be well behaved when only being ridden once a week. I would ride about (ish) 4 times a week even if its only for about 20 mins. Dont over -do the lunging as this can be quite a strain on them. Maybe 5 mins before you get on if they are fresh. But just a few little toddles round the block or 10 mins in the school if you have one would be ideal. I used to back horses for people and I was very lucky as we had miles of off-road hacking. I used to concentrate on getting the horse going boldly forward in walk & trot & a few strides of canter. I would think about turning your horse away in October when he starts to get fluffy. You will be amazed how much he remembers next spring. But do remember to start him again very carefully, just as if re-breaking, as they dont all behave brilliantly after a rest!!

 

[Joss]

ohhh forgot to add, I mainly dealt with TB horses or 16h+ sports horse types. If your 3 yr old is a 12hh pony ignore the above post. Might be over-doing slightly.

 

[Lyndz]

What you have planned sounds ok, but could do a little more, would hack more than lunge though as it can put a fair bit of strain on them! If he feels that he could do a bit more, do it, just don't over do it. The guy who broke my mare said that once they're broke, keep it up, so they get it implanted in their brains what's expected! so rode her everyday lightly in the school or a short hack every day for 6 months, it never did her any harm! Mine is a 14.3hh Arab cross anglo-arab/Cob! She's 16 now and i've never had any problems, however, she was high maintenance as a youngster and breaking her almost gave her an aim in life and chilled her out no end! But all horses are different, mine needed to be broke and worked! After the 6 months though, as she'd taken to it so well, I then started to relax with it a bit and gave her breaks inbetween. Now though i think people tend not to think that way and only do very little with them to start. Really depends on how your horse is! Good Luck though!

 

[Kenzo]

All depends on the individual horse, type, character, attitude to work, level of concentration, confirmation, condition for age etc etc

Do very little but it very often ...if that makes sense.

Get into a routine...but don't forget to let your boy have days off, non human contact days I like to call them...to much fussing and handling them can take the horse out of the horse and make them even more babyish! its all about keeping a nice even balance comfortable balance.

If you 3yr old has already been backed then I would keep in touch with it, even something simple, twice a week having a 5 minute walk around the ménage and stop on good note, dont ask for a contact and all that business, dont ask for too much just expect simple short tasks that you can increase as the months go on.

Don't over lunge your a youngster, people often make that mistake....sends them stupid, bores them senseless.

Lots of walking out in hand, gets them fit, slowly hardens the tendons, build muscles nice and slowly in preparation for when you do commence some proper schooling under saddle, not only that but it gets the traffic proof, gets them out on there own, makes then independent, last you want is a horse that has to rely on other horses to hack out with, so it really wises them up and they build a bond with you.

There is so much playing around you can do with a 3yr old without even thinking that its work...puddles, plastic bags, umbrellas, balls...thinks that your 3yr old will take an interest in but there still young and impressionable to not scare the living day lights out of them.

 

[vieshot]

none atal, he shouldnt be being ridden till hes 4

 

[Kenzo]

Everyone has different opinons regarding the age on when a horse should be ridden but then again every one has different opinons/ways of what they think is 'ridden work'.

I may get shot down for this and its not aimed at this particular post as they have explained in a little more detail than some people do but in just in general....if you dont know yourself when a young horse (be it 3 or 4) is ready menatally and physically to be started under saddle then they really shouldnt be taking a young horse on in the first place, you have to have a good eye and observe a lot of things with young horses, sitting quiet and gentle walk for 5 minutes twice a week will not harm a well developed 3yr old with good trainable attitude that has already been backed...is my advice but of course without knowing the indivdual horse, that could change.

I agree horses should be mature and start work when they have acheived most of their growing but I do think once a horse as been backed, it should continue to be sat on on regular basis, I dont mean everyday but rather than turning them away for example 6 months as some people do thats all I my point was.

 

[Theresa_F]

My little cob at 3 was doing a 10 - 20 min hack once a week, 10 - 15 mins in the school just walk and trot, halts and big circles - no less than 20 m and simple changes of rein.

He did two 10 - 15 mins ground work sessions - long reining, loose schooling, lunging using the whole school rather than on a circle, plenty of walking over poles, through poles, over bags etc.

At 3 1/2 we did a few strides of canter then I stopped riding for two months due to a very bad bout of flu which left me very unwell. He had a month off when I was very ill then I went back to 3 days a week ground work.

He has never been turned away - I have always done little session 3 - 4 times a week since he was 18 months starting with only 5 mins a time and varied things, is the type that likes to be doing something.

This summer he has done a couple of local showing shows and W&T dressage tests and slowly built up the hacking and schooling sessions but I never do more than 4 days a week and tend to school - hack - school - groundwork so he does not get bored. If he goes well, I may only school for 15 mins and no more than 30 - 40 mins including warm up and cool down.

All are different, Chancer at 4 is far more advanced than our new clydie. Farra is very baby like though steady so we will be mainly doing groundwork and hacking until she finds her legs.

 

[Sarah_Phillips]

Like all these things it is all down to personal opinion. I personally dont think that there is any need to be riding them at 3. I would just do long-reining, walking out in hand and generally getting them more confident and then turn away over winter and back in the early spring when they have had the winter to grow up a bit and take in everything and they should seem alot more laid back and ready to start doing things.

 

[scotsmare]

I think the bigger horses benefit from light backing at 3 and then turned away til 4 - they are often not mature enough to cope with work - physically or mentally.

 

[Kallibear]

You're plan sounds reasonable. At 3 yrs old I don't think he's ready to to much more riding than a quick sit-on, but I would be furthering his education. I'd be spending the rest of the summer 'bombproofing him' and seeing life, He doesn't have to be ridden to do it - lots of longreining and inhand walking.

I have an 18months old cob who I plan to turn into a bombproof happy hacker (and show horse, but that's secondary). At present I'm taking him out to see the world. I'm aiming to have him out in hand at least twice a week for 15-20mins gentle walk. To see everything and anything we can find.

He'll them be turned away for the winter and next summer he'll be doing the same, but longreined too. I want to teach him how to do everything (long line, lunge, wear tack, go over poles, hack, have people climbing all over him) but he won't be doing it as a job until he's 4.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

it sounds as though what you are doing is fine to me workwise