How should I go about backing my pony?

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rowy

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Ok last year i backed my 3 year old and looking back now i think i did too much too early. i did only ride him for about 3 months on and off and he has now been off since july and will start lunging in feb and re back in march next year.
I have bought a little exmoor pony in sept. she was completely unhandled until when i bought her and have been working on her and she has improved so much! she loves being handled and is really starting to show her character now she is more confident around people.

So my original plan was to bit her over christmas. take her for the odd walk in hand on roads so she gets used to traffic etc. then start lunging in june. Back her lightly just in walk and trot in august and then in sept just take her for hacks 2-3 times a week is all and keep her going just doing these 20-30 mins hack 2-3 times a week until about nov. then give her a rest until march 2012.
so how does this sound? would you do it any differently?
She turns 3 in may/ june and she is currently 12hh and 12.1hh behind so should def be at least 12.1 by june next year.

Thanks :)
 
All sounds good, but I wouldn't be lunging her at that age. Long rein her, it will be much better for her joints and it will also get her used to your commands more and the reins either side of her.

Got any pics?? she sounds gorgeous!
 
good point! I forgot to mention that. I did lunge my 3 year old last year as i didnt know how to long rein so a lady kindly taught me and now i love it. Think i will only mostly long rein from now on for both of them except teaching the 3 year old when he is 4 next year to canter.
Thanks :)
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Sounds fine but when I taught my youngster to canter - I did it out hacking.

This way she did't have to try to find balance etc and she was more responsive. When I did start cantering in the school - she was responsive and found it easy to pick up the correct lead. I would have struggled if I had tried to teach canter in the school.
 
Agree with the lunging, exmoors can be late to mature too and she will probably fill out more when she is 4 and 5.

Is she registered out of interest? If so whats her name?

Do you have experience of exmoors?
 
Thanks! Well rowan (3 year old) was actually taught to canter when i sent him away to be backed this year and then did cantering in 30 x 60 school. only reason i said about teaching him to canter on the lunge is that he was really slow to go into canter (obv didn;t do anything about this as he was only 3 and didn;t want to canter him on the lunge so he never really established what "canter" meant so much.

The exmoor (lola) is registered and branded etc. Her name is Branbury Corylus sweet nut. 426/6. she is half anchor bred and her grandsire is "pernod". I bought her from a breeder and spent lots of time talking to her about charcteristics of exmoors.
She is already so large for an exmoor so if they are slow to mature i hope she doesnt grow too big!
 
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