How Young is too Young to Start Breaking?

What a lovely pony, and well done on the weight loss. You've a good incentive there..

We used to have a 13.2 pony just like her, who always won the gymkhana trophy at pony club as he was so bombproof and well schooled, so stopped and turned as soon as asked. My stepson had great hand-eye coordination so that helped too. In the basic games like bending he was ALWAYS beaten by the lighter weight faster ponies. He was not a plod by any means, but just wasn't a racehorse type. He would win all the tricky games hands down, which was usually enough to keep him in the lead overall, but was always third or fourth in the speed ones.

OP I would give both of yourselves time. Perhaps buy yourself some gymkhana stuff (we got ours from Robinson's quite cheaply) and work on his gymkhana education before you back him, getting him used to flags and flappy things and you trotting across stepping stones while leading him etc.?
 
Umm, with the greatest respect to all vets everywhere, they are not always as experienced with ageing by the teeth as they should be. And teeth are actually sometimes not a very reliable indicator of age (I have bred numerous horses which were up to 2 years older than their teeth said they were; only one which was younger than his teeth - and that only by 6 months). Do you have any pictures showing her tail? Two year olds will often have a short "foal" tail, whereas three year olds will have their full length. She looks more mature in the body than most 2 year olds (from the little I can see from pic), and certainly has a great deal of body mass (in fact she's a bit porky TBH). IF she's 2, then not ready to break, if 3 then crack on, but I wouldn't be doing MG until 4-5; it's quite hard on the joints and tendons.
 
Chunkie said:
Do you have any pictures showing her tail? Two year olds will often have a short "foal" tail, whereas three year olds will have their full length. She looks more mature in the body than most 2 year olds (from the little I can see from pic), and certainly has a great deal of body mass (in fact she's a bit porky TBH).
Click to expand...

She actually has a fairly short tail, it comes to her hocks/ish but she has a touch of sweet itch so I just put it down to that! I'll take more pics and put the. Up later. Yes she is def on the porky side, and quite muscley around the chest and shoulders. She also has quite long legs, you can't really see it in this pic
 
Honey08 said:
Perhaps buy yourself some gymkhana stuff (we got ours from Robinson's quite cheaply) and work on his gymkhana education before you back him, getting him used to flags and flappy things and you trotting across stepping stones while leading him etc.?
Click to expand...

That is a fantastic idea!! Thank you. I'm definitely going to try that
 
You could do Horse Agility with her while you are waiting for her to grow up. That way you can compete as well as getting her used to many scary things :)
 
 
she looks a sweetie but

no passport ?
uncertain age ?
`touch` of sweetitch ?
and sold to a `larger` rider.

I do not wish to be rude but they saw you coming :(
 
Cahill said:
she looks a sweetie but

no passport ?
uncertain age ?
`touch` of sweetitch ?
and sold to a `larger` rider.

I do not wish to be rude but they saw you coming :(
Click to expand...

How is that helpful?

Op is trying to do what is best by her new horse. She has lost a good bit of weight, got vets out to check, and is now questioning if breaking/doing game with the pony will be too much.

Sure there is a couple of points which OP should have been wary of when she bought the horse, but I am presuming the OP is young, has what she has, and is trying to do the best by it!

Op - the horse doesn't look that young, but if under 5, take it east for now for sure. Hopefully you will have a fab games pony in the not to distant future :)
 
alainax said:
How is that helpful?

Op is trying to do what is best by her new horse. She has lost a good bit of weight, got vets out to check, and is now questioning if breaking/doing game with the pony will be too much.

Sure there is a couple of points which OP should have been wary of when she bought the horse, but I am presuming the OP is young, has what she has, and is trying to do the best by it!

Op - the horse doesn't look that young, but if under 5, take it east for now for sure. Hopefully you will have a fab games pony in the not to distant future :)
Click to expand...


jus` saying prob what everybody else is thinking
 
Cahill said:
jus` saying prob what everybody else is thinking
Click to expand...
Yes possibly but the rest of us have the manners not to say it and to attempt to help th op who appears to be doing the best she can.
OP I'd get an EDT up to confirm age, they have more experience than vets. If she is 3 then light backing won't hurt her, however I personally would not do something as strenuous as mounted games untill the pony was at least 5 possibly 6
 
Cahill said:
no passport ?
uncertain age ?
`touch` of sweetitch ?
and sold to a `larger` rider
I do not wish to be rude but they saw you coming
Click to expand...

I am capable of buying a horse on my own. I was looking for something with the type of temperament I wanted, that was what mattered most. And obviously a lack of health defects. I knew she had sweet itch before I bought her but it's easy to manage so it doesn't bother me that much. Any pony I've bought has been without a passport. I dont see the big deal. And the age is just unfortunate. The vet wouldn't have even questioned her being a 5 year old if I hadn't said it to him.
Oh and as for the comment on larger riders, THAT was plain rude. I may be large but it doesn't make me an idiot or incapable of looking after a horse or whatever it was that you were implying there.
 
YellowCaterpillar said:
Any pony I've bought has been without a passport. I don't see the big deal.
Click to expand...

It's illegal - that's what the big deal is! The seller is breaking the law selling a horse with no passport, and you are breaking the law by travelling a horse with no passport. Good that you're getting her chipped/passported now, but you shouldn't have to - if you buy from an honest seller, who does things by the book.
 
Lovely pony OP and don't take unhelpful comments to heart, its par for the course on here.
If I were you, I'd spend some time doing groundwork preparation as suggested elsewhere and maybe back next spring with a view to starting low-level MG training towards the end of next year.

That's assuming she is younger than you thought though, I'd also get a good EDT to take a peek just to be sure, she doesn't look that immature to me, apart from the foalie tail, but with SI, who knows?...
 
Auslander said:
It's illegal - that's what the big deal is! The seller is breaking the law selling a horse with no passport, and you are breaking the law by travelling a horse with no passport. Good that you're getting her chipped/passported now, but you shouldn't have to - if you buy from an honest seller, who does things by the book.
Click to expand...

I know, I always get my horses chipped and booked but for some reason most people over here tend to see it as optional. Or at lEast most people I have dealt with
 
hollybear said:
Lovely pony OP and don't take unhelpful comments to heart, its par for the course on here.
If I were you, I'd spend some time doing groundwork preparation as suggested elsewhere and maybe back next spring with a view to starting low-level MG training towards the end of next year.

That's assuming she is younger than you thought though, I'd also get a good EDT to take a peek just to be sure, she doesn't look that immature to me, apart from the foalie tail, but with SI, who knows?...
Click to expand...

Thank you! I'm still a little new to forum life! Haha
Yeah I'm getting my EDT out when he's back from holidays so at least I'll know for sure then.
It's hard to tell with the tail. I have a gelding who's 2 next month and I had to trim his tail at the start of the summer to stop it trailing!
 
she looks to be a really nice little mare, there is no reason why she can't do mounted games because she is not the 'sporty' type-anyone can have a go. I do agree on waiting till she is at least 5 or 6 to really get going with it though.
my mare was backed at 3 and ridden daily for 3 weeks just ten to fifteen mins per day then she was turned away till she was rising 6 then she was backed and we kept going she is now 7 and physically I would say she would only just be up for something like mounted games now and mine is not as chunky as your mare so she may not be ready for mounted games for a fair while-enjoy her .
 
twiggy2 said:
she looks to be a really nice little mare, there is no reason why she can't do mounted games because she is not the 'sporty' type-anyone can have a go
Click to expand...

Thank you! I don't want to do it competitively, I've just always wanted to try it. It looks like a lot of fun!

twiggy2 said:
she is now 7 and physically I would say she would only just be up for something like mounted games now and mine is not as chunky as your mare so she may not be ready for mounted games for a fair while-enjoy her
Click to expand...

Thank you, I plan to just have fun with her so whether that is in the saddle or not it doesn't bother me.

I should probably also point out to people that I have other horses too, I'm not going to rush Pumpkin just so I get to ride!! (Pumpkin is her name btw :P)
 
Sukistokes2 said:
well cobs grown until their 8.....so a bit more at least

It seems people (not you) are starting younger and younger, I would not back a horse until its 4, later if immature. That does not mean I will not do lots of ground work, lots of handling, trips out, walks up the road, shows.
Click to expand...

This. I'd not start sitting on a horse until it was 4 but I'd do the other stuff meantime like perhaps some in-hand showing as its very good at getting them used to travelling and a show environment. If its games specifically you want to do with her, I'd set up little handy pony type courses that you could lead her round (like a corridor of plastic flappy bags, tarpolin to walk over etc.).
 
MagicMelon said:
If its games specifically you want to do with her, I'd set up little handy pony type courses that you could lead her round (like a corridor of plastic flappy bags, tarpolin to walk over etc.).
Click to expand...

That's a really good idea! Somebody else suggested buying some mounted games equipment and getting her used to it so that could be fun. She's already leading really well for me in different situations and she likes to be kept busy so this could be a fun challenge for her. Maybe leading around bending poles etc.

Can I just say thank you to everybody, you're all so kind and helpful!
 
Could you not teach some tricks in the meantime before you back her? Just a thought to fill time as such. She is absolutely gorgeous. She's got such kind eyes. Good luck keeping her clean though haha :) Whatever you do, just have fun with her. Ignore the ignorant and unwanted comments.
 
YellowCaterpillar said:
I am capable of buying a horse on my own. I was looking for something with the type of temperament I wanted, that was what mattered most. And obviously a lack of health defects. I knew she had sweet itch before I bought her but it's easy to manage so it doesn't bother me that much. Any pony I've bought has been without a passport. I dont see the big deal. And the age is just unfortunate. The vet wouldn't have even questioned her being a 5 year old if I hadn't said it to him.
Oh and as for the comment on larger riders, THAT was plain rude. I may be large but it doesn't make me an idiot or incapable of looking after a horse or whatever it was that you were implying there.
Click to expand...


sorry if that came across as rude,i did not mean it to.
reading the post it seems to me you bought something that mis-matched your needs.
 
Hi YC, that is a very nice pony and it sounds as if you are doing everything right and have an open mind to learn more.

Frankly, I don't understand the school of thought that looks at breaking as a single event. There is SO much you can do with youngsters without actually sitting on them and youngsters are smart and learn quickly. Mine will get gently leant over as a yearling and probably get a coat thrown over their backs. They'll get fed in the trailer so they learn that it's a nice place. They get a coat on a long stick dragged all over them, so when someone does attempt to sit on them it is just another event. If you haven't got a trailer, make up a narrow passage with a few boards or polythene. Lead them over plastic sheets, sheets of plywood, through water, etc. To make it more interesting, pop a log under that plywood so you have a seesaw.

No, I really do not get the "break when they are x years old". Mine are broken from 6 months old through to six years, and I hope their future owner will continue their education! So hopefully, they are never broken but they will be thoroughly trained!

9Sept12006_zps5c72b674.jpg

brella2.jpg

foals.jpg

roundpen2.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top