If ONE more person asks me why...

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bunnereeny

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I'm not doing anything with my youngster yet i might scream.

He's 2 on 29th of april and everytime people find out how old he is they assume i will be lunging and long reining and all sorts of exciting things over the summer and when i correct them i get all sorts of funny replies!

He's a big boy (currently 15.2hh infront and 16hh at back) his groundwork and manners are fab. I was going to take him to a few parties this year to do some inhand stuff but i had no intention of doing anything "exciting" untill he turns 3.

i am hoping to event him in years to come but i am in no rush to get on him and start riding away and people think i'm mad

ahh rant over
 
You baby, your rules. He is handled regularly and that is enough for a baby. I would ignore them and keep doing what you are doing, imho it sounds like you are getting it exactly right.

FDC
 
If you had put on here, that you were long reining and lunging a not yet 2 year old, who is clearly still growing.....i'd be asking you why and saying IMO you should only be handling, stop and start in a headcollar. picking up feet and grooming etc... and the inhand shows.

As far as i'm concerned you are totally doing the right thing by him. You won't get much eventing out of a horses that has been run round on a circle as a still growing not yet 2 year old.

Stick by your guns and ask people why they aren't doing anything with thier horse instead of bothering you about yours.
 
I'm with you on the inhand stuff, sounds like a grand idea, go out to some parties and enjoy taking it easy for a year and having some pleasure before all the fun, frolics and harder work begins, his head will be in better place then anyway....as well as his body!
 
Our 2yo will be 3 this Sept and he has done almost nothing - our choice. He leads, is good for the farrier, good in the stable, lovely to catch, groom, rug etc and is calm and friendly. He had a very immature frame compared to other rising 3 year olds as he was born so late, so did nothing until this month. He now is being lunged once a week in a very large oval/circle in walk with 2 circuits of trot. This is for just a few minutes on each rein - he seems to enjoy it and understand what is being asked. When his wolf teeth come out next month he will be bitted and bridled and he will be long reined and led out in traffic (used to be led in traffic but have moved somewhere busier so need to use a bridle I think). He is 16hh so too big to mess with in traffic.
No one will attempt to sit on him until the middle of next year - and if he is not ready he will wait until he is 4 and a half the year after....

If you can afford to wait why rush? I am sure slow and steady can only be a good thing.
 
I'm definately a fan of the slow and steady :)

I've had my boy since last July, and he will be 2 at the end of June. When I got him he already lead, picked his feet up, etc, etc so all we have done so far is make sure he doesn't forget these basics and this year I have started to have a play in the arena doing a bit of stop/start/back-up and join-up; I've also put coloured poles randomly round the arena for him to walk over if he wants to, so he knows they're not going to kill him, and I've also taken him for a walk up and down the road a couple of times to introduce him to the traffic - all of which he has taken in his stride.

I have no intention of doing any lungeing/long-reining until he is 3 and won't be getting on his back until he's 4... and that's if he seems ready at the time :D

Here's my boy chilling in his field...

picture.php
 
Bug2007 said:
Stick by your guns and ask people why they aren't doing anything with thier horse instead of bothering you about yours.
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there are alot of peoplel around here that seem to think that horses SHOULD be up and going by the time they are 4.

Sillyness!

I have planned to back him at the end of next summer and then turn him away again, if he's not ready then he can be backed the following spring its not a race
 
When (if) I ever find my next one it will be a 6 month old heavy type and he will be left in the field until he's at least 4!! I'll do ground handling, feet picking up, walkies etc but certainly no 'real' work until he's physically ready and with him being a shire x or full clydesdale (still not decided yet) it will be later rather than sooner before I start messing around cos I want them bones and that body to last!!

Tell them to bog off and take care of their own horses before inteferring in yours. ;)
 
I totally agree with you on this. My mare was handled....thats it until she went to be backed for the seller at 4 years and i bought her while she was there. We turned her away after 5 months and had a few "youngster" moments when bought back into work but other than that all ok.
 
yep slow n steady wins the day, if you want to go to parties then that will ground him well for later life. you should have a well balanced horse long after all the others have to be retiered!
 
My 2yo is only a tiddler compared with yours, she will only make about 12hh :o :D But I'm doing essentially the same with her, I lead her out in hand round the village a bit and I have done a bit of in hand work in the field, just learning to trot, stand straight etc. We are going to do a few in hand classes this season and apart from that she just plays out in the field with her yearling brother :)
 
Well my boy will be 2 tomorow and all we're doing is general handling, grooming, sprays, hoof picking, farrier etc. We also want to get to in-hand shows etc but what's the rush. They dont have to be broken at 3 and I personally think a little longer to mature thier bones and brain is a good thing. My friend has a 3yr old and it cant walk in a straight line let alone be broken. Take your time and have fun doing it. xx
 
I'm lightly lunging and long reining my rising 3 year old but that's because he likes learning...no intention of sitting on him until next year (rising 4) There are people who just don't understand and think that on their 3rd birthday you should be on their backs competing!!!

My plan was to long rein, walks down the lanes, bit of lunging an a couple of in hand summer shows and then he can have the winter off and next spring bring him back in to work until i feel he's ready to be sat on...no point rushing and hopefully i'll have a nice 4 year old i can slowly continue his education.

My other horse was 5 before he even saw a saddle as he was such a baby until his 4th year!!

Like some one said... your horse your rules and also that every horse is different. Some need time to mature both physically and mentally and others seem eager beavers!!!
 
Our almost yearling has been out on long walks, picks his feet up no problem and stands very well for the farrier, has had his teeth looked at (twice) already, loads in and out of the trailer no problem. Leads very well, backs up on request and his bombproofing started as a foal. Flapping plastic sacks, walking over tarpaulins and lots of other scary things. The bombproofing will continue as will the walks outside until he is 3. We will then introduce a bit of lunging.
So far so good. We decided to do this now as he is going to be huge and wanted to make sure he respected us and has good manners. He will not be backed properly until he is 4 which over here is against the norm. As he is being kept a stallion (at the moment, this may change!) we may need to introduce a bit (very very mild one I hasten to add), at the end of this year beginning of next but I intend to try a control halter before going down the bit route.
Normally over here a 4 year old stallion is already expected to be competing in dressage.
I would rather he had the time to mature than possibly cause problems that wouldn't be visible till later in life.
IMO it's your horse do it the way you feel it should be done.
 
bunnereeny said:
I'm not doing anything with my youngster yet i might scream.

He's 2 on 29th of april and everytime people find out how old he is they assume i will be lunging and long reining and all sorts of exciting things over the summer and when i correct them i get all sorts of funny replies!

He's a big boy (currently 15.2hh infront and 16hh at back) his groundwork and manners are fab. I was going to take him to a few parties this year to do some inhand stuff but i had no intention of doing anything "exciting" untill he turns 3.

i am hoping to event him in years to come but i am in no rush to get on him and start riding away and people think i'm mad

ahh rant over
Click to expand...


Exactly right. I know some 3yo's coming up for backing at the end of the summer whose manners are far less than adequate. The ought to have been taught to respect people on the end of their leadrope at least. Little thugs. Actually, rather big thugs.

Carry on just as you are.
 
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I agree with slow and steady although it won't sound like I do when I say my 3yr old is being hacked out once / twice a week. He was already broken though - ex-racehorse - and has been causing disruption due to boredom.

He has had nine months off though from when I bought him. We'll play out over the summer, have a few days out, spectate at shows, then he'll turn out again over winter and we'll start properly next year. . .

If something doesn't feel right, i'll leave him until it does so stick by your guns!
 
im another saying good on you for "doing nothing " with your baby - he leads he has manners (so sounds you done loads nice and quiet) and he is a baby being allowed to mature - spot on hun and great stuff - to many people rush the babies on - let them grow up - yes with manners etc - time enough for them to start to work :) x
 
bunnereeny said:
I'm not doing anything with my youngster yet i might scream.

He's 2 on 29th of april and everytime people find out how old he is they assume i will be lunging and long reining and all sorts of exciting things over the summer and when i correct them i get all sorts of funny replies!

He's a big boy (currently 15.2hh infront and 16hh at back) his groundwork and manners are fab. I was going to take him to a few parties this year to do some inhand stuff but i had no intention of doing anything "exciting" untill he turns 3.

i am hoping to event him in years to come but i am in no rush to get on him and start riding away and people think i'm mad

ahh rant over
Click to expand...

My boy is 1 on 29 April and every day people are bugging me to do more with him - I do basics, feet, grooming, bathing, leading etc and think thats plenty for him for now. Some people have suggested that I should be backing him next year and if he was theirs he would already be used to a bit and bridle!

Well I'm glad he's mine and is allowed to be a baby :)

He will also be a big boy and should make 16-17hh. I have been told 'you have to break them in younger when they're going to be big otherwise you will never be able to do it' errr ok
 
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It's these Cornish osses,they take time to grow into themselves.Why rush it..I dont understand why people cannot let babies be babies.If they want to get on a do things then buy an older horse.
 
Ignore them! This is a bugbear of mine, I bought a 3 yo last year who was so immature and babyish that I just chucked him out to grow up, we did a couple of inhand shows and he came in for a brush, but that was it!! he's now turning from a weedy baby into a horse, with muscle definition and shape to him, he's been lightly lunged, and walked out loads inhand and finally backed, that last year of just dossing in the field did wonders for him, don't rush, it's your horse, tell others to butt out!
 
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