If you have a 4 year old...

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maya2008

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How often do you school, what kind of problems are you encountering, what kind of stage of training are you at?

I'm kind of wandering without direction and need some goals! No idea whether we're ahead or behind where we should be...! Instructorless at the moment because I have physical limitations and I haven't met one for a while that could cope with that. Last instructor that worked for me was v good but moved away, years ago :(. I know every horse is different etc etc, but it would be nice to see what other people are doing!

So... we're schooling 2x a week, hacking 2x a week. He wants to do another day ridden (tries to put his head in the bridle meant for another horse and sulks lots!) but I'm not sure. It would have to be another day in the school due to time/childcare constraints.

Problems:
- leans on my left hand intermittently. I think that's my fault, as I lead from the right so that contact is often inconsistent when we're hacking. Fixing it now...
- canter is a work in progress. We haven't done enough canter in a school yet for him to find it easy. He tries, and we're practising!

Stage:
Hacking: almost bombproof now, not reared/bucked in months (quite liked his feet off the floor when first backed!). Never strong, goes nicely off the leg, always in an outline without being asked. I can lead off him, get off/on to sort out kiddie problems etc and he is reliable and helpful.
Schooling: he enjoys it (but isn't interested in jumping really), has done one mini SJ round with no issues, and one Prelim dressage test where he spooked at the boards the whole way round and came out with 60%. Just starting basic lateral work now and he's just starting to go off seat aids without so much leg.

I think I'm ahead with his manners out hacking ('cos that's what we've mainly worked on!) and behind in the school.
 
My 4 year is also turned away now, having been backed this year. But prior to that he was doing pretty much what your guy is doing.
When was he backed?
 
My four year old has a movement so big he struggles to control it. I am waiting for him to mature before I work him much. He does a hack on hills for 40 minutes once a week and either one or two half hour basic straighteness walk trot canter schooling session in a big arena.

He isn't ready to compete or to jump, not that I want to at the moment anyway.

He will be ridden through the winter when the weather is decent and I feel like it, but that isn't because he needs it, it's to keep my eye in with a youngster and it suits me to do it.
.
 
He's about 14.2hh, New Forest cross. Normal movement (nothing fancy)! He was backed this time last year at 3.5 years, worked very lightly over last winter with breaks to process and rest, and has gradually picked up strength and 'go' over the summer. He enjoys being ridden, and I keep the sessions short enough that he's never tired and he always comes back having had a good time.

Our school gets deep and unusable in the summer, so winter is the only time I can really do much schooling beyond a once a week trip out to hire somewhere.
 
We bought a 4 year old Connie a few years ago. He had done more work than I would have wanted had he been mine - but he had been backed the year before, lightly schooled and hunted (He was from ireland) He had been imported as a show prospect -his breeding is impeccable!- but he went over height. We had him in the autumn, only the year of birth on the passport so rising 5. Possibly a bit in front of your lad. Hard to tell without a day or month of birth. He was ridden 3/4 times per week, two school one or two hack or hunt. He was lightly hunted that first season and his job is to be a hunter. He came with some ditch issues which were fixed really quickly - and show jumped by braille for the first year. Always jumped clean XC or hunting - just liked to knock the coloured ones down!! He was one sided in canter and I don't think that really resolved uintil the following summer. He also put on another hand in height and filled out 3 saddle sizes! He didn't compete until the following summer - but he wasn't intended as a competition horse anyway. Now rising 7 he is solid, as bombproof as is reasonable and does his job well.
 
I personally wouldn't want to be doing three sessions ridden schooling per week at that age. What about trying Le Trec training obstacles, can do in hand?
Otherwise just up the hacking x
 
my 4yo (13hh welsh B) is possibly a bit ahead as he's been so straightforward (thus far, fingers crossed).

he was backed as an early 3yo to be prepared for stallion licensing and then mainly walked hacked all summer until October when i picked up the schooling to twice a week (20-30 min)

this year he has done 2 x hack per week all spring and summer and where possible now the weather and light are crap i still try and hack twice but if i cant i substitute in polework or something fun like pony football or obstacles courses etc.

schooling wise he does about 30 min twice a week,working at novice/baby elementary.

he has a very easy mind as he's super switched on and has the balance to go with it, the main problems are that he can be TOO keen (not wanting to settle and walk is the biggest issue, he wants to show off his piaffe lol) and really ive had to hold MYSELF back as it would be easy to push on too quick.
 
I wouldn’t want to be doing more than that at this stage?

My 5yo (behind as done nothing since being backed as 3yo) does 4 sessions a week. I’m limited as on yard myself and little daylight. I try and hack once a week when I have the company a daylight, then he does 2 ‘proper sessions’ in the school and one very light session either poles a jump or just a canter round.

He’s really hot and fresh so it’s a case of balancing that with not doing too much.

My previous WB was lazy sharp and needed loads of variety to keep him interested. My exracer even in full work schooling GP did a max of 5 sessions a week and only 3 would be real training.

Less is more :)
 
maya2008 said:
That was what I thought, but someone seems to have neglected to inform the pony of that!

So we're on track, he's just bored in the field and wanting to be entertained more than he needs?
Click to expand...

You could do ground work with him and in hand hacking (I did lots of this as he hadn’t seen a car before and our roads are horrid and I’m mostly on my own!) and things like despooking etc to work him without having to ride?
 
maya2008 said:
he's just bored in the field and wanting to be entertained more than he needs?
Click to expand...

my 4yo is also bored. He is lightly backed and could be ridden on but I am spending the winter long reining out. We go out most days for about an hour past traffic, other animals, learning to leave another horse, go in front or behind and all obstacles that will turn him into a decent hacking horse.
This seems to keep everyone happy, it keeps my weight off his back, he gets his daily "ride" , I get some exericise and he is learning everything he will need to know. I don't have a school so everything has to be learnt when we are out. I also just put ordinary reins on his bridle and put my arm over his back and use the reins as we go along which makes it a bit different for him. I could just turn him away but he loves going out and seeing things.
Next May when he is 5 I shall start riding properly.
 
My 4 years old is hacking once or twice a week, he will be 5 in February. We do a little bit of schooling every 3-4 months (no proper school so our schooling is on the beach when the tide allows).
My other 4 years old (kid's pony) works once a week in a little paddock. She does walk and trot with the kids and then canter on the lunge on as big a circle as I can.
They are both on grass livery so full time turnout.
 
OP, it sounds like you are doing really well. Personally I wouldnt really want to school a 4yr old three times in a week, but I'd take that third time to do some groundwork/despooking in hand stuff, so keeping the brain busy but low impact/stress physically.

My 4yr old warmblood was backed in the spring, he lives out 24/7, hacks twice a week, and goes in the school twice a week for approx 25mins, school work can be on the flat or a polework session. Workwise he is doing basic Novice stuff with some baby lateral work, he has been away from a home a few times for arena hires (twice) lessons (twice) polework clinics (twice), and one competition where he did one prelim test, which he won on 71.89%. He also gets lots of mini breaks, a week here, four days there etc, and he does a bit of groundwork as well.
 
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