My Baby Boy Buddy

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Amys_Babies

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I have been starting the whole breaking process of my 2 year old (3 in july) TB x gelding and it has been going really well but we have hit a bit of a clinging problem.

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When i started just normal lunging with him wearing a cavesson, roller, side reins and normal lunging rein he was golden. He was a bit stiff on one side but he soon loosened up and managed big circles without really having to use the whip at all.

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As things were going so well a lady on yard gave me a special training bit to make him wear for increasing mounts of time for 2 weeks with his roller and side reins. He took to the bit really well first day he reared up but after that he was calm and allowed me to easily tack him up. After two weeks decided to lunge him in his bridle and saddle as i had been leading him in both and had no problems. There is nothing really wrong with him whilst lunging him in his saddle (without stirrups) and bridle other than the fact he wont leave me side. I have even tried having my mom send him a way with the whip but he still stays right by me and i know this isn't safe as he has bucked a few times with saddle on so he really needs to be far away from me.

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I have asked on yard and no one has really had many ideas everyone just says he just loves me a lot and he is staying close to be reassured but i can't keep having him do this as he will end up kicking me on a accident. I had thought on free lunging him without rode but i think this may scare him even more. The only other thing i can think of doing is starting to back him and just hope he will still listen to me whilst up there and just trying my best to stay on through the bucks.

Does anyone have any ideas i don't want to upset my baby and he isn't that trusting around other people so am trying best to do this all myself...what can i do with my baby boy???
 
I haven't really done alot of backing but maybe using to lines instead of one so that you are ling reining him? Just until he gets the idea of going away from you because with the outside rein you can actually move him away from you? I ride a horse that won't lunge, he won't leave your side and has reared up and bucked at me, but this horse will long rein beutifully. I don't know weather this would blow his mind or not, you know your horse!
I hope this helps!
Izzi xx
 
Hi Izzi...thanks for that i will try i might give it ago tomorrow and see how he goes. I just really don't understand him he has been walking in his saddle since xmas had even trotted along side me fine in it. And he has been lunged for months no problems at all and he normally flies when he sees the whip. So i don't get why now of all times when was planning on doing a week lunging with saddle and no stirrups and then doing a good week fully tacked up lunging he decides to go back to being a complete baby and wont leave my side. I have even tried having my mom lead him in circles why i stay in middle with rope and he panics and wants to come back to be it is really strange behaviour for him.
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I know he is still a baby but the last few months he had really matured and had coped with everything without any problems at all. Everyone was convinced he was ready to back but i decided to take it slowly with the lunging to make it more easier for him. Whether he is acting a baby or not i really do need to get around this problem i want to be riding him proper by the summer.
 
Babies do sometimes have relapses like this in ridden work and need to be taken a step back to re-establish the confidence (have never really don't backing work myself but I have ridden on a few youngsters including my own), maybe this is the same for yours? Just go back a step to the roller maybe or even nothing on his back until he realises what to do again?
 
Thanks Izzi...i think i will get the roller back out tomorrow and give him a good long session with it on to see whether he goes back to his normal self with it on.

I might even one the days lunge him a bit in his roller and then go put saddle on him and lunge him in that to see whether being lunged in roller first makes him more comfortable doing it in the saddle...whats your ideas on doing this???
 
It might make him more confident. The saddle may feel alot differant to the roller by the way it moves on his back so that may be why he won't go away from you because he is looking for reassurance?
I don't know a lot about backing youngsters, I just ride them on
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Hehe...thanks for your ideas anyway have gave me a few more things to attempt with him. I rode one the young horses on yard today who had just come back from being broke and got to admit was the best ride had ever had he was so forward and responsive!
 
Don't make your sessions long, he is a baby as you say, and will not have the conentration for long sessins. try to vary what you do with him too.
You might also consider giving him a month off to digest what he has been taught.
 
Thanks Donkeymad, for basic lunging he started with 5 mins each way and now he can do between 10 to 15 mins each way. The plan with lunging him with tack on was to go back to 5 mins each ways but because he constantly wants reasurrance it takes a lot longer. I didn't really want to give a month of as he has had a few weeks of recently as was having problem at old stables as lady want me to just turn him out and give up my stable, but he settled in fine at his new stables and if anything he lunged a lot better than how he did at old yard. At the moment he gets 2-3 days off each week depending on how much work he has done. His work had been varied but these were meant to be the last few weeks before backing and the whole idea of doing this lunging with tack was for him to get the feel of the saddle on his back before he has me on it aswell. I have walked him around a lot in the saddle but at xmas he bucked a bit with the saddle on so i really don't want to be running around the school with a bucking horse by my side. The lady on yard suggested just backing him as he would still have contact with me when i am on top of me rather than me trying to send him away but i don't really now whether this is the best thing to do.
 
He just doesn't sound confident at all to me. So I'd be taking him right back to a stage where he is 100% happy and confident. IMHO you can't break horses, particularly such very young ones, to a timetable, the horse has to dictate how fast he/she goes by what they are happy with. And your little horse isn't happy with what he is doing at the moment.

I'd give up the plans to ride him by the summer and take him at a pace he's happy with, in fact if he was mine, today I'd give him a session where he was absolutely happy and did everything right first time and then turn him away for a few weeks.

If you really can't afford to give him time off then change course entirely, spend some time (days) getting him used to two lines being around him, all over him etc and then retry lunging again with both lines.
 
Today i lunged buddy in just his cavesson, roller and side reins twice today...this morning and evening and he was completley fine. He trots away fine going around in nice big circles completley confident in himself on both ways, breaks into canter quite happily and goes back into trot and walk when asked to. He has had months of doing great lunging sessions he is perfectly balanced, eager to please and happy to leave my side. His muscles are building up greatly and had been told to back him soon before he gets too strong, this was why had started introducing tack to our lunging sessions as this is the last thing he really needs to get use other than getting use to me lying over him. He lunges fine without tack, wont leave my side with...i don't want to keep lunging him for months i want him to move forward as it only makes sense to move on as he is fine with normal lunging.
 
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