Nearly 18 months old - Anything I should be doing with her?

3Beasties

3Beasties

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My youngster is nearly 18 months old, she is well handled, has had a rug on, ties up and will stand to be groomed/bathed etc. She does get fidgety after about 10 minutes so I try to keep sessions short.

Over the summer I led her out down the road (very, very quiet country lane) but due to dark evenings and the weather I haven't had a chance to do it since.

She lives out 24/7.

Is there anything else I should be doing with her? I quite like the idea of her just being a baby out in the field but I'm not sure if there is anything else she should be doing to prepare her for later life.
 
when you groom etc do you ensure you do ears, forlock, mane etc so plaiting and general overall care is easier later on? many horses with head shyness or are uncomfortable with their ears being touched are difficult to handle in terms of tack etc later in life.
Also, can you pick her feet up? if not id work on this!
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Which is it? I am assuming pixie?
 
sounds like your doing it right really, not too much but little things to keep her brain occupied.
at that age you could always start getting her used to wearing a bit for short intervals before she grows too big, and so thats already established if you wish to show her in-hand as a 2year-old but thats all I can think of!
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Yes it's Pixie.

She is fine to plait, I used to plait her a lot in the early days to get her mane over to the correct side and also over the summer to keep her neck cool, she has a very thick mane!

I wouldn't say she is head shy as such but I guess she isn't very confident about having her face/ears brushed so yep I'll work on that
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She is fine to have her feet pick out/trimmed and I forgot to say in the OP that she has even had the clippers ran over her which she seemed to enjoy.
 
I'll be making sure that Humber is okay with hosepipes, tarpaulin, plastic bags, umbrellas, trains, puddles and the like as much as possible. He is already okay with children, dogs and increasingly cars. I'll never forgive the person who didn't make the old mare I once had on loan walk through a puddle while she was young and open minded! Could have saved some big arguments I wasn't going to win in later life!

Bomb proofing is fun I think and can be done in the field or stable. It can be really inventive.
 
well then she sounds a grand little girl and well done to you

Id say keep going on the ears, especially as horses with thick manes etc (espec forlocks) can get plaque and other bits in hteir ears, and a horse that is more confident with you messing with them will be happier for you to keep on top of this than one which is sort of alright!
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I also agree on the introducing a bit....... if she enjoys the being groomed etc then maybe do it and have someone hold her whilst you groom her with a bit in for a short period, then take it out and give her a reward (carrot or something) then build it up to being tied up with a bit in (obv not attached to the bit!) and being walked with a bit in etc........ but as you say just short little experiences so she goes Hey this isnt too bad!
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I do have to say she is gorg!
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how big is she going to get?
 
You could do some in hand work in the field.

I used to lay out different coloured bags and tarpaulins on the ground and lead mine over them and round them, letting them have a good sniff and a paw.

Then when she's older you can long rein her around and over the same things, and then hopefully she won't be scared about such things when you come to ride her.

Handy Pony-ish type things they seemed to enjoy: flags, standing there while you drop stones in buckets, practicing reversing into a square made out of poles, walking over poles etc.

I did that with 3 of my youngsters.... they seemed to think it was fun!
 
My youngster was introduced to a surcingale and pad and walked around with that on. I also introduced a gentle bit and taught him to lead off that. He knows what stand, walk on a trot mean in hand so that when I teach him to lunge/long rein he knows the basics. I am about to start trailer training him now. He has only ever been in one once and that was when we man handled him into it when we brought him home. So we will teach him to load and tehn start taking him for short drives in the trailer both with a friend an on his own. You can introduce her to poles on the ground - in hand. just walking over them nothing hard, just keep her brain occupied and having fun. Introduce loads of strange things such as tarps, plasic bags, lawn mowers, tractors. just let her see loads without any stress. Mine now happily comes up to the tractor in the field and is not bothered about what it is towing, carrying as it has been the bearer of haylage and feed buckets.
 
metalmare - good idea!

my friend turns her youngster out in a menage with a tarpaulin pinned to the ground (with like bricks and stuff) and she is now just like yup just a weird blue thing on the floor, dont care!
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puddles are a good one as well as obv older horses say "stuff off" where as younger horses go "erm really?!! you sure?! o ok!
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hehe" (in theory!)
 
Lots of great ideas guys, thanks
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LN - I'm not sure how big she'll be, she came to me at 5 months old and we don't know any of her breeding. She is about 14hh at the moment so I am hoping she will be at least 15hh, the bigger the better though as I'm 6'1"
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There a post here http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/sh...rue#Post5165449 showing her progress since I have had her, it's got lots of piccys
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yey il look at that now!
im 5ft 10, i like horses like her too but they are never big enough for me!
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Now you need to post piccies of her with a bit in walking over tarps!
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Thank you, she was a bit of an ugly duckling when she arrived but she has really changed over the last few months
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My chap at that age needed 3 - 4 10 - 15 minute sessions a week to stop him being bored.

He was bitted at 18 months and worn rugs, loaded, and I did a lot of ground work with him from getting him ready to do in hand showing to walking over poles, sacks, between jumps and took him for walks to get him to see as much of life as possible.

He loved to be groomed and would tie up for up to 30 minutes - with our old clydie beside him. I also got him used to the sound and feel of clippers on him - again tied next to the old boy whilst he was being done.

He started long reining at two and also was led out off Cairo again to get used to hacking out before I rode him.

All are different, but I personally found that introducing everything very slowly and from a young age has worked a treat with my chap who is now rising six and rarely bats an eye at anything.
 
Have you tried loading her? The noise of clippers?
I have 2 that are 18 months old and i am always on the lookout for new things to do!
They have been to shows, you could take her to a show to have a look around even if you don't intend to take her in a class.
Hang plastic bags in the stable, tie balloons to the fences, bags to the fences sothey blow in the wind,put black bags in the field. All sorts of things that some grown up horses may be scared of!
 
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