People with experience in breaking...

[SkewbyTwo]

Can you tell me, how you introduce a horse to the saddle? When do you start, what is in place beforehand. How do you do it, and how do you proceed from there, to lunging in tack? Thanks in anticipation.

 

[simplyhunting]

Usually ours will all be used to having pads thrown on their backs, then progress to having a pad and roller on, always with a breast girth in case it slips. This is all done in the box, and they are walked around and then lunged like this. Once they are used to the roller the saddle is no problem, gradually introducing dropped irons. Most will be long reined like this and a bit of lunging until they are confident in going forward and things flapping around before introducing a rider.

 

[Gingerwitch]

Can you tell me, how you introduce a horse to the saddle? When do you start, what is in place beforehand. How do you do it, and how do you proceed from there, to lunging in tack? Thanks in anticipation.

First step -Start by getting him or her to stop and start on the lead rein, and walking straight. ie. say walk on, say woo, and stand make sure they stay out of your space.

 

[EffyCorsten]

I make sure my horses are good friends with saddles way before having one put on their back. They are encouraged to look at and sniff on several occasions and watch me picking up and seeing/sniffing it on their backed friends. I also do a lot of work introducing them to slight pressure by lightly leaning against them leaning over them when eating. Making sure they are very happy to have rugs thrown over them.
Basically most of their pre training doesnt feel like work to them it's a gradual process so when it comes to saddle time I can pop it on and do up the girth with no worry at all.

I start then just letting them stand for a few moments then walking on the yard with it on then letting the stirrups down and stopping there.

I long line with tack before lunging with tack. And I spend a lot of time walking out in hand minus tack before everything. Working up to lunging and then when happy with it lunging with tack.

I like a nice gradual process for my own horses as Im not working with a time frame but would speed things up if working on someone elses horse.

 

[SkewbyTwo]

Would you expect a horse who had never been introduced to a saddle, to be introduced to and lunging in one, the same day? After one day's introduction to lunging, the day before?

 

[EffyCorsten]

Really depends on the horse to be honest. One of mine would be fine the other wouldn't cope mentally.

 

[simplyhunting]

It would depend on the horse, some take to lunging better than others. I wouldn't expect the saddle to cause a problem if it'd been correctly introduced.

 

[be positive]

Would you expect a horse who had never been introduced to a saddle, to be introduced to and lunging in one, the same day? After one day's introduction to lunging, the day before?

Possibly, I have done so when taking in youngsters for backing, some are quick to accept new things and if done carefully it should not do any harm, consider what people like Monty Roberts do in a demo situation they do far more than that in the same day as well as the stress of being in a strange environment, each horse should get treated as an individual what works for one will not work for another.

 

[kassieg]

Ive never really made that much of a fuss about it.
They will have had a saddle pad & lunging roller on to be long lined so I usually put the saddle on & off a few times then girth up & long line then when finished take saddle off & put it back on a few times & finish
From then on just girth up & away we go
No need to pussy foot around I think it can make things worse

 

[windand rain]

I have never found they bother much if they have had good ground work and have worn a rug. The saddle is just plonked on and they are led about and do the same ground work as they have always I dont lunge youngsters so I will get them used to long lines and then just long line with the saddle and once they are easy to stop, start and turn they are backed by which time they are usually passed a least their 4th birthday and usually their 5th if possibe

 

[Tiddlypom]

Sounds too quick to me. I reckon to take up to a week to have lunging solidly in place, and would introduce the saddle after this.

I would do a lot of prep work with a roller, breast girth and pad beforehand so that adding the saddle was no big deal. I wouldn't slap a saddle on and expect the horse to get on with it.

ETA I know of a BHSII who chucked a saddle on her own youngster for the first time, without a breast girth. She then tried to lunge the horse and it bucked, dislodging the saddle backwards so that it became a bucking strap...... Idiotic.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would do it at the end of week one .
I teach them the basics of lunging then get them saddled having said that I have only ever had one horse make a fuss and I suspect someone had tried to back it before and failed .
They would wear the saddle in the stable at first .
Then be walked in it .
And trotted only when I was sure They seemed happy everything was geared to them never thinking of bucking .

 

[windand rain]

Difference being you lunge I don't never have as I believe rightly or wrongly that is stresses young joints. I only back my own I have owned them from at the oldest weanlings and they are used to just about every practice there is. So a saddle is less likely to cause a problem than a leave falling from a tree or a wayward pheasant

 

[Goldenstar]

Lunging as I do no more stresses their joints that playing about .
When I lunge a young horse I am on the move and them are moving round me my school is wide 30m as I moving around all of it .
Or I am working on a field .
I was so fit in those days .
I have never backed a horse wearing a wayward pheasant strapped to it instead of a saddle but there you go each to his own way .

 

[Tiddlypom]

I have never backed a horse wearing a wayward pheasant strapped to it instead of a saddle but there you go each to his own way .

:biggrin3: :biggrin3: :biggrin3:

 

[SkewbyTwo]

And trotted only when I was sure They seemed happy everything was geared to them never thinking of bucking .

Yeah. Mine bucked like billy o. And is an incredibly calm, switched on, ready and accepting youngster.

 

[horsemad32]

Not everyone backs with a saddle on. Some people lean over and sit up bareback, before introducing the saddle. I've never seen the saddle cause a problem and have seen it introduced after light backing bareback, or just as itself after learning to lunge, no roller first. I've never seen it just put on and done up though - more that the horses were used to having brushes/rugs/anything popped on their backs first, then a lightweight saddle put on (with a hand on it to whip it off if nec) with no girth, then the girth on loosely, and gradually done up. This was taken at the horse's pace, so could take a week or a day.

 

[hannahealasaid]

Mine was fine in the stable with a saddle on and I had done this quite a lot before trying to lunge but once out of the box he was just impossible to hold so he was just let loose in the arena with his saddle on.
He soon settled down and never had a problem with it again. Just seemed to need to throw himself about a bit first.
Not sure why he was so daft about it because like a lot of you have said it really shouldn't have been an issue when he'd been lunged in a roller etc first.

 

[noodle_]

erm...... plonked

my first one i started.... shes had a roller on at 2, girth fastened etc... saddle on at 2.5 and walked around...my attitude with tack and "thing" is just get on with it...

she hated boots - but again - just left on untl she got over her "omfg what are THESE?"! ....stage

overthink things it does not work

 

[Fides]

All of mine have been introduced to the saddle gradually before actually putting it on their backs. I've only had a problem once. My mare was fine with doing the girth up but as soon as she took the first step and felt the girth properly she buckarood like mad!! She had a breast plate on too thank goodness so it didn't slip back... 30 seconds and it was over, never a problem again. Incidentally she was the easiest horse I have ever backed bar the one incident.

If ever the horse seems uncomfortable, just go back a step, regain comfort, then progress again the next day. It's never worth pushing it but if you do make a boo boo they usually won't hold it against you

 

[hannahealasaid]

Sounds very much like mine Fides!!
A minute of manic bucking and swinging around then never an issue again. Didn't bat an eyelid when I got on for the first time.

 

[Goldenstar]

I always back without a saddle .

 

[Fides]

Sounds very much like mine Fides!!
A minute of manic bucking and swinging around then never an issue again. Didn't bat an eyelid when I got on for the first time.

Glad I'm not the only one... I was pooping my pants about getting on - fully expected her to explode. Nothing... She has been totally dreamlike since and at 5 was being ridden by my friend's 5 and 7 year old girls.

Nothing as funny as horses lol

 

[JanetGeorge]

Would you expect a horse who had never been introduced to a saddle, to be introduced to and lunging in one, the same day? After one day's introduction to lunging, the day before?

You CAN do it if a horse has had a LOT of handling and has a very good temperament to start with. I had a mother and daughter team arrive from Ireland (9 and 3 years old), neither backed but both done a LOT of showing. I wanted them basic backed before put in foal. The 3 year old was amazing - day 1 she learnt to lunge with a roller on, day 2 the saddle! Day 5 she hacked up our long drive with horses in fields either side! Her mother took 3 weeks!

But obviously there is HUGE potential for it to go wrong if you do it that quickly - and if we ever wanted to introduce her to being ridden again, we'd start again from scratch.

 

[cptrayes]

Glad I'm not the only one... I was pooping my pants about getting on - fully expected her to explode. Nothing... She has been totally dreamlike since and at 5 was being ridden by my friend's 5 and 7 year old girls.

Nothing as funny as horses lol

Another one here

Had a horse who broke out of his stable when I first put a saddle on and spent half an hour bucking round the field before I could get it off. He took an awful long time to tolerate a girth being done up.

But when I sat on him - nothing. Like a little lamb!

I have backed about twenty. More than half of those were saddled and sat on the same day with no issues at all. The others had saddles on before they were physically ready to sit on and were no problem to saddle or to sit on later.. One was a big problem but turned out to be going blind and was put down.

 

[*sprinkles*]

My little youngster a mare is very quiet and happy to work. She always has been since I bought her at 10 months old. I started then putting pads on her back, roller round her and standing on a block next to her so I was above her so I've been preparing her for years to be backed. When the time came because she was already very used to having a pad and roller it was just a case of popping the saddle on and lunging her. It was no big deal for her because I didn't make it a big deal. I'm not a fan if the softly-softly approach as you don't want to give them a reason to worry. You can judge for yourself what your horse's temperament is and progress based on that. But I had the saddle on, lunged and sat on my mare in three sessions. Be matter of fact about it and don't take things too slowly - don't let them get into too much of a comfort zone as they'll be reluctant to move on to the next stage. I spent a while moving the saddle around while girthed, pulling the stirrups down noisily and jumping about next to my horse so she was comfortable with everything I might do while mounting and then once mounted. She's turned into a very chill four year old who takes everything in her stride because of all the prep we did.

 

[Deseado]

Depends on the horse, but in general if they've worn a rug then introducing rollers, saddles, etc. is not a problem. I have occasionally had one that progressed through lunging/roller/saddle/backing in one or two days, but most take about a week to get there. It is very rare for a horse to buck if everything is done quietly and at the horse's own pace, but the odd one will react. I have NEVER had a horse buck on first backing, although I have seen it happen to others.

 

[JanetGeorge]

I have NEVER had a horse buck on first backing, although I have seen it happen to others.

lol, I wish I could say that. We had one lovely (but barmy) WB mare here for a client and every day for 3 days she tolerated the rider sitting on her and being led forward for about 6 strides. Then she bucked like stink. So we sent her straight out on the lunge with rider hanging onto the neck strap - she did about 20 circuits flat out - with me almost running a BIG circle so she could go large. No trouble after that. They're all a bit different!

 

[Bobbly]

My mare took to lunging a treat but as soon as I introduced a lightly girthed roller she bronc'd, so much so that I had to put it on in the school as she would do it leaving her stable. While on the lunge I said nothing but kept her going forward even while she was dong her 'all four legs dangling' thing. After a few days of consistent rodeo (and me not looking forward to sitting on her) before she would settle and work I turned her out in it and let her get on with it. The rodeo stopped so I introduced a saddle in the stable, no girth, then I rollered and lunged then swapped for the saddle, more rodeo. Again I made her work through it and go forward all the time. Eventually after acceptance and long lining in tack I braved it and got on in the school (doing this all on my own). Doddle. Silly mare.