Question to those who have had youngsters

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Footlights

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Did you turn them away during their Winter of being 4, and then bring them back in to work when they were rising 5?

If yes, how long did you turn them away for and why?

If not, what were you doing with them?

Thanks :)
 
Footlights said:
Did you turn them away during their Winter of being 4, and then bring them back in to work when they were rising 5?

If yes, how long did you turn them away for and why?

If not, what were you doing with them?

Thanks :)
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No... my boy was born in october so a late baby. I began backing him when he was 3.5 but had a bit of a stop start summer so didn't really get cracking with him til he was 4. spent the winter lightly schooling and hacking - getting him seeing the world. He then had about 6 weeks off this spring / early summer due to various things - mild lami, lack of hacking buddies etc but has come back into work nicely.

I always said if we had horrendous weather which made consistent work impossible, I'd turn him away, but we never had it. I kinda wish that he'd had a break around christmas / new year time but in other ways I'm glad he didn't as it has taken quite some time to build his fitness and stamina...

I think it is good if you can to try and lay off schooling for a while and just concentrate on hacking - helps to build them up without quite so much stress on the mind and body!
 
No, mine was backed by previous owners at the end of her three year old year. She then had a bit of a break over Dec/Jan and had been back in very light work when we bought her in the March. Since then she has been in regular work, although for most of her four year old year she was just hacking and seeing a bit of the world, any schooling was very low key and low pressure.

Now she is five we are starting to school more regularly and ask more of her.
 
Mine was backed at three but because of his size I've turned him away completely until next spring - ill then bring him very slowly back into work.
 
No, but I don't normally back till 4, then as soon as I have enough control I only really hack before proper schooling the spring they are 5. I do bits of light schooling on hacks & about 3mnths after backing might spend a short time in a field/arena. And over the winter introduce poles & tiny xpoles. Most recent is daughters pony. We did plenty of prep, leading from mine on hacks & inhand stuff a few times a week from 3. Backed the spring before she was 4 in late summer. Mainly hacked & rode in large fields for occasional short periods till the autumn. Over winter we introduced poles. As she's been schooled progressively on hacks, baby outline, playing about with the stride in all 3 paces, baby steps of leg yield & shoulder in, transfering it to a small area of field or arena hasn't been an issue. I have taken it slow as my daughter was 6 when she backed her & only 7 now, so didn't want to over burden her either. But hasn't done any harm. They did fine at shows last year in kids classes, pony jumped her first full course of jumps with combinations & related distances in a lovely consistent canter a few weeks ago. Only about 1' high but at 11.1 perfectly fine as a first course, putting jumps up is a simple step once consistent. And aiming for a first prelim on locally in sept. So a slow start hasn't made a difference, except importantly for helping pony love her work.
 
I had my mare from 6 months old she was backed at 3 1/2 but then only lightly hacked out until 5 (maybe once twice a week) as she is a clydesdale takes them longer to mature. the main reason i didnt turn her away is she loves her stable far to much
 
I did. Backed mine at 3.5, hacked for a couple of months, turned away October to March, brought back as 4 year old and did a bit more, hacking, started schooling, baby jumping and a few WT tests, finished up with a baby ODE (2'3). Then he had November to Feb off and came back to start a bit more schooling etc and some prelim tests and by that winter was ready to jump BN.
 
ecrozier said:
I did. Backed mine at 3.5, hacked for a couple of months, turned away October to March, brought back as 4 year old and did a bit more, hacking, started schooling, baby jumping and a few WT tests, finished up with a baby ODE (2'3). Then he had November to Feb off and came back to start a bit more schooling etc and some prelim tests and by that winter was ready to jump BN.
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Thanks. Do you think turning him away for a couple of months as a 4 year old benefited him?
 
Mine was backed at three and a half then turned away. I'm going to get shot down but..... If I had my time again I would keep her in light work until four (maybe one or two gentle hacks a week). My girlie needs stuff to think about and now she's in proper baby work she loves it!
 
We usually back and ride away at 3, VERY light work, then go to a few shows at 4 for the experience, start to do more serious work over the winter and come out at 5 ready to rock and roll (if not sold). We don't ever really turn away but prefer to keep them ticking over with periods of more serious schooling more frequent as they get older. I find it more difficult to start - stop than to keep them going.
 
Footlights said:
Do you think fun rides, xc schooling and jumping is too much for a 4 year old?
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Depends how you do it! I think with a 4 year old the key is to keep everything positive and fairly low pressure. Much of it depends upon the physical fitness and maturity of the horse and its mental attitude.

I see nothing wrong with popping a few little fences in the school as an alternative to schooling or hacking neither do I see any issue with hacking round a xc course and popping some of the smaller fences, playing with steps and water etc but would think twice about serious xc schooling, riding a full course of xc fences over a decent distance or jumping anything big.

Fun rides, I think it would depend upon the distance. I found mine tired easily as a 4 year old. Two hours was fine, but much more and she'd be shattered, and that was steady hacking. In principle a fun ride is a great experience for a youngster to go somewhere different with lots of horses etc but I would try to find smaller quieter and shorter rides to avoid wearing them out either physically or mentally. I would think a fun ride would be great for a very laid back almost lazy youngster to get it thinking forward and fun but a more highly strung type might just go into melt down.
 
Kat said:
Depends how you do it! I think with a 4 year old the key is to keep everything positive and fairly low pressure. Much of it depends upon the physical fitness and maturity of the horse and its mental attitude.

I see nothing wrong with popping a few little fences in the school as an alternative to schooling or hacking neither do I see any issue with hacking round a xc course and popping some of the smaller fences, playing with steps and water etc but would think twice about serious xc schooling, riding a full course of xc fences over a decent distance or jumping anything big.

Fun rides, I think it would depend upon the distance. I found mine tired easily as a 4 year old. Two hours was fine, but much more and she'd be shattered, and that was steady hacking. In principle a fun ride is a great experience for a youngster to go somewhere different with lots of horses etc but I would try to find smaller quieter and shorter rides to avoid wearing them out either physically or mentally. I would think a fun ride would be great for a very laid back almost lazy youngster to get it thinking forward and fun but a more highly strung type might just go into melt down.
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Very interesting, thank you :)
 
My youngsters were backed and lightly hacked at 3 then turned away until they were 4, since then they have been in work. One of them spent the winter of 4th year learning to SJ spring of 5th year XC also sponsered rides. The other much bigger horse spent winter of 4th year hacking and light schooling, now learning to SJ as a 5 YO. Both hack for 1 and 1/2 hrs 3/4 days a week.
 
I wouldnt do anything that required stamina, nor anything that required sustained bouts of the same thing over and over.

I did a walk and trot dressage test (not trying any outlines, happy to come last but wanted her to get experience of indoor school with other horses around). Before we did it we had hired it for half an hour several evenings and boxed her over. She was just 4.

In other words, lots of new experiences but all of them in bite size chunks and all of them fun

I didnt turn mine away after she was backed at 3 1/2 as she was bored solid and by keeping her in work I could take things slower after each new thing than if I had turned away and then crammed it in more.

(Also we were moving 550 miles to somewhere with no RI, no school and no hacking companions so we had to get her up together and ready for that at 5)
 
I bought my mare at 4, so no idea when she had been backed, previous owner had bought her at just turned 4 (September foal) and had ridden her through that winter, just 20- 30 mins a night in the school. Once I had her, I had to turn away for the next winter as we had no facilities, and it was too risky just trying the odd weekend hack, seemed better just to leave her be.
I'm very glad I did, as she is now staggeringly more mature in her frame - she filled out hugely. It wasn't something I would have chosen to do but worked out well. She is far more able to cope this year and everything has come on leaps and bounds.
 
I would usually back and lightly ride away at 3, and then rest until 4, bringing them back into work as a 4 year old. Anakin however has started another big old growth spurt so he will be resting this winter with maybe a weekend hack each week.
 
Mines is 3 and half. I intend to get her backed and riding away before christmas then have the winter off. Bring her back into work spring/summer and learn some basic flatwork, lateral work. Likely will have the worst of the winter months off again. See how we go and I might aim her at byeh, ridden sports horse etc as a 5 year old
 
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