Sending a young horse away for schooling. Advice please :)

Achinghips

Achinghips

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Hi, looking for advice, not owned a green horse before.

I shall try to be brief. 6 year old Irish cob, 14.3 hh over from Ireland, been backed and bought on but still very green, can't leg yield, spooky, excite able and squeaky on board, beautiful mover, kind people person boy, very loving, nice ground manners, started bunny hop bucking and I need a crash test dummy now as my bottom isn't sticky and I'm old. Just bought him a beautiful new saddle, saddle fitter, vet and instructor love him but say he's a normal young horse, with beautiful movement, though instructor feels he's wooden. He runs through my hands.

Bhs trained instructor will takes him full livery for two weeks to bring him on, ride every day, hack, de spook . £150 per week. Another week at end of July, same price.

Question : will this do him any good, or is this two weeks going to be a flash in the pan?
 
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I would say a lot will depend on what you can do with him when you get him back.

2 weeks is certainly enough for basics but he is still going to be 'spooky' at new things and new surroundings - only time and repetition will totally ease that.

My 5yo green mare has been ridden (around the same route) every other day for the last 6 weeks - last night was the first time we didn't have a buck. Tonight we will go a different route and she will plant and snort at every new thing but I'm hoping that the more she gets out and sees new stuff the more her confidence will grow.

Realistically I've allowed a good 12 months before she is good at hacking on her own.
 
How many times through those two weeks are you going to be riding him? Is he up to intensive schooling at the moment?

Is there any chance that in your enthusiasm to do the best for him he's getting a little too much hard feed that's making him more excited than strictly necessary?
 
To be very blunt , as an oldy myself I would recommend you buy a been there -done it horse. Cut your losses - nothing is worth injury. I wouldnt have said that a few decades ago, but now Im nearly sixty safety is totally paramount.you might find answers to this corrolate with ages of posters!
Two weeks is a very very short time to alter what might be quite ingrained habits - lets face it ,he ll have been ridden much in Ireland from 3yrs old. At our age, sadly, its very easy to lose confidence . Unless our attitude and riding alters ,the horse will resort to how he was before [baring a miracle]
And also, even young people arent too keen on being crash test dummies, so unless the problems are mild and sorted by a bold /fearless rider, you will end up paying much and being in the position you are now. Sorry to sound negative -only speaking from personal and painful experience !
 
He doesn't sound naughty or nasty, just young and silly. The best way to find out if he's going to benefit from a bit of schooling is to send him there. I suspect that two weeks of consistent work with a confident rider will be a good thing, and will also give you more of an idea of whether he will grow up to be the right horse for you.
 
I would think the two weeks would do a lot of good if you can be there too and participate because the way this will be a waste of time/money is if you can't maintain what he's been taught when he returns home. Schooling a young horse is a long term project and these two weeks certainly won't "cure" the issues but it may just give him a kick-start in the right direction and hopefully give you some confidence to carry on what is started. When my horse was very young I ran into a few problems and really needed someone to bolster my confidence so I started having three lessons a week with a really great instructor who kept us on the right path. Frequent lessons might be something to think about when he returns home from schooling.
 
Thanks guys, a little more info. I've owned horses up to age twenty three since childhood and took a 23 year break. I've now had Ned's for six years and have had consistent lessons, and own my own stables, land and arena, so I'm not too green, just a bit old and wise enough to ask for advice. I'm semi retired in dream property with no children so have loads of time.

He has received intensive schooling last year with an event rider in prep for sale, but had much of the winter off, ridden only in lessons. Hard feed is a definite no no. He's a fatty with a grazing muzzle at the mo. I've had about thirty lessons on him so far. My instructor visits weekly where I also have lessons on my established schooled (I'm lucky lol) traditional. I also have a sharer for my traditional and employ someone for four hours a week to lunge and maintain fencing, and look after land, so have even more time :)
 
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Auslander said:
He doesn't sound naughty or nasty, just young and silly. The best way to find out if he's going to benefit from a bit of schooling is to send him there. I suspect that two weeks of consistent work with a confident rider will be a good thing, and will also give you more of an idea of whether he will grow up to be the right horse for you.
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This, if the person is already your instructor she will know what you are aiming for and have a plan in mind, it is surprising how much can be achieved in two weeks intensive schooling, it can only be a good thing for both of you, unlike the others I would suggest not getting involved for at least the first week, let her make real progress, she may want to work him twice a day on concentrate on just one aspect which having the owner around may make difficult, have an intensive lesson at the end and then continue to have lessons once he comes home.
 
Thanks, I think I will send him away for two weeks, try cracking on over summer and make a decision from there about what to do next.
 
Hi Achinghips! How funny, I too had a 25 year break from riding from age 17 and have now had horses for the last 10 years. Am on about horse no 6 :( (all the others have lovely homes) and Bilbo (my current horse) is an absolute saint. Horse before him was Irish, 8 YO but incredibly green and I found I couldnt cope after coming off twice and being very creaky and groany after!

Dont really have any helpful advice, you seem to know what you are doing far more than I do! Perhaps your boy is just being a 'teenager'. As long as you trust the person doing the schooling, I dont think sending him away for 2 weeks will hurt and it may well help so hopefully its a good way forward. Good luck! :)
 
Another old bird... Have just got a youngster who is growing like a weed... 16hh and only two and a bit! My last horse was just started 4 and a 1/2 years old, lazy but spooky... My bestest livery mate got a two year old, did all the lunging etc. and got a lithe young thing to back him at home. Worked really well as he was settled and with his owner. Am hoping to do the same with my youngster. There are some fabulous trainers out there but also some duds who can cause permanent problems. See if there is a local rider who can help you? The other thing to consider is how many days a week you want to ride, I have a 'little one' so riding is sporadic. Do you' want your horse to be ridden every day? if you only want to ride X days a week. Why put yourself in the position where the horse expects this. Get someone to ride X days a week so they get into that mindset.
 
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