sending off an unhandled filly. How long would it take to become

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chrissy2014

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I bought myself a project 3 year old. Unhandled as I was in the middle of training my father became poorly. Pretty badly. Anyway I had to put everything on hold regarding the horses and its ruining the pony even more. She is 3 years old. I have been looking at sending her away to be worked with. She isnt nasty just very nervous. I want her back able to be caught, pick all feet up and brushed all over so while I am caring for my father I can just bring the horses out for grooms and feeds and general care then when I can I will spend more time with training. Anyway I have ben looking around and a well known horse person whos in his 50's has told me it would take 3 to 4 weeks. At £100 a week. Some woman has just messaged me whos only 26 saying £80 a week and she will only take a week. Thats all she deals with is unhandled troubled horses... which person is being truthful? Obviously I would check this woman out first but the guy I mentioned knows this is my first project so dont want him trying to con me
 
An unhandled horse can take a week to be able to be handled to a certain point and you may be able to quickly catch when they have their head in a bucket, but a lot longer to be able to actually relax and trust. If you have the money, and he has the credibility, go with the man. longer is better for her trust.
 
I'd ask around and go for recommendations. We've just sent our youngster away for backing and chose someone by word of mouth and we were very pleased with the result. (To be backed it was £30 a day)
 
No one can tell you how long it will take, that is the problem, something unhandled and nervous needs time to settle in anyway, so really just getting halter on can take a week, yes it can be rushed, but then you have skipped the basics, I have been with horses of all sorts for many years and unless the horse is already confident and well handled I could do very little in a week. Re negotiate the £100, which is too much for handling imho, but he is well known so charges a premium and has the facilities.
I would also consider finding a girl friday to help out at home instead, there are loads of girls now working cos of babies but were once set on a career with horses, ask at the local RS if they know anyone.
 
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Whereabouts are you op? I have a real love of gaining the trust of super nervous horses! Over the years I've noticed it's something I'm actually good at ;)
 
I would be inclined to find someone who will come to you. Otherwise you might send the horse away, she becomes willing to do all of the things you want her to do, she comes home and still doesn't know that she can trust you.

I would bring someone in to my yard, start her off and work with you too when you can
 
I agree that I would rather someone came to me to handle them at home, as they are already nervous and un-handled, so moving them may cause more stress. I think for them to really relax and be happy handled they need a familiar environment and certainly more time than 1 week. also they can then learn what to do in your normal routine- which is more helpful.

however, I also think £100 is quite a lot for just handling- my friend paid that to get her pony backed- with up to an hours work a day.
 
I would say a week is highly ambitious. An old friend used to take in yearlings for halter training and that didn't include tying up, just happily halter ing and being led and he would work on each for two 20 minute sessions a day for at least a week to establish this.
There is only so much a nervous youngster can take and the solution is usually shorter but regular sessions, so to condense this down to a week would be too much in my opinion. The last thing you need is someone to use force and ruin your youngster, I have heard of it done time and time again, there is no alternative to patience and consistency.
 
Whatever type of training is being done, I don't think £100/week is too much. It includes full livery and the person's time. Seems cheap to me. I don't know how long it will take but I'd ask a lot of questions about the method of each person and base my decision on that, as done badly you could end up with a horse that's even harder to catch.
 
Blurr said:
Whatever type of training is being done, I don't think £100/week is too much. It includes full livery and the person's time. Seems cheap to me. I don't know how long it will take but I'd ask a lot of questions about the method of each person and base my decision on that, as done badly you could end up with a horse that's even harder to catch.
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I am amazed that anyone can think £100 is too much for what will be full livery plus time spent every day handling a nervous young horse, it may take 10 mins each day or hours if she is tricky to catch, rushing it in a week and making any profit for £80 sounds risky, although I think it is possibly difficult to guarantee that she will be easy to catch when she comes home wherever she goes. While away she will be in a routine, get to really know her trainer and likely to revert once she returns if that routine and trust is not there with the OP.
I expect the older trainer will do far more than just the basics of catching, picking up feet and grooming, I would, if she came to me, be doing groundwork alongside that to get her more confident in general and this would probably include most of the initial process towards breaking, it will build up the trust as she develops her understanding of the voice and body language, in 3-4 weeks I would expect her to return home having had feet trimmed, being groomed all over, happily wearing a light rug and probably long reining and lunging in basic tack with her being much more confident in herself and the people handling her.
 
It has just recently taken 3 weeks at 2.5 hours a day average to get a 2yo filly to have a headcollar on, be touched all over, tie up and lead sensibly. She will now come to the gate to be caught when she is called. She is now brought in every day, given a feed, brushed and feet picked out then put back out - so still half an hour a day. At weekends she gets taken for a small walk.

This is a filly at the stud that I help out at who had had very little done with her since weaning.

I would recommend someone coming out to you if you can find that and I would expect it to take you 3-4 weeks to get the basics done if it's done nice and slowly.
 
Many professional people who specialise in backing and breaking prefer to have something totally unhandled - as your pony is 3 why not send it away to be lightly backed? Most of the good professionals will not work out of your yard and personally I think it better if the pony goes away for a month or so. Be careful to ask around to find the right person - the wrong one cold be a disaster.
 
be positive said:
I am amazed that anyone can think £100 is too much for what will be full livery plus time spent every day handling a nervous young horse, it may take 10 mins each day or hours if she is tricky to catch, rushing it in a week and making any profit for £80 sounds risky, although I think it is possibly difficult to guarantee that she will be easy to catch when she comes home wherever she goes. While away she will be in a routine, get to really know her trainer and likely to revert once she returns if that routine and trust is not there with the OP.
I expect the older trainer will do far more than just the basics of catching, picking up feet and grooming, I would, if she came to me, be doing groundwork alongside that to get her more confident in general and this would probably include most of the initial process towards breaking, it will build up the trust as she develops her understanding of the voice and body language, in 3-4 weeks I would expect her to return home having had feet trimmed, being groomed all over, happily wearing a light rug and probably long reining and lunging in basic tack with her being much more confident in herself and the people handling her.
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Wise words as always.

My youngster, who has every issue known to man has been away most of the summer at a similar price. The price reflects a lack of facilities for my horse, ie, no school. Horse lives out but is fed. Skill cannot be valued and the time it will take for a young horse to come right cannot be judged. My horse is checked twice daily, fed hard feed and if we have no rain soon, hay. He is handled, lunged, ridden, hacked, schooled, taught to load, have a bath, mane pulled etc etc. He will come back to me thoroughly educated and I will have spent way more than the value of the actual horse as he stands today. When I sent him I had the same thoughts as the OP, 'how long' in reality it takes as long as it takes depending on what you what to achieve.

The lack of a school made no difference to my horse because his handler is so skilled he is able to work a horse in an open field and the upside to that is a (very large) horse having to balance himself without boards.

OP, be very careful, mistakes at an early age can literally break a horse and not in the way you want.
 
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When I sent my boy for post backing schooling, knowing he was difficult, I asked what exactly he would get, so that was one hour ridden, including tacking up and turnout, most will only cope with 45 mins in the school, sometimes less. He got worked six days per week and nothing on Sunday when he was out 24/7, other than that he was in overnight. The trainer may have to spend 2 and a half hours to achieve a particular objective, but not evey day, so on average one would expect him to be handled lightly twice a day, or a good session once a day, other than that they are better out in a paddock to relax, relaxing being essential when you are trying to teach them something and they have a short attention span.
It might be time to pass this one on to a suitable home if you are struggling so early in his career.
 
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