Starting / Breaking in an Older Horse - help needed

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swinfen

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Hi - Newbie here - please be gentle!

Does anyone have any experience of starting or breaking-in an older horse? (eg 7 years old) What sort of other issues do you think ought to be taken into consideration?

I look forward to all your comments.
 
We broke a 6 year old a while back and because he had risen to being top horse in a big herd he was pretty dominant.
We used the same method as we always do, but his problems started after a hack on his own when he met a whole gang of pot bellied pigs in a narrow lane running towards him. He shook with fear and it ended up in a bit of a battle for a few days to get him past that place again.
The incident affected him far more than it would a four year old, so I would say that's something to be careful of , an older horse will argue back at you harder than a baby will.
 
Older horses can be quiet set in there ways esp if they have never left there field and had any training etc. My mare was backed in at 7.5 yo, she is a lot harder to ride than a horse that has been broken in early but you just have to build up their trust
 
I would go about it as with any young horse. The difficulties you face with an older horse, are that they can tend to be a little more set in their ways and sometimes resist training more so than a baby. Also they are fully grown and stronger and usually know they are.

I have a six year, owned since she was two, because of injuries her training has been patchy. She tends to fight and resist the schooling, for example getting her trot smooth and collected, she will do silly hops and skips before going into a trot and this is currently proving difficult.

The good thing is that the horse is fully grown and mature and the body can take the work, to this extent the breaking/training and schooling and go at a faster pace. But remember to start with small sessions and build up, as mentally the horse is unprepared. I think it is better to have a shorter session and finish on a good note, than to fry the brians and get to a sticky point.

I am sure you will be fine. I would do lots of leading and handling to prepare for the roads, you can put towls down for the horse to walk over, bags and scary things like wheelie bins for it to see. This will help prepare you. Also when you start your road work, find someone with a steady traffic proof horse that you can ride with.

I am not expert in training young horses, only having done one, I am sure that you will find lots of people on the forum with the knowledge and experience who will give you lots of advise along the way.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you benefit from it.
 
the oldest i have ever backed was a five year old, he had a poor start so was left late and he was ok, took a while though, he was stubbon!! thought it was his god given right to do bog all!!
for a while he was nappy but he came round to be a really nice little man.

not sure about issues he might have from reading other posts tia seems to know her stuff and gives sound advice.

good luck!
 
The older the horse the more baggage the horse tends to have.

Depending on how experienced you are it maybe best to work with a professional on this.

There are two people I can recommend to help you.

If you want to send your horse away I can recommend Fred Cook at Stamford. He has broken in quite a few older ones including a 15 year old.

http://www.equine-training.co.uk/home.htm

If you want to do it at home I can recommend Lewis Blackburn to come out to work with you.

http://www.blackburnnaturalhorsetraining.com/

Best of luck
 
My mare was backed as a 4 year old then turned away to have 2 foals. I bought her as an 8 year old and had to re-back her. She took it all in her stride, however she didn't accept traditional methods and I had to learn some NH techniques to modify her behaviour. Its hard work but in some ways better than having to undo someone's bad handling and horses bad habits!!
 
I broke in my horse at 7 years old. I would echo really what everyone else has said in that they are are set in their ways and the learning curve is definitly slower. I would probably not choose to do it again even though I love my boy to bits!
 
My mare was 6 15:3 MW and totally unhandled when we got her. She was herded into a stable and we had to start from there.
After developing her trust the backing and breaking was very straightforward and quite quick.

Just take it slowly, its the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
 
As others have said; there often comes trouble with older horses....generally from 6 years old onwards.

These horses are nowhere near as pliable as younger horses. They have a mind of their own and are often very firm and confident in showing this mind! I've backed a handful of older ones and every single one took waaaaay longer than if they had been 3 or 4 years old. We always came across issues that would just not be there in a youngster and you can sometimes have a battle on your hands, although you really do have to try not to make it into a battle.
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I've done my time with these older ones - I'd never choose to do it again I'm afraid. Good luck though.
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Thank you all so much for such prompt replies and so much helpful and encouraging advice.

I wouldn't wish to take this on myself, and would definitely enlist the help of professionals. I am very keen on NH / IH techniques and have seen fantastic results with youngsters, but never come across an older horse being 'started'.

She is a sensible well handled mare who I think (hope??) will take to her new world very well.

Will keep you all informed, and thanks again for all your advice

BBC
 
The oldest I've started was a 9 year old . . .still nursing on her dam. Yes, you read that right.
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A client wanted the older mare and bought the two as a package deal. It actually worked out okay and the younger mare ended up being a nice riding horse, although she was a really good jumper and I suspect she might have gone further if she'd had a more traditional upbringing.

I've done some other older horses and found that on average they do take more time and patience, in part because you have missed some very exploitable developmental windows. That said, get good help, take your time and treat her as an individual - just as you would for any other horse.
 
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