Teaching a yearling to trot up?

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_jetset_

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Does anyone have any advice as to how it is best to do this?

I trotted Troy yesterday, but it did take a while for him to understand and was a bit erratic when we did it so I definitely need some pointers in the right direction
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I have always found it easiest to teach a baby to trot up either having someone helping you by walking behind you so they are just in front of the horse's hindquaters and can wrap their arm around the horse's bum to encourage them forward (making sure they keep out of kicking range!) just like you would when first teaching a foal to lead., or the second method I have used is schooling whip in your left hand to keep gently tickling the hind quaters to send the horse forward.
 
I think the best way is to have a helper with a scooling whip... walk the yearling down and as you are turning get the helper to wave the whip, possibly giving a tap on the bum if necessary and if you use voice aids this will make it clearer later- the doing it as you turn around saves the helper from getting kicked... you should only have to do this for a handful of sessions before baby gets it.
 
If you want him to learn to trot up in a straight line please DO NOT use a whip in your left hand, to use behind you! This will only encourage him to move away from you - sideways!

Get a helper and preferably instead of a whip a squirty bottle, full of water. As you ask him to trot on, your helper squirts the water at his quarters, stifles, tail and hopefully he'll get the idea, without getting whip shy and he'll move in a straight line.
 
I have never ever had a youngster get whip shy by using a schooling whip to tickle them up. You ask them to trot on & if thay are a little reluctant you use the schooling whip, you only tap them nothing more. They dont see the whip & as I have said I dont know of one of mine that ended up shy of the ship or not going in a straight line once troting on. It should not take long before they are acting on your voice.
 
My issue is with straightness. I know that you (one) would not lay into the animal with the whip. If you teach them to lead straight from the start, then they develop staight, makes all training easier. Much easier said than done of course
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Having said that, I've never had to use a whip in my left hand when teaching a horse to lead up in hand. They just do it...... That sounds really up myself, but it's not meant like that, it's just that I haven't needed to.

The water bottle thing is something that is used when showing TB yearlings at the sales - possibly more in the US. It's also a great trick if something is getting randy, to squirt their tackle, they generally change their minds quite quickly
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I teach them to trot as soon as they are confident in walk - I just talk to them in a 'silly' voice and move a bit faster myself. They get the idea very quickly but it's something you need to work on regularly - encouraging them to stay with you. And remember to work on the 'whoa' too!
 
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