The awkward 2 to 3 year old stage - what is essential to teach by the time they're 3?

[AppyLover1996]

Hi Guys,

This time I'm posting a thread for myself rather than my friends like I've done for the last few threads aha!

I have a wonderful 2 year old called Rabbit who is wise beyond his years and seems to pick up everything extremely fast. I can teach him something, stick at it for a few days and then not bother with it for a good few weeks, revisit what I originally taught him and he hasn't forgotten in the slightest.

That in turn, has made teaching him the below and absolute dream and a half - :

1. Wear a bridle - with and without a bit
2. Lead confidently and calmly
3. Walk and trot in hand
4. Stand to be judged for in-hand showing
5. Stand for the farrier and vets
6. Wear a rug
7. Be rugged in the field with no headcollar
8. Very lightly long lined (something new that I've started with him only this week gone!)
9. Groomed to his heart's content (including sprayed with grooming sprays, mane and tail trimmed)
10. Stand calmly whilst things are around his legs/ stand calmly to be untangled/ have ropes around his legs (done in a safe and controlled environment with a back up plan in place in case things went south fast!)
11. Wear brushing boots front and back legs
12. Be bathed (working on a hose though still)
13. Loads in a lorry happily ( still working on a trailer and confined spaces however)
14. Have a roller lightly placed on his back and really loosely done up (tight enough so it won't slip but not tight like you would do if you were going to saddle up)
15. Doesn't give a hoot about being fly sprayed
16. Stand next to me by the mounting block/ happy for me to be above him/ happy for me to scratch the opposite side of his neck whilst above him/ happy for me to stamp and jump whilst above him
17. Walk out around our lanes/ roads with and without company
18. Will stable by himself and in company with no fuss
19. Not bothered by being left alone in the field/being the first one out in the field
20. Having bags flapped and rustled around him

He is going to be my life long horse so I'm in absolutely no rush to hurry him through the next few years of his education - in fact I'm happy to wait till he is at least 4 before I sit on him as he's going to mature to a decent 16.1hh +.

However, I am at that stage where I am trying to delicately balance what I'm teaching him so that he carries on learning at a safe pace, with exactly what I should be teaching him or, if I shouldn't really bother teaching him anything else seeing as he already knows how to do a fair bit of stuff that I've mentioned further up in my waffle . I really don't want to over face him and unknowingly push him too far too fast - I am quite a worrier and I adore the bones of Rabbit so I'm very careful and sensible about what I do with him and when I do it. I always listen to him and remain flexible with what I have planned for the session, and sometimes we simply go over things he already knows if he appears to not be in the mood for learning something new. Going back through my waffle list, I can see that he knows a fair whack already for a 2 year old so my head is saying that he doesn't really need to learn anything new and just build on what he knows until the time comes for the next steps of a saddle etc.

Thanks for any and all replies - various cookies and milk available to all who have gotten this far

 

[Alibear]

The only thing I see as essential is basic manners so they can be good for the farrier and cope with any veterinary treatment they might need and you've definitley done that and the rest.
My three year old has the basic manners done, but no more and is going to spend this year being outstanding in his field with his friends.

It does differ between horses and situations but in your shoes I'd say you're fine and just stay as you are. But I admit this is only my 2nd youngster.

 

[AppyLover1996]

The only thing I see as essentail is basic manners so they can be good for the farrier and cope with any veterinary treatment they might need and you've definitley done that and the rest.
My three year old has the basic manners done, but no more and is going to spend this year being outstanding in his field with his friends.

It does differ between horses and situations but in your shoes I'd say you're fine and just stay as you are. But I admit this is only my 2nd youngster.

Thank you Alibear - I am such a worrier when it comes to all my animals, but it's been a while since I've had a young horse so things have advanced since I was last playing the youngster game. He's quite a smart lad but luckily repetition doesn't really bore him so I can easily leave him as he is without worrying about over doing things with him, and really cement on what we already know x

 

[stangs]

As long as he has plenty of time to process things and is enjoying learning, you're not going to overface him. Having said that, the only things I can think of that are missing from your list are more veterinary husbandry behaviours: having suncream on his nose, standing quietly for vaccinations and examinations of the mouth, having his temperature taken, accepting worming, etc. These are all things you can train relatively quickly with clicker training, which I think you've said you do, so might be worth spending 5 minutes or so daily working on them so you can get in those positive associations while he's young and largely free of veterinary-related "trauma", for lack of a better word.

Otherwise, based on what Lucy Rees says, I think the best thing you can do for a horse of his age is just continuing to expose him to new things (not necessarily teaching him anything, just letting him see them, interact with them, take advantage of that adolescent curiosity). Like how people socialise puppies.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Teach him that the reaction you want to 'scary objects' is to stop and think, not to blindly react. The answer to unwanted pressure is not to move his feet, it's to take a moment and to suss it out.
It's been the one lesson with my youngster that has paid off time and time again!

I would also teach him to park himself at a mounting block or similar object, my boy is 17.1 and on hacks when you've had to get off it's another valuable tool to have!

 

[maya2008]

Trust.

But you don’t have to do anything. It’s all optional.

Make sure they are a good weight (not too fat), have friends to play with and have vaccinations to keep them safe if you can. Beyond that…it can all be done later.

 

[tda]

I would leave it there for a bit, unless he actively seeks you out to go do something. Even then 5 min of brainwork is enough.
He won't forget what he's learnt

 

[paddy555]

I think young horses like to learn so I would now move onto long reining. If it is safe (on your roads) I would go out with other riders and then alone on long reins. I would long rein off road, over open field, woodland, over logs whatever you have. Long rein past machinery, past diggers, etc. whatever you are going to meet in your ridden time. I long rein with another horse and then turn round and leave them, I let them go round a corner so he can't see them and he has to stay calm, let the other horse trot off and mine realises he has to walk or even stand.
Basically all the stuff a well trained ridden horse should do minus your weight.
Lead off another horse is so useful

if you have access to cows take him to see them (so many seem to be worried if they don't live with cows)

Take your wheely bin for a walk, tie an oil drum 25l onto a piece of rope and take it for a walk on the road like a dog.
Hang clothes on a washing line and walk under it, you could use plastic.
Lunge (only a short time) with wellies tied to the roller to hit his sides.
Make a human size dummy and lunge and let it fall off him. His reaction has to be to stop not take off.

If you have an enclosed area long rein minus bridle off a neck ring.
If you have a quiet road/track walk him on a long rope so he is on his own on the other side of the road learning to be a big brave lad.
Get someone to go out with you on their bike and bike train him. If you can fnd someone with a motor bike even better.
Long rein around a car, then the engine running, then revving it up and sounding the horn (obviously set up in a good place with a driver you trust)

open maps/newspapers over him, ground tie, loose school so he works on voice commands
the list is endless

Whatever else after that lot Rabbit will be a good hacking horse.

 

[SpeedyPony]

It sounds like you've mostly got it covered, it's always good to get them out and seeing new things here and there- if there are any unusual things happening (roadworks, sports days etc) it would be worth going and having a look (from a safe distance of course). I'd also add watching another horse being shod if possible, so that he can see/smell the smoke.

 

[AppyLover1996]

As long as he has plenty of time to process things and is enjoying learning, you're not going to overface him. Having said that, the only things I can think of that are missing from your list are more veterinary husbandry behaviours: having suncream on his nose, standing quietly for vaccinations and examinations of the mouth, having his temperature taken, accepting worming, etc. These are all things you can train relatively quickly with clicker training, which I think you've said you do, so might be worth spending 5 minutes or so daily working on them so you can get in those positive associations while he's young and largely free of veterinary-related "trauma", for lack of a better word.

Otherwise, based on what Lucy Rees says, I think the best thing you can do for a horse of his age is just continuing to expose him to new things (not necessarily teaching him anything, just letting him see them, interact with them, take advantage of that adolescent curiosity). Like how people socialise puppies.

Hi Stangs - that is a great idea thank you - he's prone to the odd scrape and cut here and there being bottom of the pecking order, so creams being applied to those areas are al sorted but his nose is one area I've forgotten - thanks for the reminder! Vaccines he falls asleep for and he adores his mouth being played with - strange horse aha!

I do indeed do clicker training - I also have the bonus that he is more motivated by scratches and cuddles than treats so it won't encourage any mouth behaviour

Where I stable there are always plenty of interesting things going on, so I'll deffo take him to those

 

[AppyLover1996]

Teach him that the reaction you want to 'scary objects' is to stop and think, not to blindly react. The answer to unwanted pressure is not to move his feet, it's to take a moment and to suss it out.
It's been the one lesson with my youngster that has paid off time and time again!

I would also teach him to park himself at a mounting block or similar object, my boy is 17.1 and on hacks when you've had to get off it's another valuable tool to have!

Hi AShetlandBitMeOnce - that is a great idea! He already is quite inquisitive and his reaction to something that freaks him out (last week it was going past the park with dogs and children running loose), he initially stopped and snorted, before looking back to me for advice. He then lowered his head, snorted and promptly trotted past it whilst staring at the park - so that is something to work on for sure.

Ohhh I hadn't thought of that one when planning mounting block training sessions - how did you go about teaching your lad please? Sometimes when hacking I do have to get off to open gates etc and I don't really like ground mounting because of the stress and pressure it puts on their backs x

 

[AppyLover1996]

Trust.

But you don’t have to do anything. It’s all optional.

Make sure they are a good weight (not too fat), have friends to play with and have vaccinations to keep them safe if you can. Beyond that…it can all be done later.

Hi Maya2008 - thanks for the advice I regularly check his weight and make sure that he hasn't got any undue pressure or stress on his joints, he's out in a mixed herd of horses who have all taught him wonderful manners (but equally are happy to join in when in a fresh and excited mood with his play times!) and he's due for vaccines end of June which I've pre booked with the vet.

That is very true regarding things can be done later - it's been such a while since I've had a youngster as I've spent the last 10 years with my retired lad retraining him, so it's a delicate balancing act of being careful of what I'm doing and not overfacing Rabbit

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Hi AShetlandBitMeOnce - that is a great idea! He already is quite inquisitive and his reaction to something that freaks him out (last week it was going past the park with dogs and children running loose), he initially stopped and snorted, before looking back to me for advice. He then lowered his head, snorted and promptly trotted past it whilst staring at the park - so that is something to work on for sure.

Ohhh I hadn't thought of that one when planning mounting block training sessions - how did you go about teaching your lad please? Sometimes when hacking I do have to get off to open gates etc and I don't really like ground mounting because of the stress and pressure it puts on their backs x

He sounds fab! I was actually giving mine a wither scratch in the field and I stepped back and he stepped sideways towards me, so I capitalised on that real quick and did the prelim training there are then by asking him to repeat it with a vocal queue and the reward being the scratches.

The 'proper' way however, would be to get him to step away from a light tap from a dressage whip, if it taps on the bum then he steps with his hinds (stand in front and turn his head towards you to encourage him to naturally give you what you're asking if he doesn't quite get it at first), if it taps on the shoulder then he steps with the front (I find it easiest to stand in front of him and then you can turn the head in the direction you want him to step, just make it that bit clearer), if in the middle then he moved sideways with all four (this is the last step as its tricky). The transition that to standing on something higher than he is and seeing if you can get him to step towards you by tapping on the opposite side, then pair it with a vocal or physical que (I just put my hand in the air and say come here, as I don't always carry a whip) and then done! I would also once you have it, ask him to step to you by draping the whip over the back, don't do this till the end as due to height differences it may be a 'muddier' que but its helpful should you want them to move and can't find anything high enough.

 

[AppyLover1996]

I think young horses like to learn so I would now move onto long reining. If it is safe (on your roads) I would go out with other riders and then alone on long reins. I would long rein off road, over open field, woodland, over logs whatever you have. Long rein past machinery, past diggers, etc. whatever you are going to meet in your ridden time. I long rein with another horse and then turn round and leave them, I let them go round a corner so he can't see them and he has to stay calm, let the other horse trot off and mine realises he has to walk or even stand.
Basically all the stuff a well trained ridden horse should do minus your weight.
Lead off another horse is so useful

if you have access to cows take him to see them (so many seem to be worried if they don't live with cows)

Take your wheely bin for a walk, tie an oil drum 25l onto a piece of rope and take it for a walk on the road like a dog.
Hang clothes on a washing line and walk under it, you could use plastic.
Lunge (only a short time) with wellies tied to the roller to hit his sides.
Make a human size dummy and lunge and let it fall off him. His reaction has to be to stop not take off.

If you have an enclosed area long rein minus bridle off a neck ring.
If you have a quiet road/track walk him on a long rope so he is on his own on the other side of the road learning to be a big brave lad.
Get someone to go out with you on their bike and bike train him. If you can fnd someone with a motor bike even better.
Long rein around a car, then the engine running, then revving it up and sounding the horn (obviously set up in a good place with a driver you trust)

open maps/newspapers over him, ground tie, loose school so he works on voice commands
the list is endless

Whatever else after that lot Rabbit will be a good hacking horse.

Hi Paddy555 - Rabbit certainly enjoys learning - when I first taught him how to back up by a simple click and point, he was so pleased with himself when he got it, that he insisted upon showing everyone he met in the next few days

Sadly my roads aren't the safest so I'm limited to long lining around the farm and through the various fields that we have - but I'm lucky that I have a variety of hacking routes that mix up quiet lanes with a crossing on a busy road, through a farm, up a hill, across some grassland where there is a pond to one side, walking through a housing estate, walking through a cemetery to get across a busy road safer etc, and I take him out in hand on a long 12ft line regularly to expose him to these things. So far he's taken everything really well - the only real spook we had was a few weeks ago when a convoy of cyclists sped past, despite me asking them to slow down slightly and being dressed up to the nines in bright pink, green and yellow hi vis - poor Rabbit didn't know where to put his feet and just stood there shaking . Luckily the estate that I was walking through are used to horses coming through and a lovely old couple went and fetched an apple and carrot for Rabbit to help calm him down whilst I untangled him from the long line - I was so proud that Rabbit stood stock still the entire time and was so gentle taking the treats from the old couple - they now regularly wait in their porch and wave as we go by each time

He's not bothered about being left on his own or asking to leave the herd which is great - I'll ask a friend to do the trotting away stuff as that is something I'm yet to tackle with him - I'll go add it to my list Rabbit also adores cows and will happily share haylage and turn out with them - the other day he was snoozing with the baby calves around him - it was so sweet!

Ah the good old washing line - the not so little monkey was more preoccupied trying to pinch my yard owner's underwear than me asking him to go under the washing line several times - he honestly did not care one bit - he did make off with a pair of undies that I had to retrieve and hand back to my yard owner however (oh the embarrassment! ) He's also pretty chilled with things falling off him - I regularly place grooming brushes on his butt, let rugs slide off him and make a noise and also dramatically hurl myself onto the floor (much to the amusement of the liveries!) and he tends to have a reaction of "Oh for goodness sake woman - will you sort out your balance!"

Regarding motor bikes - handily enough - one of the people who live on the yard have a motor bike and they've kindly offered to help with Rabbit's training in that area - I must send them a text and arrange for this...... cars aren't too bad in the sense that if a few go past he's fine, but if they really speed past poor Rabbit does have a bit of a panic so that is something else to add to my list.

Thanks for all the tips and advice!

 

[AppyLover1996]

It sounds like you've mostly got it covered, it's always good to get them out and seeing new things here and there- if there are any unusual things happening (roadworks, sports days etc) it would be worth going and having a look (from a safe distance of course). I'd also add watching another horse being shod if possible, so that he can see/smell the smoke.

Funnily enough Rabbit adores watching horses get shod and often hands the yard farrier his various tools and equipment - it's hilarious to watch!

 

[AppyLover1996]

He sounds fab! I was actually giving mine a wither scratch in the field and I stepped back and he stepped sideways towards me, so I capitalised on that real quick and did the prelim training there are then by asking him to repeat it with a vocal queue and the reward being the scratches.

The 'proper' way however, would be to get him to step away from a light tap from a dressage whip, if it taps on the bum then he steps with his hinds (stand in front and turn his head towards you to encourage him to naturally give you what you're asking if he doesn't quite get it at first), if it taps on the shoulder then he steps with the front (I find it easiest to stand in front of him and then you can turn the head in the direction you want him to step, just make it that bit clearer), if in the middle then he moved sideways with all four (this is the last step as its tricky). The transition that to standing on something higher than he is and seeing if you can get him to step towards you by tapping on the opposite side, then pair it with a vocal or physical que (I just put my hand in the air and say come here, as I don't always carry a whip) and then done! I would also once you have it, ask him to step to you by draping the whip over the back, don't do this till the end as due to height differences it may be a 'muddier' que but its helpful should you want them to move and can't find anything high enough.

He certainly is fab - however, I'm mega biased when it comes to him (aren't we all with our babies ) - he's got such a trainable brain and adores learning new things, just gotta make sure that I don't accidentally overface him or do too much (hence this thread as I'm a right worry wart!).

Thanks for the explanation - I'll be sure to write it down and let you know how we get on

 

[mariew]

Having bought a slightly older mare without any life experience I would also get him exposed to scary stuff as he doesn't know it's supposed to be scary. Barking and jumping dogs, traffic, bikes of both varieties, tractors, quad bikes - obviously at a pace he can cope with without scaring him. Puddles and going through water. Flappy stuff like umbrellas, tarp blowing in the wind. Etc

 

[MissMay]

Stand tied up for periods of time and without you in his eye line
Move from pressure hand on chest etc

After that I'd get him out this summer to watch the world once or twice at local shows etc and just see it all
And then give him the winter off to grow up

 

[SEL]

The best youngster I ever hacked had been shown in hand by his owner from a yearling - Welsh so those classes can be pretty high adrenaline.

He'd seen so much by the time he was 5 hacking was a doddle. Except for water which he hated crossing.

I think it sounds like you're already making all the future bombproofing into play which is brilliant

 

[paddy555]

Hi Paddy555 - Rabbit certainly enjoys learning - when I first taught him how to back up by a simple click and point, he was so pleased with himself when he got it, that he insisted upon showing everyone he met in the next few days

Sadly my roads aren't the safest so I'm limited to long lining around the farm and through the various fields that we have - but I'm lucky that I have a variety of hacking routes that mix up quiet lanes with a crossing on a busy road, through a farm, up a hill, across some grassland where there is a pond to one side, walking through a housing estate, walking through a cemetery to get across a busy road safer etc, and I take him out in hand on a long 12ft line regularly to expose him to these things. So far he's taken everything really well - the only real spook we had was a few weeks ago when a convoy of cyclists sped past, despite me asking them to slow down slightly and being dressed up to the nines in bright pink, green and yellow hi vis - poor Rabbit didn't know where to put his feet and just stood there shaking . Luckily the estate that I was walking through are used to horses coming through and a lovely old couple went and fetched an apple and carrot for Rabbit to help calm him down whilst I untangled him from the long line - I was so proud that Rabbit stood stock still the entire time and was so gentle taking the treats from the old couple - they now regularly wait in their porch and wave as we go by each time

He's not bothered about being left on his own or asking to leave the herd which is great - I'll ask a friend to do the trotting away stuff as that is something I'm yet to tackle with him - I'll go add it to my list Rabbit also adores cows and will happily share haylage and turn out with them - the other day he was snoozing with the baby calves around him - it was so sweet!

Ah the good old washing line - the not so little monkey was more preoccupied trying to pinch my yard owner's underwear than me asking him to go under the washing line several times - he honestly did not care one bit - he did make off with a pair of undies that I had to retrieve and hand back to my yard owner however (oh the embarrassment! ) He's also pretty chilled with things falling off him - I regularly place grooming brushes on his butt, let rugs slide off him and make a noise and also dramatically hurl myself onto the floor (much to the amusement of the liveries!) and he tends to have a reaction of "Oh for goodness sake woman - will you sort out your balance!"

Regarding motor bikes - handily enough - one of the people who live on the yard have a motor bike and they've kindly offered to help with Rabbit's training in that area - I must send them a text and arrange for this...... cars aren't too bad in the sense that if a few go past he's fine, but if they really speed past poor Rabbit does have a bit of a panic so that is something else to add to my list.

Thanks for all the tips and advice!

you seem to be doing great. I find it a bit sad when people just think youngsters should only need to be haltered and have their feet picked up etc. They love to learn, they learn to learn. If you do what you are doing you get to spend so much valuable time with them enjoying their childhood. They benefit enormously.

We have very narrow roads and they have to climb on banks to let lorries go past. I take a handful of nuts and whilst that happens it is "head down, stay calm and chew and breathe"
You could maybe try that with the cyclists. Whatever else you teach then teach him "head down, engage brain" cueing it from a hand on his neck (as he gets good at it) In any panic situation that will be his default response.

 

[dorsetladette]

I totally agree with everything @paddy555 says. Youngsters are like sponges and just absorb everything. Learning is fun and they don't know to be scared of anything. The only new thing when you start riding is you being on top instead of on the ground.

@AppyLover1996 my (now 5) youngster was worried by push bikes so I bought one off marketplace. I put piles of hay out in the field and then cycles between the piles and all the ponies got used to the crazy woman cycling round them while they ate. Started off a long way away and got closer slowly once they were settled. He tries to trot after cyclists now .

My other youngster hasn't had the same start as the 5 year old, but at rising 4 (very immature) he is loving everything we are doing with him now. As soon as he see's his tack come out he's at the gate banging to come in. You can see in his expression how proud he is of himself when he's rewarded.

 

[AppyLover1996]

The best youngster I ever hacked had been shown in hand by his owner from a yearling - Welsh so those classes can be pretty high adrenaline.

He'd seen so much by the time he was 5 hacking was a doddle. Except for water which he hated crossing.

I think it sounds like you're already making all the future bombproofing into play which is brilliant

Hiya SEL - that is my ultimate goal for Rabbit - by the time ridden hacking comes, I really want him to be as bombproof as possible. He's done one or two classes at a local in hand show which he lapped up the attention and proper showed off just how much he can float (cue me looking like a tomato - I'm only 5'1 and trying to keep up with an excited 15.1hh at the time yearling was rather interesting to the spectators!). He's got such an inquisitive nature that I'm really loving using it to our advantage - the other day my yard owner was moving the goats from one field to the other, so we trundled on behind following quite happily - Rabbit now makes a beeline for the goat's paddock/stable whenever he is en route to his turnout/ on the yard and it's so lovely x He's also such a sweet natured lad that when one of the calves got frightened and escaped, it made its way to Rabbit and Rabbit gave her a nuzzle and gently guided her back to her stable

 

[AppyLover1996]

you seem to be doing great. I find it a bit sad when people just think youngsters should only need to be haltered and have their feet picked up etc. They love to learn, they learn to learn. If you do what you are doing you get to spend so much valuable time with them enjoying their childhood. They benefit enormously.

We have very narrow roads and they have to climb on banks to let lorries go past. I take a handful of nuts and whilst that happens it is "head down, stay calm and chew and breathe"
You could maybe try that with the cyclists. Whatever else you teach then teach him "head down, engage brain" cueing it from a hand on his neck (as he gets good at it) In any panic situation that will be his default response.

Thank you - that means a lot! x

Rabbit certainly fits the love to learn stereotype - before starting this thread I was running out of ideas on what to teach him, but with the help of everyone, I've come up with a few more things to try and have a play with which is fab.

Ooohh it is interesting that you mention narrow roads - some of our hacking road routes can be narrow with not a lot of passing space - Rabbit adores food so I'll deffo pack some pony nuts in my pocket and use those to help with the cyclists x

 

[Alibear]

Just a word of caution, it is possible to over do it with desensitisation which can make the backing process more challenging as the horse doesn't have the same response to some aids. It's great to get them out and seeing the world but I'd go carefuly with the desenitisation.
I say this as someone who succesfully and acciednatilly trained a horse to halt if she heard or saw a lunge whip being used. That back fired a tad. She was already backed though.

 

[AppyLover1996]

I totally agree with everything @paddy555 says. Youngsters are like sponges and just absorb everything. Learning is fun and they don't know to be scared of anything. The only new thing when you start riding is you being on top instead of on the ground.

@AppyLover1996 my (now 5) youngster was worried by push bikes so I bought one off marketplace. I put piles of hay out in the field and then cycles between the piles and all the ponies got used to the crazy woman cycling round them while they ate. Started off a long way away and got closer slowly once they were settled. He tries to trot after cyclists now .

My other youngster hasn't had the same start as the 5 year old, but at rising 4 (very immature) he is loving everything we are doing with him now. As soon as he see's his tack come out he's at the gate banging to come in. You can see in his expression how proud he is of himself when he's rewarded.

Hi Dorsetladette - Rabbit gets so excited when he sees me coming with his training halter and long line - one time he ran out of his stable in excitement, stood by the closed yard gate, then realised I wasn't attached to him, sheepishly walked back to me and shoved his nose into the training halter as if he were slightly embarrassed aha! When I take him out in hand he always wants to go out and explore more and go a different route, so it's a juggling act of making sure that his curiosity is satisfied without overdoing it x

 

[Spot the Merry Risk]

Great responses on here!

The only things I would add is do work from both sides, and to have him used to meeting new people.

 

[rhino]

Great responses on here!

The only things I would add is do work from both sides, and to have him used to meeting new people.

Meeting new people and being able to be handled by other people too - I do 95% of the handling of my 2yo but it’s good to know that other liveries of varying competence can catch and bring in if need be. I also have a friend’s child who is having some big health issues at the moment spend some time with him and it’s lovely to see how he listens to a tiny little person.

Mine did a couple of big shows last year and didn’t bother in the slightest. I am not bitting yet so just used a bit less hunter in hand bridle. We are also doing some online challenges, top barn 12 week and their treasure hunts, plus Trec training events. Gives me something to work towards. Might come to 10-15 mins max a couple of times a week.

Otherwise we’ve put in the absolute basics of in hand dressage work and are doing a little clinic soon. I don’t personally choose to lunge or long rein a 2yo. Plus little in hand hacks just to see stuff and help develop proprioception. Like yours he is perfectly happy with his herd but actively looks for you and leaves them without a backwards glance!

 

[AppyLover1996]

Great responses on here!

The only things I would add is do work from both sides, and to have him used to meeting new people.

Hi Spotherisk - working from both sides is a good one to add to my list, I try and remember to do things both sides but do sometimes forget!

Ah Rabbit adores people - when I'm in hand walking him, he's always stopping to say hi to people he's never met before and on one occasion he happily stood in someone's garden whilst their grandkids came to ooohh and ahhh over how tall he is and what funky a colour he is - took me 20 minutes to get him to leave them and their barbeque in peace

 

[AppyLover1996]

Meeting new people and being able to be handled by other people too - I do 95% of the handling of my 2yo but it’s good to know that other liveries of varying competence can catch and bring in if need be. I also have a friend’s child who is having some big health issues at the moment spend some time with him and it’s lovely to see how he listens to a tiny little person.

Mine did a couple of big shows last year and didn’t bother in the slightest. I am not bitting yet so just used a bit less hunter in hand bridle. We are also doing some online challenges, top barn 12 week and their treasure hunts, plus Trec training events. Gives me something to work towards. Might come to 10-15 mins max a couple of times a week.

Otherwise we’ve put in the absolute basics of in hand dressage work and are doing a little clinic soon. I don’t personally choose to lunge or long rein a 2yo. Plus little in hand hacks just to see stuff and help develop proprioception. Like yours he is perfectly happy with his herd but actively looks for you and leaves them without a backwards glance!

Hi Rhino,

Rabbit is alright with other people handling him - he prefers me naturally as I do nearly all his handling, but I do ask friends to bring him in occasionally and they're more than happy to He's met the yard owner's grandchildren a few times too and is very gentle around them (although not keen if they start shouting, but that is a work in progress).

I'd like to do some online TREC style events with Rabbit but I always seem to miss the starting date and end up finding them once they're done - is there a website or somewhere I can go to sign up in advanced aha?

 

[rhino]

Check out Top Barn challenges on their website, there is a list of what they do each month/season. May is the treasure hunt, for example.

The Trec I do through the Alternative Equine Club (on Facebook); we’re just finishing up the spring league but there is a summer one that runs June-Aug.