Those of you who have or have had youngsters

i show youngsters in hand so i do the groundwork but the owner does the mucking out, grooming, washing etc. eventful job me thinks
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sorry i think i miss red the question. if you mean do you handle them aswell as others.. then yes we do. gets them used to not being handled by just one person for their later life. we also do both reins so they also dont get used to just one way of going.
 
I got my 2 youngsters together - coblet was 11months, handled but i struggled to get a halter on her for weeks!! patience and alot of time later shes brilliant now (shes 18months) the welshie was just turned 2 and was terrified, shes better now but still shes nervous around people she dosent know
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I take them everywhere and get them as much exposure to life as I can. You never know what might happen in your own life, and I think it only fair to them to make the world a less scary place for them by letting them realise that new people,places and things don't hurt them.
 
When i got my baby horse he was very shy and scared as he'd only been handled by his breeder lightly, but now he's as bold as brass, its just really me and yo who handle him but i couldnt see him being a problem with anyone else my mum does occasionaly handle him.
 
Missy who is rising 4 has been handled by quite a few people be it in the showing world or just around the yard, She knows who to try it on with .

I've had her since she was 6 months old, In the early stages she was handled by her breeder obviously and by the sires owner , During the early stage of her being with me it was only between me and another girl , Just really until we got her trusting folk and making sure she was listening .


Shes very laid back and has a super temperment .
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Ground work is very important and best instilled into them from the very start .
 
I have a 2 1/2 year old who was very well handled before i got him just over a year ago and is really not scared of much. I am the only one who handles him really and my mum thinks he only respects and listens to me.
I am now wondering if i should have others handle him aswell?
 
Ours would love to meet everyone on the planet, she barely left the field she was born in until two years old but anyone who came to see her was very interesting in her opinion! She then went away for a couple of months for showing production, did her good to meet other horses, ponies, stallions (not too closely of course!) dogs, kids etc. She's now wintering out at a friends place, again meeting more people.
 
Was always handled by me,but he has always behaved very well(had moments obviously as he is a horse,lol,but he has never dne anything that would put somebody off dealing with him again
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) manners were instilled from the very beginning,he therefore respects people
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He will let other people come up to him and handle him he is not scared and is never nasty to anyone. He just doesn't listen to others, but does respect me and i trust him whereas my mum doesn't.
 
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I take them everywhere and get them as much exposure to life as I can. You never know what might happen in your own life, and I think it only fair to them to make the world a less scary place for them by letting them realise that new people,places and things don't hurt them.

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same as above.... I got my youngster as an unhandled 10 month old colt. I am at a yard with 25 - 30 liveries, horses are in herds up to 8 horses, so many liveries end up handling him in the field!..... and my friends have all pitched in... and the 6foot7 boyfriend is looking after mine at the moment for me! I think it does them good
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I try to get as many people to handle them as possible, as it shows them that people are nothing to be scared of (well the ones i know).
Also i try to show them as much as possible, cars, tractors, in and out of lorries and trailers ( not always the most successful) as often as i get the time
 
Mine has only really been handled by me as he is quite an angry boy and is massive so people just give him a wide birth.
I have owned him for 5 years now and can count on 1 hand the people who have actually had any contact with him other than a very quick hello. He doesnt seem to like people or other horses for that matter but is happy in his own little world
 
mainly it is only me who handles them- i'm not at a big yard and don't really take them out until they are under saddle.

mine are all well behaved with other people (YO and her unhorsey husband catch and hold for jabs etc).

i think as long as the handling they have is good, it doesn't matter how many people they meet as manners and trust should be installed.
 
I,m on my own so when i got my nf colt he only really saw me sometimes it helps to have two people so sometimes struggled. He is now a 3 and 1/2 yr old gelding and my hubby as started to show an interest in playing with him, Amigo is happy to be petted by anyone i think as long as the handling is done well most don,t mind a stranger doing things with them.
 
To start with I handled them myself and slowly introduced others, to then find out my little boy had a thing with certain men which is made because hes had no bad experiences at all with men as Ive owned him all his life, just proves a horse doesnt have to have a bad experience with something to be frightened of it. But yeah show them women and men and get them used to the lot thats the best bet but I would tell all the people to act the same if you dont want to make them scared etc ie you dont want some man running around the yard!
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Good luck.
 
My youngster was pretty difficult to handle when I got her at 3, she's 7 now and a sweetheart to handle for me, my Mum and OH... but is quite untrusting of anyone she doesn't know.

She's ok and has been brought in by others and was fine but part of me is quite glad she is wary, I think if someone tried to steal the horses at least I'd no that they wouldn't have a chance in hell of catching her or taking her anywhere!
 
I think its pretty important that they do meet other people. Our boy is 3 1/2 and prior to us having him had been well handled by breeder and her mum, but we've since tried to get as many people as possible to do things like pick up feet, put on bridle etc just so he is used to it. He's ever so chilled and confident so its been fairly easy but as someone above said you never know when things might change for you and if someone suddenly had to handle him I wouldn't want him to be surprised or upset by not seeing us!
Obviously everyone's situation is different and we are lucky that everyone at our yard is pretty competant and happy to help socialise him.
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With Daisy whos now 1 1/2 i did most the work when she first came. Then when she was halter broken and catchable i started asking other people to lead her down to field or catch her.

She didnt like it much and at first she would test her boundries and play up to see whether the person would make her behave. If they didnt she would attempt to take chunks out of their arm on way to field.

It was someone else asking her to pick her feet up which she didnt like, even with farrier coming often she would still try and kill him rather than let him pick her feet up. She did get use to farrier after a while though but shes got new farrier coming this week so that could be interesting.
 
Chancer was a well handled youngster when I got him. I had him handled by everyone I could find to do so after he came home.

He is now 5 and anyone can handle him, though on occasion he will take the pee if he things he can (he is a typical cheeky gypsy cob) and drag to a patch of grass, hence if I think he is looking like he might be a cheeky boy, his dog chain goes under his jaw and instant well mannered little horse.

He only does this to some adults who he knows are very soft or not that experienced, but is so good with kids, very gentle and never pulls on them.

I personally think the more people who handle horses when young the better so it gets them used to a range of handlers and they don't end up stuck as one horse people who can only be handled in a certain way. Ditto being ridden.
 
I have struggled with people handling my 3 yo as I don't know if others have this problem but sometimes I find People expect them to behave like sensible 10 year olds and never bounce/spook at anything. Which with youngsters it inevitably happens from time to time. Not making excuses for them being young but can be fairly difficult on a livery yard. Think it is a trust thing. But I do agree get others to handle your babies, if they are trustworthy.
 
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