Turn away or not to turn away?

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almrc

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For a horse that is turning 4 next year and being backed then - just out of interest, who turns a horse away and who doesn't but keeps on riding gently? or does it depend on the horse?
 
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Every horse is different and you should be guided by them but i must admit I prefer to start the horse - walk trot canter and a small hack with a good lead horse - taking it at their pace. Then turn away over winter to let them mature, grow into thier selfs and just have some chill time spending time with them on ground grooming etc to build that bond but everyone has different ideas :)
 
Thank you - anyone else? I'd quite like to keep her riding once I have her going (will be hoping to be on her in early summer-but who knows!!) just at intervals but it all depends what she thinks of it!
 
My boy will turn 4 next year, but I backed him this year....I have now turned him away, but intend to start riding him again in the spring/early summer, and then will keep him going (gently) from then on....

I don't know if that helps.....?
 
Would it help you to know that the only country in the world which has a tradition of turning away is the UK? No-one else routinely does it, though I have no doubt there are a few French, German etc who do it, it is not the continental tradition.

So it's entirely up to you and what you feel like doing. Your horse will mature anyway whether you turn him/her away or not. And of course you are not planning to overwork him/her, so keeping him/her in work will be fine. If you do keep him/her in work, you will not have those nerve-wracking moments when you come to work them again about whether s/he is going to use his/her newly developed strength to be a pain. I had an acqaintance once who berated me about not turning away my four year old for the previous winter. Since he was sporting a plaster cast on his broken arm that his own "newly brought back into work" 4 year old had given him, I smiled and rode home.
 
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Wow thats interesting to know thank you! I would like not to turn away for the reasons you mention, so will see how it goes :) we have been doing everything so far slowly but she has had everything done bar the getting on bit...
 
I didn't turn my little welshy away when I backed her last year, she just gets a couple of weeks off every now and again rather than a long break. To be fair however she is the type of mare that needs to be in work otherwise she gets bored, and inventive in her boredom :rolleyes:
 
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