Very laid back 3 yr old!-a bit long sorry

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emmaln

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Hello lovely HHOer's,

I have recently backed my 3 yr old Sec D (end of July) I have had her from a foal so it has been a very long slow and natural process, even so i still expected a little sign of her being unsure or worried, but no it's like i've been riding her all her life! She didn't even look round as if to say "what are you doing up there Mummy?"

Obviously this is very good and I am, very proud of her we have done our first hack without any drama and she is totally chilled about everything BUT, here lies the problem she is so laid back she is practically horizontal! she will walk, trot beautifully and will move of my leg with the slightest touch until after about 15 minutes when she has had enough then she plods round the school and refuses to do anymore she has little tantrum bucks (so small you hardly notice them because obviously it would be too much effort to do any more than that!!)

I have been doing everything so slowly with her and haven't ridden her every day and tried to vary her routine so that she doesn't get bored, so now i'm wondering what kind of training programme to put in place because i'm assuming that her ploddy behaviour is a form of defiance because her brain has had enough, don't want to push her too hard but want to make sure i do enough!!
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I am used to TB's and reschooling ex-racers so this behaviour is very strange to me!!!

Sorry that was very long so wine and luxury chocs for anyone who got this far!!!
 
The thing is that she is still young and has a short attention span. I would think that 15 mins work is enough for her at the minute as this is all she would be able to concentrate on and this maybe why shes putting tantrum bucks in and ignoring the leg
 
What you have to remember is she will not have any muscle or strength to do too much for long!
I would school/hack for no more than 15mins a day and each week do an extra 5 or 10 mins and go from there. The "bucking" is probably her saying "mummy I am exhausted and can't do any more!"
Don't do too much schooling, as you want the riding thing to be fun, and too much schooling will just frustrate her, and then you end up with a very tense ride!!
Sounds like you are doing very well!! Well done!!
 
15 to 20 mins is more than enough for 3 year old. i was helping my friend last night with here 3 year old TB (hopefully) future eventer and after 20 mins he was pooped & you could see that he just didn't want to do any more. My advice is don't push it & then you risk haveing less of a problem in the long run. Gradually increase the time you spend on it over a period of weeks. but when i have had 4 year old, 20 misn to 30 mins schooling has often been enough for them.
Well done though, sounds like youa re making really good progress
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thanks guys, it's just so tough to know how much to do because it's easy to tell when a tb is pooped but with my lazy arse just walking in from the field is an effort he he!
 
10 minutes in the school every day is more than enough for a 3 yr old, better to do the same routine thing in the school every day, keeping it short and sweet, than varying things and doing these various things every other day, if you see what I mean.

She needs to fully understand what you are asking of her and gain her strength, fitness and confidence from doing the same simple task every day, she will then know what to expect and will be more willing to put the effort in.

A 3yr old can be yawning their heads of and feeling very tired even after 10 minutes etc walking in the school.
 
My four year old (highland) finds it really hard to concentrate for more than about 15 minutes to be honest, he was only backed a couple of months ago and I have been taking it very slowly. As he is a slow maturing breed I am in no hurry.
 
My chap was exactly the same - bought him as a yearling and spent from 18 months to 2 1/2 getting him ready to be sat on which I did and then left him until 3 just doing ground work again. At 3 we spent 6 months before we cantered. We did short hacks building up to 30 mins at a walk with a very short trot. I rode twice a week and did two ground sessions.

In the school no more than 10 mins at first and at 3 1/2 he did 20 mins. We concentrated on halt, turns, walk and a nice trot until 3 1/2 and then did a few strides of canter which we achieved by asking him to jump a tiny X pole and he went into canter on landing. After a few times of doing this he got what I was asking for and I could then get him into canter without the pole.

It was not until he was nearly 4 that we really got canter transactions well in the school, but I was not bothered as we have done everything very slowly. Although he has always been very balanced he just needed time to get the hang of having a rider on and getting stronger.

Mine is a gypsy cob and whilst not a plod, compared to my TBs is very laid back which is why I love riding him. He now goes off a squeeze of the leg, but waits until I ask for the next gear in all paces.

He is now just 5 and I am working on his gallop - he goes forward but needs to cover the ground and spring into it a bit more for the show ring, but that will come with time and it is no use rushing him.

He finds learning new things very tiring - 10 mins max of a new thing is plenty - luckily he picks up quickly but you know he has been thinking lots as when I get off he stands with his head down and eyes closed. He is not physically tired - often we have just been doing something at a walk, it is his head that needs to recover. Our clydie who is also 5 is the same - new things are exhausting.

It took me a while to realise how quickly they get tired just learning - these are my first babies and whilst I have had very green horses, being older they seemed not to tire mentally like the 3/4/5 year olds do.
 
I agree with everyone else here....but I just wanted to add that it may be worth (knowing the horse as well as you do) to hop off her befoer she gets plody and resistant as you don't want her to associate her being defiant with you getting off.this may lead to her learning if she dosen't want to do what you ask you wil get off.

So I suggest ending your session before she reaches her "had enough" point..the old saying applies, always end it on a good note especially with a youngster.
 
10-15 minutes is plenty.

get off her and call it a day after 10 minutes if she is going well- don't wait for her to get fed up and stubborn about it.

for ref, my 3yro is at the lunging/long reining stage and he does about 4 minutes of lunging approx twice a week.
as long as he is obedient i'm not worried about how long he is working for as fitness isn't a priority in a 3yro
 
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