What age did you first...

Saddle on from 6 months onwards. saddle with girth - 2 years. lean accross at 2 1/2 and back at 3 - but then my are welsh ponies, if im backing a big horse then it depends on the horse. but just putting a saddle on without anything else wont hurt even a 6 month old. but its always best to get the ground work to standard first.
 
started off with a roller then a saddle when she was rising 2. Girthed up slowly so saddle held then next time a bit tighter till it was tight enough to be useful.

At 2 and a half she had little children lean over and sit on a couple of times, never batted an eyelid.

Sat on her when she was three with a saddle for my security then without once I knew she didn't care (and I didn't take my saddle to the yard that day)

Fairly soon after walked her under saddle literaly two minutes then got off and have done bits, including her first 19 minute hack, until today when she first trotted under saddle age 3yrs and 4 months.

Have just moved on when I felt she was ready and she had not been bothered by any of it so far.
 
My ISH was started at 5, but only because I did not get round to organising it before hand. Would have been 3 otherwise.

I have bought 2 horses that had been started at 2 years old. One a pony club mount, he was ridden by a 9 year old. I am not sure how much he was ridden in the first 12 months, he certainly was ridden every day by the time he was 3.

The other was a clydie/tb cross - she was lightly started and then turned out, she is now 3 and my son is doing a bit, but not a lot with her.

Other than that for the rest of them I have no idea, but would assume between 2-3 years, that seems pretty normal over here.


The backing by the chap starting my ISH was bareback and bridleless (demo in front of 2000 people). He obviously did some prep work, but when he hopped on bareback, he was fine. At least without saddle etc, you can't get caught up in anything, and is easy to get on and off. But you do need to be fit and know what you are doing.

I think a lot of people will lay on horse bareback and if things all seem ok it is a natural progression to swing a leg over. But I do think that beyond merely getting a horse used to you being on them, it is much safer to have a saddle for the first rides. Again my ISH was saddled when first rides taken.
 
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Til:
...put a saddle on your youngster? 3 yrs
...sit on your youngster bare back? 6 yrs
...sit on your youngster in a saddle? 4yrs
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) 4 yrs
...get your youngster to trot " " " 5 yrs


Fid
...put a saddle on your youngster? 4yrs
...sit on your youngster bare back? not happened yet
...sit on your youngster in a saddle? not happened yet
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) not happened yet
...get your youngster to trot " " " not happened yet
 
Cedars said:
#1...put a saddle on your youngster? A year to 18 months, but they are used to having a cloth/blanket on from practically birth
#2...sit on your youngster bare back? 2.5 - 3, depends on the individual
#3...sit on your youngster in a saddle? 3 onwards, depends on the individual, usually I don't keep my youngsters beyond 2
#4...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) as # 2, depends on individual
#5...get your youngster to trot " " "? as # 3
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...put a saddle on your youngster? - 3 years 4 months
...sit on your youngster bare back? 3yrs but was my 2 year old niece
...sit on your youngster in a saddle? 3 years 5 months, again my 2 yr old niece
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) 3 years 5 months
...get your youngster to trot " " "? Not yet.
 
...put a saddle on your youngster? - Have put it on him now and hes 3.5, to see what he thinks of it, happy to wear a roller.
...sit on your youngster bare back? - Not yet, maybe towards christmas or sometime in the new year.
...sit on your youngster in a[/COLOR] saddle? - Not till next year
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) - Not till next year
...get your youngster to trot " " "? - Trots in hand and being introduced to trot on lunge/ long reins now.
 
Cedars said:
...put a saddle on your youngster?
...sit on your youngster bare back?
...sit on your youngster in a saddle?
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing)
...get your youngster to trot " " "?
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tbh it depends. I used to be a crash test dummy for a dealer so had to break in quite a few. Sticking a saddle on can be dont at any age really, we would quite often put little felt saddles on teh yearlings every so often so they could feel somethere there and round their belly but there was little weight to it. The earliest I backed a horse properly was a young three but he was huge and was beginning to throw his weight around. He was taught to walk and trot and was then semi turned away by his owner and brought back into work as a four year old (she did bits of work with him during this time tho such as walking out in hand with tack on etc once a week/fortnight).

When I got my own youngester I backed her at 4, partially because I had the time to take it steady with her but mostly because she clearly a lot of growing to do. She had a saddle on from 2 with no weight on it as it wasn't a good enought fit.
 
I ALWAYS back bareback too, much easier to slip off if you need to, and like previous poster says you are much less likely to spook the baby if you do have to get off in a hurry... also, if they are going to chuck me I don't want to get hung up in anything and spook them! Having said that, if you get on them when they are ready and trusting you don't get any problems.. it's usually first canter where they buck, I've never had one buck in walk or trot to start with.

So, ages, I like to start them young (bear in mind these are for homebreds and so very quiet and trusting) so:

...put a saddle on your youngster? 9 months - if not earlier, just sit it on and take it off again, then girth up when they are calm and wander around the yard with it on for a minute or so. Little and often! Wintecs etc are great for this, light and warm.
...sit on your youngster bare back? 18 months, younger if they are laying down in the field and you can sit on gently without much weight.
...sit on your youngster in a saddle? 2 to 2 1/2, just did this with my baby yesterday, she was born 02.07.09.
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) 18 months to 2 years - just a few steps across the yard, bareback and in a head collar.
...get your youngster to trot " " "? 3 to 3 1/2 once they understand stop, start, left and right (so lots of long reining first) and are totally relaxed with you sat on at walk.
 
Polotash said:
I ALWAYS back bareback too, much easier to slip off if you need to, and like previous poster says you are much less likely to spook the baby if you do have to get off in a hurry... also, if they are going to chuck me I don't want to get hung up in anything and spook them! Having said that, if you get on them when they are ready and trusting you don't get any problems.. it's usually first canter where they buck, I've never had one buck in walk or trot to start with.

So, ages, I like to start them young (bear in mind these are for homebreds and so very quiet and trusting) so:

...put a saddle on your youngster? 9 months - if not earlier, just sit it on and take it off again, then girth up when they are calm and wander around the yard with it on for a minute or so. Little and often! Wintecs etc are great for this, light and warm.
...sit on your youngster bare back? 18 months, younger if they are laying down in the field and you can sit on gently without much weight.
...sit on your youngster in a saddle? 2 to 2 1/2, just did this with my baby yesterday, she was born 02.07.09.
...get your youngster to walk with you on their backs (initial backing) 18 months to 2 years - just a few steps across the yard, bareback and in a head collar.
...get your youngster to trot " " "? 3 to 3 1/2 once they understand stop, start, left and right (so lots of long reining first) and are totally relaxed with you sat on at walk.
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I am sorry....but riding a baby, even bareback, at 18 months?!?!?! :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Puppy said:
If you've spoken about it on FB, then why on earth have you dragged it on here? :confused:

What an unnecessary dig.
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In BH defence, this has been discused at length on fb, a lot of people have given Ceders there expert opinion, on doing to much to young with youngsters, and without having a go at Ceders i beleive she felt the advice was wrong and wanted confermation that she herself was right.
BH gave some v good advice which seemed to be ignored, hence the dig.
 
I got my two dartmoors at yearlings completely unhandled, once we'd established basic groundwork and trust I started taking them for short walks and building up confidence with tarpaulin/plastic bags etc. Now they're just over 2 and a half and I have started long-reining every few weeks and getting them used to a bit in their mouths. I'm long reining them just attached to halters instead of to the bit and have put rollers/small saddle and a small child on their backs. No problems so far, just taking it in their stride!
 
No, Fii, 3 people gave me advice-very good advice, but as we're on page 5 its clear that ive had a lot MORE advice here, therefore giving me even more to think about!
 
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