What are you doing with you 4 year olds?

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goodtimes

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I lost my boy a few weeks ago. He never recovered from a stifle injury.

Anyway, I have a beautiful 4 year old from a friend which I have on trial for a couple of weeks.

To be honest, schooling wise, he is less green than my boy was as an 8 year old. Canter on a circle is pants, but I'm guessing that's him being a baby.

So, what will you do with your 4 year olds over winter?
 
Schooling on the flat and over fences, lots of hacking and some hunting :) hunting tomo actually, second time this season. He's loving it!
Hoping to do some dressage and indoor jumping over winter and into spring.
 
Lots of hacking alone and in company, schooling lesson once a week (no school so I trailer her to it), pops a log. Cantered in school for first time yesterday, was very green. Clipped her a few weeks ago. Only had her a month and she was turned away for months and months before I bought her. I am pleased with her progress, it's a great age!
 
Not much as he's ridiculously bum high. One or two schooling sessions and a hack probably. I'll try to take him to a couple of local indoors for experience. No shows etc for us til he's stopped growing a bit as I dont want to ruin his joints.
 
hacking and some some schooling and a few jumps ........He is a standardbred (trotting horse) so trying to balence out his canter and slow down his trot :D:D:D
 
I've decided that Bree needs a few months of gente hacking out with quiet company a few times a week to see the world and learn that being ridden can be fun.

Paula
 
I am just schooling mine on flat and having some fun hacking off road on our xc course at the yard where she can go for a wander though the water etc. I only jump in lessons and in the few comps we have done. She is ready to start BS club shows but has grown again!
 
Hacking and school planning on learning to jump ASAP so we can start doing clear rounds next summer :)
He stills needs to chunk up so we've back to a yard so I can stable him and fatten him up!!
 
Mine only came home on Thursday so I'm just getting to know him.
Lunged last night in walk and trot, didn't try canter as I wanted him to be comfortable in the scary school at night.
He was an angel.

Got a dressage lesson today, so my trainer will ride him first then I will pop on him.

Hacking tomorrow for a chill and get out and see the big wide world.

I don't want to do too much, but as I have him on trial, need to do enough to see if we are right for each other.
 
How long is the trial? It took a good 2-3 weeks (first week I hadn't a saddle, have had her a month now) for me to really think she was the horse I wanted and see her potential. Not that she was on trial so I was stuck with her anyway ;):rolleyes: she was very difficult when I first got her tho.

If yours is behaving well already I'm sure you will get a good feel for him, what's your gut feeling?
 
FfionWinnie said:
How long is the trial? It took a good 2-3 weeks (first week I hadn't a saddle, have had her a month now) for me to really think she was the horse I wanted and see her potential. Not that she was on trial so I was stuck with her anyway ;):rolleyes: she was very difficult when I first got her tho.

If yours is behaving well already I'm sure you will get a good feel for him, what's your gut feeling?
Click to expand...

The trial is 2 weeks. Not long enough, but better than nothing.

I've never had a baby before so don't want to over do it, but do enough to see how he reacts...if you get my drift.
 
Nothing ATM he is currently sitting in the field being taught some manners ;) he is only 3 thou but next year i intend to be at least sitting on him and being led around/long riening/in hand showing and hopefully getting him good with traffic - in hand :D he is a Lipizzaner so slow to mature :D

:)
 
We're reschooling at the moment, and hunting as well for fun! She's a pacer who has raced two seasons and was broken to ride a while ago, so I decided it was time I bit the bullet and got back in the saddle after a few years off.

Have nailed her trot, now working on her canter which is improving drastically. We hunt because it's fun and it gives us both a chance to ditch working on transitions and just tear around the countryside!
 
Finally about to get on him :-) then hacking, hacking and a little bit of schooling with perhaps a little holiday in Jan /Feb
 
well, ben is 3 1/2, we will be continuing to hack out alone and in company walk/trot/canter, he is now lunging well for the odd short period, and we are about to start on getting him comfortable in the school (ridden), learning the ropes in walk with a bit of trot and pole work, once he has that nailed we will introduce a bit of canter and some very tiny jumps... working up to doing just a couple of 2ft showjumping classes around April at the indoor competitions. he has a couple of days off a week, but generally does something on the other days, if only a 15 min hack in walk
 
Arrived last Jan as rising 4 & got lunged, schooled and a bit of jumping. Rather idle and not forward going. Started hunting him this autumn which has really improved him - now much more forward going and his walk which was a real plod is much better. I will continue hunting - he jumps nicely out of a stride and is easy to sit - but not overdo it as ground is heavy and he is young.
 
4y/o OTTB - jumping 2'9" courses, 3'6" singles, with scope to go an awful lot higher competitively, but right now focusing on learning to make shape and be confident. Schools XC, ditches, water etc happily, hacks alone/in company.
Flatwork, he's starting to learn changes, very established WTC with some collection/lengthening.
 
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