What are your 3 year olds (4 in 2015) doing?

[MotherOfChickens]

Mine is out eating and acclimatising-he was backed and ridden away in April, imported from Portugal mid-June and I think that's enough for one year-apart from general handling etc.

 

[Stroppy Mare]

Mine has been backed, and had a little schooling and done a few hacks out in company. She's happy and balanced in walk and trot and showing promise with a lovely balanced canter too - our arena is on a hill so been taking it a little steadier as she went thru a phase of tripping up in there over summer. Seems to have stopped now.
She moves well off the leg, and will leg yeild and move totally off your leg, and drops into a relaxed frame without any need for prompting. She's now just coming in once a week for 20 mins of relaxed 'work' to keep her brain on the job as otherwise she's going a little loopy! She's also a little podgy - good doer on good grass, but breeder was on poor grass, so the time in won't do her weight any harm either.

 

[dollyanna]

My girl is being longreined out and about on the roads whenever I have company (not very often!). My boy is playing with a bit of horse agility type stuff and using marker cones to help with body awareness, will possibly try longreining again next year but not if he still isn't ready. I am in no rush, girlie might get sat on and/or driven next year but it won't be much. Both do clickerwork as well to keep their minds out of trouble! Other than that they eat, run, sleep and generally stand around looking fluffy

 

[Carrots&Mints]

Out in the field as we speak! Not doing much will be broken in when he feels up to it x

 

[Echo24]

Backing mine over the next few weeks with the plan to sit on him by the end of the year but will then give him a few months off and bring back into work in Spring, work through summer mainly hacking before giving the winter off. I bought mine as a yearling so time has flown by for me!

 

[Brummyrat]

A quick question - not wishing to hijack thread - but for those of you who are taking babies on the road, do you think its safer to long rein and hope you can cope with the jitters (with help obviously) or lead in hand? I ask because Ive longreined mine a short way down our lane and we've met cars who have all stopped and he's been fine, been past dustbins and a skip, also fine, but we get zillions of cyclists using our narrow lane at the weekend, sometimes a couple, sometimes 10, and he didn't like those one bit on the two occasions we met them. I am de-sensitising at home with a pushbike round the yard but its not the same and wondered would I be safer leading him so Im by his head if they appear at speed round the corner?? Any thoughts...

 

[LadyRascasse]

A quick question - not wishing to hijack thread - but for those of you who are taking babies on the road, do you think its safer to long rein and hope you can cope with the jitters (with help obviously) or lead in hand? I ask because Ive longreined mine a short way down our lane and we've met cars who have all stopped and he's been fine, been past dustbins and a skip, also fine, but we get zillions of cyclists using our narrow lane at the weekend, sometimes a couple, sometimes 10, and he didn't like those one bit on the two occasions we met them. I am de-sensitising at home with a pushbike round the yard but its not the same and wondered would I be safer leading him so Im by his head if they appear at speed round the corner?? Any thoughts...

When I long rein I always have someone who can stand by his head if needs be, I don't think you teach them much by leading them in hand, they learn more independence from long reining.

 

[Jnhuk]

Backed late summer and now lightly hacking out as weather allows over the winter

Today we did a little hill work walking round a stubble field

http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/j...3_6579660578469821535_o_zps00e99da8.jpg.html]

Otherwise living out 24/7 getting muddy as he can!

 

[pinkypug1]

Professionally backed over 6 weeks in summer had been hacking, wtc & few small jumps in the school & working quietly in open fields. Been out with a lovely herd since September & will stay out until February when I will bring her in and re start her.

 

[ellie_e]

Bought mine on Saturday! She had lived in a field for 3 years, currently away for 3-4 weeks being backed, I will get her home and get her woolf tooth removed and vaccinated, give her 2 weeks off and crack on again, she is 4 in March so on the older side of 3 and want to get her out and about as soon as possible with aim to do some young horse classes towards end of year. Obviously this will depend on how mature she is but so far shes been awesome.

 

[Doormouse]

Standing in a field looking extremely cross that she has no rug and very little food (she is seriously fat). She has been very lightly backed but was so fat I didn't dare to any more than a few days riding with her.

She will come in when I can face trying to find my way through the mud and wool to get a saddle on her. This is most likely to be the spring when the mud is dried and the wool is falling out!!!

 

[pennyturner]

Both backed in the spring, and hacked very gently around town and fields, proving bombproof (literally - someone threw a firework out of a car window and they just flicked an ear!). Sadly one has shown lame, so will get the winter off. The other will continue to hack out a bit over the winter with a selection of child riders.