What are your 4yr olds up to?

[Stroppy Mare]

My youngster is quite mature for her age IMO but is still only just getting to grips with hacking out (had our first trot and canter today out hacking) but is working well in the school in walk and trot with little bits of canter thrown in. I'm veering away from too much schooling though as I don't want to make it any harder on her that it already is!

She's completely voice trained, even when she loses concentration on me I had a 'code word' to refocus her. Which has been amazing really when teaching leg aids as her transitions are so smooth and balanced now which I put down to her voice training.

 

[EmmaB]

My four year old and I are going back to groundwork at the moment. (We are waiting for our new saddle until we begin ridden work again).
I think it's important for them to learn manners, personal space and independence at a young age. I'm doing lots of groundwork-making her walk backwards, keeping out of my space and not leaning on me etc. Then once we get our new saddle we'll revisit our ridden work.
Before we discovered our saddle didn't fit correctly (saddle fitter sold it to us as "the best fitting saddle for her shape"...) I was hacking her out once a week and schooling twice a week with one day of groundwork.

Oh I am having saddle troubles too! I'm using my friends cob saddle which fits him but I hate riding in it, so looking for a new one. And I agree with the ground work, we spent all winter doing it, it has made everything ridden so much easier.

My youngster is quite mature for her age IMO but is still only just getting to grips with hacking out (had our first trot and canter today out hacking) but is working well in the school in walk and trot with little bits of canter thrown in. I'm veering away from too much schooling though as I don't want to make it any harder on her that it already is!

She's completely voice trained, even when she loses concentration on me I had a 'code word' to refocus her. Which has been amazing really when teaching leg aids as her transitions are so smooth and balanced now which I put down to her voice training.

Out of interest how did you teach the code word? My boy knows back, stand, over, walk on ect by voice which is really useful and has helped with ridden work, we have done a little bit of leg yield in walk because he learnt it on the ground first.

 

[littleshetland]

Well, my little boy (4 in may) is hacking out - alone and with others. He came from Holland so had never seen a hill before, but now goes up and down them with a lot more confidence. Hacking has helped him become a lot straighter and he's becoming nicer in the school. He's doing walk. trot and canter in the school (first little walk, trot dressage test in a couple of weeks). He does leg yields nicely (this keeps us safer out hacking too). He seems to a little straighter every session. I keep sessions short and sweet, lots of days off, the occasional nice long ploddy hack, maybe a lunge, the occasional shorter more cantering hack. Lots of variety, lots of praise, lots of downtime........he's very straightforward and trusting...how lucky am I !!

 

[Suechoccy]

Thomas is 4.5 years old. He was backed a year ago, then hacked twice week just 20 mins round the block or a bit of inland or ridden round the field.

Now he's ridden 3 times a week - one hack of around an 1.5 hours or an "outing" in the trailer, one local hack of 45 mins-1 hr, and one flatwork in the field (30 mins).

I don't intend jumping him, other than crosspoles, till spring next year.

Would post pix but can't see any buttons to press to upload an image.

This morning he learnt that if he stops for a poo at the start of a canter, the other horse will carry on cantering an disappear out of sight around a corner .... and what's more, he can and will canter nicely (no rushing, no bucks) on his own with his rider to gradually make the ground up and recatch his mate.

 

[PowCharlieWow]

My 4 year old, selle francais x kwpn mare has just had a huge growth spurt and has gone from 15.2hh to 16.1hh in just 3 months!!!! I have just began to properly jump her and I plan to take her to shows later this summer... She is showing huge potential in showjumping which is great and I can't wait to see her progress even further. We have also begun to bring her head down in flatwork using draw reins once a week. She is quite laid back and acts mature for a youngster but she cannot be left for 5 days without work or she is a nightmare to bring in and won't stop moving in the stable. I have to lunge her before I ride as she always has a lot of excess energy. We have just had to get the vet out to remove 2 wolf teeth and to rasp the rest, she is not allowed to be ridden for at least 7 days.

(I know some people would think that I am jumping a 4 year old too big too early, but I am based at the stud farm that I bought her from and they have been breeding horses for many years and have clients such as Nick Skelton. They are very experienced with young horses and would never do anything to the horses that would harm them either now or in later life)


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[charlimouse]

Deleted as I managed to post it too early on my phone!

 

[charlimouse]

Mine turned 4 at the beginning of June. In January I started to break her, getting her to the point of walk, trot and a couple of canters in the school and we did a few hacks. She then had a nasty hoof abscess which coincided with me being really busy finishing my final year of my degree, so she ended up being turned away from the middle of February to the end of May. I picked her back up at the beginning of June. She is currently ridden every other day, mainly hacking (at walk, trot and canter), but goes in the school about once a week. She walks, trots and canters (albeit wobbly in the canter) in the school and yesterday jumped her first jumps under saddle. I'm so proud of her, she took to it like a duck to water!

Pictures from January

And from her first time jumping yesterday.

Next on the plan is a lesson at home with her, before venturing out to her first lesson away from home. Then depending on how she is, hopefully some small competitions and xc schooling at the end of summer and into autumn. She did a few in hand shows, so hopefully she should be ok with different environments (fingers crossed)!

 

[Equi]

I started training my 4yo to drive, he got it really fast and is ready to try a cart now.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Well my lad is wayyyyy behind you guys
He is doing...well, ummmmm nothing lol. Literally just chilling in the field. He knows his basic ground manners and is off to be started etc on Thursday. I've not done too much for fear of getting it wrong and causing probs.

 

[Lynsey&Smartie]

I've had my first sit on my homebred 4yo this weekend. I was planning on sending him away to be broken but due to a variety of reasons have ended up doing it myself. So far he is lunging brilliantly in the round pen and leading out nicely up the lane but is still being difficult to lunge in his field so he may have to go away to have the ridden away part done to someone who has got a manege but we shall see!

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[hobo]

L&S lovely boy, like the way you have a chair ready for if he gets tired! I had a sitting up lead ride today on mine she was good about that. She just likes to have a drama about some things and keeping her attention is not easy but each day we are getting a bit further. We all progress at speeds that suit us and our horses.

 

[EstherYoung]

Felix has been getting the hang of long reining today:

He's being such a class swot

 

[cptrayes]

Felix has been getting the hang of long reining today:

He's being such a class swot

Esther I'm not sure whether you have enough colours on that horse?

 

[Highlands]

My girlie was sat on for the first time last night, so exciting and she was excellent!

 

[cptrayes]

My four year old cob is now jumping and absolutely loving it. I've had some disapproval on another thread for thinking of jumping him, but he just adores it, and I'm struggling to see the harm in doing a two foot three one day event in another five weeks time?

Anyone who thinks I shouldn't, please convince me now before I do the entry form and send a cheque. I am serious, if you come up with a good enough reason to convince me, I won't go.

 

[JFTDWS]

Felix has been getting the hang of long reining today:

He's being such a class swot

Fabulous!

Mine had his dressage debut this morning. It was... interesting

He will be out jumping, which is much more his thing, asap He's loving it at home

 

[EstherYoung]

Esther I'm not sure whether you have enough colours on that horse?

Don't blame me....Kezza couldn't decide so she went for rainbow.

Seriously though if you can look past the colours it's a really useful bridle - we didn't know how he'd cope with a bit as he's quite nose shy, so it will act as a bitted bridle or three different types of bitless. He's actually been very good with the bit, but the bridle gives us options.

 

[cptrayes]

I hunt in a biothane military style, I'm a convert I'd go for sky blue pink if they'd let me hunt in it

 

[Luce85]

I have a few!

2 are out at grass as they are huge and need a bit more time to grow into their huge legs!

2 are just going along, jumped a day at hickstead so now we have addington, sept hickstead show and arena in mind!

The last 2 are going to their first proper BS on the weekend, done a few training shows and clear rounds but going to take them for a spin!