What are your rising three year olds doing?

spotty_pony2

spotty_pony2

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So it is looking like I might be getting a new horse. I’ve kept quiet up until now but it’s becoming more real now. Horse is turning three this week and is currently standing at 16.1hh.

I know there are lots of trains of thought on this but I really don’t want to rush him and with tbh I am not intending on doing a whole lot with h this year because of his age and he does still look quite immature but I’ve had people say they need breaking in younger so they don’t get ahead of themselves and not take to it - how likely is this?

Our mare (now 16) hadn’t been broken in until it before we got her at 14 and she took to it really well so that theory wasn’t correct for her but I really don’t want to do much with him until he’s old enough. Part of the appeal to me is that I can spend time getting to know him with no pressure to ride (I already have three here to ride and my old boy is still enjoying his work) with the idea that he will start doing more as my lovely old Appy (25 this year) starts to do less and eventually retire.

I was planning on getting him used to the tack gradually, and maybe at the very most sit on him before the winter and then turn away for the winter and then start the breaking process next spring when he is 4 which is still young so again I would probably do minimal things and then crack in the following year when he is 5.

No photos yet until I have him here - but yes it’s another spotty 🤣🤣

What does everybody else do?
 
I walk mine in hand to get him used to traffic, people, dogs and anything else we come across. I also ride and lead so he's used to being out alone and with company. We've done this for the past year.
This year we will get tack on, get long lined in field, in school and out and about.
I put poles down and do pole work to get his core, thoracic sling and top line activating.
He lacks patience so I plan to teach him to just stand and relax for long periods - we'll do this in various places.
I also have horse agility equipment so will set those up to get him thinking things through ie. A curtain that he has to push through.

I think those are the main things.

He turned 3 last week and is around 15hh 😍 my Arabian baby
 
I bought Dex at rising 3 in May 2023 - I did lots of ground work with him and there are so many things you can do that aren't hard on the joints for a growing baby and really help to improve your relationship with them - respect my space, leading well, stop when you stop, backing up, 'ah' meaning stop whatever you're doing which has been VERY handy, yielding quarters, yielding shoulders, moving sideways away from you, moving sideways towards me, ditto shoulders/quarters, lining himself up at the mounting block, vocal woah to stop, walking around the back of him with lunge line and letting him unravel himself, let him step on it and not to panic, vocal transitions, shoulder in, travers, walk pirouettes and so on.

Then there will be a million things you can do to spook bust - I started by teaching 'if you're unsure, go up and put your nose on it' which has worked well - tieing up politely, loading, sprays, hose, tarpaulin, things that flap in the wind, we've both brought in/turned out with an umbrella over our heads in the rain, leading while pushing a wheelbarrow, loud noises, clapping, bikes, jump fillers, he wore a hi-vis jacket on his ear doing some groundwork so he didn't panic if something covered his eyes, boots on legs, picking out feet, I let the gate touch him on the bum if he's not quick enough, or the door to his stable if tied, I drove a remote controlled car around his feet.

Then once you have a good level of trust, hacking out in hand and long reining is fabulous fun. I have also benefitted greatly from teaching him to drop his head with slight pressure on the leadrope, which is a great to bring him back down if he gets anxious and llama-esque.

I backed him super lightly (got to the point of doing one lap of trot after 6 sessions and left it there) at 3yrs5mo but only really then as I had a break from work so it just worked out well, then I fully backed him at 3yrs10mo because I lost my job and again, had the time to be consistent and do it in the daylight, and then he has just had 8 weeks off and I am cracking on again now. Mostly hacking and will try to get to a show and a fun ride rather than loads of schooling. I continue with groundwork/play sessions to keep him engaged and not school sour.
 
Lots of long reining, walking out, learning about life. Ours are small ponies though and will need to be able to look after their riders from the beginning, hence the hours and hours of learning about the world on the long reins.

Ours will be sat on at 3yo, but lightly, for education - 10min to learn how to do something, not an actual ‘ride’. Not every day and not for long. Still mostly ground work. In the winter when their growth slows we do 3x a week 30min hacks - lots of walk and some trot, tiny canter if ground allows. That teaches them good balance, builds just the right amount of muscle and teaches them to love being ridden.
 
Mine is in the field and won’t be touched until winter/spring as he’s had a slightly big leg for the last few months, although not lame. But there’s no rush, he seems kind enough.

Last years 3 year old spent a month getting backed in august last year then got turned away until recently.
 
My BOGOF will be 3 in June. His owned has played about with groundwork and liberty with him, but mostly takes him hacking in hand. She’d been pleased with the results of me waiting until 4.5 yrs to start his mum (she was a teen mum for those not in the know; had him a few weeks shy of her third birthday 🙄) so she will probably do the same.

IMG_2533.jpeg
 
Mine is out in the field doing nothing. Shes a big girl at about 16.3 ish, so in no rush to do anything with her at all. Shes well handled, used to rugs etc and ive leaned over her while grooming etc. I will probably start her next year
 
She is in with other youngsters, she had her headcollar on yesterday 😁 she can pick her feet up
On Saturday night 11.30pm after the gang got out, she was caught by my non horsey OH in the dark, and walked back into the yard on her own
I think she is ready to start doing stuff now.
 
He is out with his buddies living his best life 23/6.5. The remaining time he is wearing harness and waling out or round the grass riding paddock, wearing a saddle and being sat on. He is now generally expected to behave like a grown up pony to be handled etc.

He's immature both mentally and physically so won't do to much more than the above until the end of the year/beginning of next year, but he will be played with until then so it's not all new stuff.
 
I have 2 x 3yros.

'Normal' tings they can do- lead, tie up, do feet, tail wash, get in the horsebox.
Can also be led and handled by novices.

They are also both used to a roller, can long rein (from a cavesson) and know how to yield shoulders and quarters, back up etc.
Both have been for walks around the village, this is relatively new though.

I only do things with them 2-3 times a month really, it's not bootcamp!
They'll start to do more consistent long reining around the roads this summer to get a bit of fitness and I'll pony them off my older horse so they get used to me being above them.

They won't be sat on until next spring though - I disagree with the school of thought you need to break youngsters before they get too big and strong.
I'd rather they were strong in their bodies, as long as the mind is relaxed and trusting it shouldn't cause any issues to wait.
 
I do everything except ride them. Including the easy to miss things like being left on the yard on their own, going away from friends etc. Lots of standing patiently (most of mine are pretty sharp!) and learning how to handle their own reactions to new things etc. Install steering from reins on the ground, then on long reins generally. By nearly 4 i'll usually be briefly sitting on them and maybe walking 20 paces, it's usually a total non event by the time they've done everything else. Once they've mostly figured out where their limbs go it's straight to hacking in company in walk. Not very frequently though, they're usually still growing like mad at that age!

The one I have currently is very immature for her age and growing like a weed. So far this spring we've gotten basic handling down, yard manners (although she was a fidget tied up yesterday!) and wearing pads/surcingles. Handled her head and mouth but not tried a bit yet.
Done a handful of led hacks in company off property, and solo around home. She was VERY jumpy and insecure at first so thats taken a lot longer than usual. Starting to gain confidence the more I ask her to do things and it doesn't turn out to kill her. Silly sausage. I've had to instill a head down cue too as she goes full giraffe mode when she's antsy and it does NOT help matters 🤣
 
Thank you for all of the replies but I’m no longer having him after all that as me and his owner couldn’t settle on an agreement for the contract (it was a loan) so I decided against it…
 
This is a useful thread having just bought my first 3-year old (not my first horse ever, don't panic!!). He's just settling in and learning it's ok to coming away from my existing two horses. I've got a very knowlegable friend who's helping me at the moment and I'm considering to send him away for the actual backing.

I've got lots of room at home for long reining which I'm looking forward to starting soon.

Just a question - when people 'turn away after backing' do they do absolutely nothing with them or keep on with the long reining/leading etc.??
 
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