What do you aim for?

HufflyPuffly

HufflyPuffly

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What will you be aiming to do with your four year olds next year (so four next year, 3 now)?

I'm just wondering what to aim baby Skylla at?
As I have not brought the bestie in question back into any work yet, it does very much depend on how she goes.

I have really enjoyed taking Topaz affliated BD, I like that there are clear things to aim for and a fair structure/rules. My plan was to do some low level dressage (probably prelim if canter goes well as those intro tests are tricky for gangly babies), but now I have digested the new BD rules it seems we have nowt to aim her at really. I do like to have a championship aim, we may not achieve it but its nice for me to have that focus. But the lowest I can compete with a champ to aim at is Novice, which I think will be a stretch for a (young) four year old...

I know BD have the young horse classes but I have assumed that they are for bred for the job dressage horses, has anyone been that can tell all? Would I be laughed at with my carriage horse?

So I think BD is out.

I've looked at trailblazers and we are eligible for the Prelim champ route, but I have never done Trailblazer's. What are the comps like? Would a championship be baby horse friendly? As I've done the AF/ regionals at BD I know what to expect and know that as she seems pretty none spooky so far, she should be fine with them.

I'm planning on her doing some novice showing too, so maybe unaff showing and dressage will be the way forward?

The main aim is to carry on her schooling as a human carrier :) and get her out to see the world. My personal view is the more they can experiance as a youngster (with positive outings) the less issues you might get later down the line. I'm certianly not intending to hammer her or intensively school her, but maybe do a once a month outing so she is reminded that there is world beyond our yard and hacking routes :D.

She did four in-hand shows last year and was beautifully behaved in all of them, so it would be to keep building up the good experiances.

Just curious what other people's plans are :).

x x
 
Does there have to be a championship to aim for in her first year of being a ridden horse? I would be using the next 12 months to get her out and about, seeing as much as possible without overfacing her, getting her established at prelim with good %s with no pressure to do any more than improve as the year goes on.
By this time 2016 she should, if all goes well, be established at nov/ elem at home ready to comfortably do nov BD as a 5 year old when you can aim for BD champs and start the progression up the levels, I like having aims but think with a 4 year old that you plan on keeping long term pushing on too soon can be detrimental to the way you work them, she may really need a break at some point, if you are chasing qualifiers or have a 2nd round coming up it can be tempting to keep going when they need you to back off and give them a couple of weeks just hacking or turned out chilling, she looks the type that may grow in spurts that needs carefully managing if she is going to last the distance.
 
Well as I said above the main aim is to carry on her schooling to becoming a ridden horse and to see the world, schooling in the sense of riding be it hacking or arena work.

I like to have aims, doesn't mean I would ever push a horse beyond what they are capable of. Topaz missed this summer's regionals by one point as she had three months off whilst we concentrated on getting her right after a poorly fitting saddle. She didn't absolutely need that amount of time off competing but it was in her best interests, so no fear of Skylla being over faced/ pushed too soon.

I hadn't looked at the calender for Trailblazers so don't know when the first/ second rounds are, she probably wouldn't be competed until summer at the earliest, so maybe this will decide what I do with her.

It was more a wondering of what others are planning with their four year olds.
As with most things with horses, plans will change dependant on the horse and the stage of training they are at.
 
My current soon-to-be four year old is actually a mule, so won't talk about him (although I could, and we certainly have aims), but with previous horses I would be taking my 4 year olds out and about to Prelim dressage pretty regularly just to get the experience (if horse is talented/ready then might bump up to Novice later on in the year). If the horse does well and qualifies for something, that's a bonus but certainly not the real aim and I would only compete at champs if I felt the horse was able for it. The four year old year is really the foundation for all consequent competition, "serious" training only starts when the horse is 5.
 
Cortez said:
My current soon-to-be four year old is actually a mule, so won't talk about him (although I could, and we certainly have aims), but with previous horses I would be taking my 4 year olds out and about to Prelim dressage pretty regularly just to get the experience (if horse is talented/ready then might bump up to Novice later on in the year). If the horse does well and qualifies for something, that's a bonus but certainly not the real aim and I would only compete at champs if I felt the horse was able for it. The four year old year is really the foundation for all consequent competition, "serious" training only starts when the horse is 5.
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I would love to hear about your mule!

Your aims would seem similar to what I was thinking, but not sure how regularly we will get out, maybe more towards the end of the year as she is a late'ish foal so I'm not expecting novice next year really.

I think possibly I didn't explain myself very well, I just mean if she is going to go out and I'm going to pay entry/membership fee's it would be nice that if we do well, there could be a championship to qualify for. She has surpassed my expectations with buzzy atmosphere's and is very level headed, so it wouldn't be totally out of the question, but then she might not remain so calm when under saddle compared to her in-hand experiances.

Thanks for replying :).
 
the one thats aimed at being a competition horse (just being backed now) will hopefully be hacking out alone and in company and will do some prelims in spring headed to doing some novices in summer.
 
Our aim is to see sights and not deck me.

Some baby dressage, baby jumping, visits to friends arenas to see more sights. Still try not to deck me.

Maybe a couple of days cubbing, again without decking me.
 
crabbymare said:
the one thats aimed at being a competition horse (just being backed now) will hopefully be hacking out alone and in company and will do some prelims in spring headed to doing some novices in summer.
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We've done the hacking, but not alone yet, so hopefully we can carry on hacking into spring and see how she's doing then. Going out doing some Prelim tests seems to a recurring theme :).


CrazyMare said:
Our aim is to see sights and not deck me.

Some baby dressage, baby jumping, visits to friends arenas to see more sights. Still try not to deck me.

Maybe a couple of days cubbing, again without decking me.
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:D Well I thought the not being decked off was implied :D, but to attempt cubbing without being decked seems brave ;).

When will you introduce jumping? We've been over a couple of poles on the ground but not anything more, we're not allowed to free school so not sure how and when to introduce the idea of jumping? If she carries on like Topaz it will only mean she will start to field hop when bored...

x x
 
you wont get laughed out the 4yo classes but be aware you probably wont win(and i dont mean that in a horrid way, just that there will be mega flash, mega produced horses there that look like 6yo...........not that i agree with that but thats another convo).

i am going to do them as i enjoy going to the YH shows and Premier Leagues, and whatever the result it will be good exposure for Goofarkle :)

if you want to do them, do them :) the tests themselves are very nice and the Badminton one you make up your own floorplan so it really suits your horse.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
you wont get laughed out the 4yo classes but be aware you probably wont win(and i dont mean that in a horrid way, just that there will be mega flash, mega produced horses there that look like 6yo...........not that i agree with that but thats another convo).

i am going to do them as i enjoy going to the YH shows and Premier Leagues, and whatever the result it will be good exposure for Goofarkle :)

if you want to do them, do them :) the tests themselves are very nice and the Badminton one you make up your own floorplan so it really suits your horse.
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What do you mean my cart-bred-pony-yak wont win :mad3::mad3::biggrin3:.

Interesting stuff, may give them another nosy thank you :).

I think Goofy should do well, he looks very special from the pictures and vids you've shared, but then I may not be the best or most impartial judge ;).

x x
 
Well mine was going to come back in January but he's gone massively bum high, so it may be later. Will introduce jumping when we've done a couple of months work, poles during those months I imagine.
 
My aim is to do a non rain dance so my fields dry up !! then I can actually finish breaking & ride away!! hoping to get this done whilst I'm off over Christmas :) only 2 to do haha although 1 is a re-break as she was broken in spring

they will do a little of everything over spring. My connie will probably do some workers. My ISH I'm hoping will do a 4 year old class or 2 but god knows, totally depends on the horse, their brain, there physical development. I won't decide until probably about May time if I'm even going to aim her for them :)
 
CrazyMare said:
Well mine was going to come back in January but he's gone massively bum high, so it may be later. Will introduce jumping when we've done a couple of months work, poles during those months I imagine.
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Ah ok, I'm lucky Skylla has been so even in her growth and has never been bum high (though it does fool you into thinking they aren't growing!). Will start pole work when she comes back into work and see how we go.


kassieg said:
My aim is to do a non rain dance so my fields dry up !! then I can actually finish breaking & ride away!! hoping to get this done whilst I'm off over Christmas :) only 2 to do haha although 1 is a re-break as she was broken in spring

they will do a little of everything over spring. My connie will probably do some workers. My ISH I'm hoping will do a 4 year old class or 2 but god knows, totally depends on the horse, their brain, there physical development. I won't decide until probably about May time if I'm even going to aim her for them :)
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:D I am impressed with your optimisim that it will stop raining :D and also getting two done over the Christmas break, I will keep everything crossed for some nice weather for you! It's so mild up here (NW) that the grass is growing again but the fields are still soggy...

I'm always impatient with my planning, loved planning my show horses year and all the shows we could do, I think if I make any plans nw they will probably all change come spring anyway :D.

x x
 
My 4yo from this year (5 Next) Started 2015 lightly broken, and finished it jumping 4yos and BN DC's at arena UK festival in september. She never took a lot of work as she's always been so easy to do and took to ridden work and showjumping like a duck to water.

My this years 3yo is currently away for breaking, he is a much 'hotter' horse so hopefully see how he is after breaking then make a plan for him, It's hard to set any aims as they take 2 steps forwards and 10 back wards all the time
 
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