What do you do with your 3 year olds?

[FinalFurlong]

Following on from my thread yesterday about a potential new share horse, what do you do with your 3 year olds?

the thread read this (with bits added);

Okay, I had a share horse who has recently been sold and she was great, 10 years old and you could do anything with him and I was just getting ready to compete him at the local show.

The woman who i shared him off was great as she let me jump and hack and was really open whereas a previous horse I had on loan I couldnt do anything with due to the yard I was on (thats another story!) so i want to keep loaning from her.

She has recently offered me her new horse to share, however she is only 3 and i was really looking forward to going out and competing on the old horse but I know I will have to wait a while for this one. I really want to go out and do lots of things like local shows and this horse is too young!

But there are NO horses around my area for share and she is such a great woman to share from but I'm not sure if this horse will be right for me.

I haven't sat on the new horse yet, Im just worried about how young he is and of course i dont want to what i want to do due to horses age

To add, the young horse has already been jumping 3ft and it sounds like he does lots of work which is a bit much in my opinion!!

 

[hobgoblin]

My 3 yr old is mainly sat in the field! Led out in hand 4-5 times a week and out showing in hand at county level, he will not be sat on until early next year.

 

[RachelBristol]

at 3 I like to play and introduce all sorts of interesting things, like walking over tarps, walking and splashing in the puddles, visiting the sheep and cows, standing under an umbrella etc etc, its fun to do, and is excellent for building trust.

Or to put it another way I like to play as I would play with a child, educating them while having fun and building trust

 

[kerrieberry2]

I posted yesterday but my boy was 3 about a month ago! I take him for little walks down the lanes at the yard, not too far as the ground is quite stoney and I can see his little feet are a bit tender at times.

I have a bit sectioned off in the field and I do some ground stuff with him! We'd have our issues over the last year, him rearing, boxing me in the face etc and he did have a stage where he'd rear ever time I lead him! we seem to have hopefully got that out of his system. So I lead him in a dually halter, just in case, I've worked with a Monty Roberts Trained lady, who taught me how to get him to back up, turn walk towards me and getting him to stop before entering my personal space, so I work with him on doing that!

I tried long lining him 2 weeks ago but im on my own at my yard, and was too difficult without someone to help me! but generally taking things slowly!

He's been tacked up and lead about so he can get used to the bit! He looks well developed but mentally he is still very immature, he like to chew on anything and everything and I'd never dream of doing half that stuff with him that your offered horse is doing!

here are some pics of him though!


being a baby

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Mine does in-hand walks and some other in-hand training eg walking over trotting poles, teaching voice aids and moving sideways away from pressure. He's also been taught to walk through water (ford).

I also have a five year old and she's grown so much between three and five. She was lightly backed at four and has just got a new saddle, so will be back in ridden work soon.

 

[DabDab]

Certainly not a lot of work - gentle hacking, basic schooling (just teaching the basic aids) and some loose schooling. Some people do more with 3yos but to be honest I prefer not to back them until they are turning 4. I'm not sure of your definition of a 3yo, but if the horse was foaled in 2010 it will not be allowed to compete until next year anyway.

 

[Thistle]

Mine is being long lined atm, next step is long lining out on the tracks. He will then be lightly backed and do prob 2 x 30 min slow hacks a week (with a little schooling on the way) whilst the weather is good. He will then have a few months over winter off and start again next spring with the aim of working towards some unaff dressage and poss SJ. He is a hairy trad cob so physically well developed and a tendency to pile on the pounds. A little work over the summer will help his waist line!

 

[Alexart]

I don't do anything with 3yr olds other than in hand stuff as their weight bearing growth plates don't fuse till they are 4 so why the rush to get on board and knacker their joints??! It always amazes me we have all this technology now and they have proven horses aren't able to carry weight until 4 yet folk still back them younger as it's traditional/they know better than science/they look mature/*insert other stupid reason* etc and they seem to be in a hurry and don't like the thought of a horse doing nothing in a field other than growing, then they wonder why they have issues at 10?!!
They also have shorter attention spans so I don't do anything longer than 10/20mins anyway!

 

[Purple18]

My 3 year old is doing some light lungeing work some longreining is wearing tack but aprat from that afew times a week nothing really

 

[FairyLights]

I don't do anything with 3yr olds other than in hand stuff as their weight bearing growth plates don't fuse till they are 4 so why the rush to get on board and knacker their joints??! It always amazes me we have all this technology now and they have proven horses aren't able to carry weight until 4 yet folk still back them younger as it's traditional/they know better than science/they look mature/*insert other stupid reason* etc and they seem to be in a hurry and don't like the thought of a horse doing nothing in a field other than growing, then they wonder why they have issues at 10?!!
They also have shorter attention spans so I don't do anything longer than 10/20mins anyway!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
this.
mine are in the field, they are groomed ,rugged if necessary wear fly masks if necessary and are led too and from the paddocks. Have tails washed. thats it til next year.

 

[Sparkles]

Nothing much. Been going for a walk once a fortnight for the last month, but other than that he's a field ornament with the other 3 year old for the summer. His ground work, manners and general education is where it should be and has no objection to a jump on bareback previously, so he's where I'm happy at till he's nearer 4 now.

 

[The wife]

****** all until the autumn when he'll be backed and turned away until Spring. Until then he'll be getting fat, hairy, being a baby, causing havoc with the older ones and being a lawn mower!

HoweveR, the 2YO (July foal) may well be backed at just 3, this time next year and thrown away because he's a cocky little monster

 

[FinkleyAlex]

Mine is a field ornament too - currently living out 24/7 so just going for little walks in hand and continuing with the daily handling and feet being picked out etc. Before he lived out 24/7 for summer he was walking over trotting poles, meeting tarpaulin etc and lunge rings, wears a rug, ties up perfectly and brilliant with his feet. I'd just got him to accept a shower (with a hose on a nice day) to prepare him for baths in the future, though he still hates his legs getting wet. At the end of summer I'll start getting him used to boots and a roller/saddle etc. Won't bit him until next year as he's still growing and is immature plus needs his wolf teeth out so I need them removed first.

 

[pennyturner]

Walks out in hand building up to walks with tack and long reining, then short gentle trips out with an exercise cart if he takes to it easily.

I think it's important not to have hard and fast rules, but work with the temperament of the horse.

Last year I had a really quiet 3yo colt who I was able to ride out on the lead-rein rides with the young children. That was great because he was introduced to traffic etc in bombproof company, and the whole ride was super-calm, giving him no reason to get worked up about anything. I now have the most laid back 4yo stallion anywhere.

 

[pedilia]

Mine lives out mostly escaping!! I've lightly backed her, she does a walk/trot round the field for no longer than 10 minutes.
She'll go on a couple of short hacks, do more in-hand work then be turned away until spring.

 

[pennyturner]

****** all until the autumn when he'll be backed and turned away until Spring. Until then he'll be getting fat, hairy, being a baby, causing havoc with the older ones and being a lawn mower!

HoweveR, the 2YO (July foal) may well be backed at just 3, this time next year and thrown away because he's a cocky little monster

Completely agree - cocky little monsters need (and often enjoy) a job!