What do you do with your 3 year olds?

[MarvelVillis]

My WBxTB gelding turns 3 next week. I’m planning on sending him away to my trainer when he turns 4 to be backed (still undecided whether I do it the year he turns 4 or the year after).

I was just wondering what people do with their 3 years olds in preparation for being backed?

 

[Northern]

Mine will be three in February. She’s currently chief grass eater, pony annoyer and social butterfly.

She’s rugged and unrugged daily and is learning to be polite about it. I bring her in a few times a week to pick her feet, brush and take her for wanders. She’s had a roller on and can line up to me on a mounting block. Once she’s had her wolf teeth removed I’ll bit her and long rein her out over trails. I’m going with a no pressure approach and try to vary what I do with her to keep it interesting. Very minimal lunging, just to cement voice commands. Otherwise I do halt, walk and trot her out in hand.

I think she’ll be ready to be sat on and do very light hacking once she’s three. That really depends on the horse though. Everything I do with her day to day is what I would do with my riding horses minus actually sitting on top. Good luck and enjoy the journey ?

 

[Jinx94]

What is your trainer expecting you to do with him? Might be worth having a chat

This is what I'll be doing with my 2 year old until she gets backed (maybe late next year, maybe the one after depending on how she develops). Apologies if some of these are unnecessary - figured I'd cover all bases!:

Desensitise as much as you can - ropes, jump up and down next to him, get him used to tack/rugs/boots/bandages, being touched all over. Make sure that manners on the ground are impeccable (as much as is possible with a young horse), including all aspects of bathing and grooming.

Teach him to stand at a mounting block. I like to get them used to firm pats all over their quarters just in case they get caught when the rider throws a leg over. You can teach basic commands on the lunge and start long reining.

Think of anything that you'd like to be able to do with a mature horse, and then work on that

 

[Laurac13]

When merlin was 3 when I got him from the breeder I just gave him a year to mature out with my Shetland companion pony 24 x 7 in the summer then in at night stabled in the winter, some grooming leading and some random spook busting ie mummy in the stable holding flags umbrellas etc ? I also led him over poles but pretty much let him grow up till he was 4 when I started more ground work with him prior to ridden work, Letting him grow up and mature did him no harm at all ? He’s a very polite willing boy
Good luck with yours x

 

[SpotsandBays]

I *plan* to very lightly back my one when he’s 3 next year, but honestly I don’t think I will because he’s not matured physically enough yet, and I’m in no rush. He’s Still all legs! If that is the case then I will continue as I am, having him as a pasture pet who comes in regularly for grooming etc, local shows when I can. I’ll probably get him walking out on the roads in hand next year. Probably set up some more scary things for him to process, tarp etc in the fields and really get him desensitised.

 

[katastrophykat]

Mine tend to do plenty of long reining as they then meet the breaking carriage that autumn, and move into the four wheeler for a session or two before I call it a day.

They’re backed then as well (if I can find a little dot to borrow!) then they do very little over that winter til the next spring, pick up on longreins, pop them into the carriage and away we go.

I’m three horses (well, one horse, two ponies!) into that method and it’s worked so far. The current one is two so he’s planned in for next year.

 

[Xmasha]

Mine WB was 3 in April, hes currently turned out with another youngster 24/7 having the time of his life. Eating,sleeping and playing. I had intended to get him out to do an inhand show this year but obviously thats not happened. The plan at the minute is to back him at the end of the summer. Every now and then i bring him in, just to stop him going feral ( although with him, i think its unlikely). He had tack on the other week and didnt care, showed him some clippers as well. Thats pretty much it.

 

[ihatework]

I would generally not do anything with a 3yo until the autumn, when it would be lightly backed and then turned out again.

Did it slightly differently with my current youngster who was a) very fat and b) a ferel idiot. Took some professional advice on him and was told to do him early. So he went off for 8 weeks when he was rising 3. Then went back into the field for 9 months. Time will tell, but I think it was the right call for him.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

Mine is lightly hacking out (He's 3.5 and a solid stamp). Will probably keep doing the same until September and then turn him away until next year.

 

[rara007]

Mine was 3 in May. She comes in, rug off and on, gets fed (on poor grazing as her friends are far ponies!), gets her feet picked out and tied up, bit of a groom concentrating on hind leg handling. 4 or 5 times a week she goes for a walk/loads/lunges/gets sat on/wears driving harness/long reins etc. Her first (inhand) show is in a fortnight.
She’s too immature to properly ride though I bought her backed, it’ll probably be about February I start ‘actual’ riding.

 

[TheMule]

I would normally back a 3yesr old and hack it for a couple of weeks in the summer. I did my 2 at Easter this time due to lockdown making the roads blissfully quiet- they both did a handful of rides and have been turned back out since. I will get them going again next month for another couple of weeks of hacking and then leave until next Spring. My horse 3yr old goes out ride and lead 2/3 times a week because he's fat!

 

[exracehorse]

Mine was three in May. Spends 80 percent of her time in the field eating. She arrived as a two year old. This summer she’s had wolf teeth removed. Lightly lunged with full tack. I’ve sat on her. Has had clippers ran over her. Regularly seem farrier. Been out in hand with a ridden horse. And this weekend we practised trailer loading. She’s now been turned away. When she’s rising four .. she will go to a professional rider to be brought in for 4/6 weeks.

 

[exracehorse]

 

[exracehorse]

 

[exracehorse]

Trailer loading

 

[MarvelVillis]

What is your trainer expecting you to do with him? Might be worth having a chat

This is what I'll be doing with my 2 year old until she gets backed (maybe late next year, maybe the one after depending on how she develops). Apologies if some of these are unnecessary - figured I'd cover all bases!:

Desensitise as much as you can - ropes, jump up and down next to him, get him used to tack/rugs/boots/bandages, being touched all over. Make sure that manners on the ground are impeccable (as much as is possible with a young horse), including all aspects of bathing and grooming.

Teach him to stand at a mounting block. I like to get them used to firm pats all over their quarters just in case they get caught when the rider throws a leg over. You can teach basic commands on the lunge and start long reining.

Think of anything that you'd like to be able to do with a mature horse, and then work on that

Thank you! That's all really helpful. I have my trainer out once a month and she's been helping me with things like long reining and basic pole work. I'd like to do as much of the groundwork with him as I can (with help of my trainer if I need it), so that when he's sent away, my trainer's job will literally be to get on him and get him out hacking by himself. I think I'll introduce him to lunging more towards his fourth year as I worry about him doing circles too young.

 

[MarvelVillis]

Mine WB was 3 in April, hes currently turned out with another youngster 24/7 having the time of his life. Eating,sleeping and playing. I had intended to get him out to do an inhand show this year but obviously thats not happened. The plan at the minute is to back him at the end of the summer. Every now and then i bring him in, just to stop him going feral ( although with him, i think its unlikely). He had tack on the other week and didnt care, showed him some clippers as well. Thats pretty much it.

That's great. I had planned to take mine to his first show this year but sadly it hasn't worked out, although I've seen a few local shows being advertised for late summer so I may see if I can take him to one. How did yours take to clippers? I'm planning to clip mine this year just because he got so sweaty in winter last year, and it'll be good to start getting him used to it.

 

[sport horse]

My 3 year olds come in and get lightly backed. Perhaps 2 to 3 weeks work in total. They then go back into their field until they are 4 whenthey come in to proper work. They are taught to lead as foals - 3 days old and onwards, they live in a stable their first winter then go out and stay out pretty much untouched until they are 3. They do not wear rugs until they are 4.