What do you do with your youngsters?

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Slightlyconfused

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We are going down the exciting journey of owning a rising two year old Appaloosa gelding and it got me thinking.
We havr had quite a bit of advice form people with well meanings on what to do with him, time line etc so I was winding what you guys do with them and the reason you do it.
I'm of the mind of as long as you get a nice well mannered horse once they are gown up what ever works for you is fine.

Like bitting
Desensitisation
Laying saddle pads, rugs, rollers on so it all becomes boring

Those types of things.
He won't be backed until he is 4 / 4 1/2 as he is 15:1 now and 2 in may.
 
If I had a horse as young as this I personally would want to leave it alone to be a horse all except handling, as long as it has manners and stands for the farrier, it can just be a horse.

3.5 I start to introduce bitting/rollers etc. The aim is to be on for rising 4, I then like to break and keep them in work I don't actually turn away but they don't get asked a lot and do get a lot of down time also. I like them riding away and jumping lightly as 4yos but obviously every rider & horse is different.
 
All I did with mine when he was that age was teach him to halter lead, walk in and out of a trailer, tie up, be groomed, pick his feet up daily (he was a little ****) so that the farrier didn't have to wrestle with him (he did - still does when he gets to the 4th foot and little **** is getting bored but he's not so bad now!) and occasionally he would go for a little walk round the farm to look at tractors and trailers and stacks of straw.

Otherwise he lived out in his little herd being a pony until he was backed. I think you can do too much with youngsters - nothing wrong with them learning to lead and tie up and have their feet done but once you crack on with backing it all falls into place anyway, and now mine's 5 going on 6 you wouldn't know whether he had a lot done with him when he was a baby or not.
 
If he is halter trained and nice to handle then I would stick him out in a field with a bunch of other babies and let him be a horse for another year. He would then come in and start his education for a few months and then go back out in the field to have a think about it all and let it sink in with a view to picking him up and carrying on with his ridden career a few months later.

I cannot abide babies in full blown in/out 'adult' horse routines! They will spend their whole life in servitude, the least you can do is let them have their baby years out in a field having a fun and carefree life.
 
My boy will turn 3 shortly, i got him just after he'd officially turned 2. Last year all we did was a couple of in hand outings and that's about it bar just day to day things like being rugged, led and I did bit him last year. This year so far I've had him in a roller and have started walking him out. I think I do actually need to do a bit more just to occupy his brain more than anything. Will keep up with a few outings too. I would like to think come the end of the summer I will have lightly backed him then I'll turn him away until he's 4 as he's a big boy and want him to be able to grow into himself. I'm in no rush at all so I don't worry that I haven't done as much as others might - I'm not out to produce him for 4 year old classes (personally not a great fan of young horse classes anyway)
 
Antw23uk said:
If he is halter trained and nice to handle then I would stick him out in a field with a bunch of other babies and let him be a horse for another year. He would then come in and start his education for a few months and then go back out in the field to have a think about it all and let it sink in with a view to picking him up and carrying on with his ridden career a few months later.

I cannot abide babies in full blown in/out 'adult' horse routines! They will spend their whole life in servitude, the least you can do is let them have their baby years out in a field having a fun and carefree life.
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He is halter trained to a point but with new owners etc there is a settling period.
We would be bringing in everyday for grooming/feet picking out and then back out in the field with the herd.
Would like to do some inhand showing this summer, just one or two.

he is going on grass livery near my yard as I don't want him stabled during the winter and they sometimes shut the feilds if very very wet.

What is the harm in desensitisation to flappy stuff, especially rugs etc now? Not hammering him every day just playing a few times a week.
 
lottiepony said:
My boy will turn 3 shortly, i got him just after he'd officially turned 2. Last year all we did was a couple of in hand outings and that's about it bar just day to day things like being rugged, led and I did bit him last year. This year so far I've had him in a roller and have started walking him out. I think I do actually need to do a bit more just to occupy his brain more than anything. Will keep up with a few outings too. I would like to think come the end of the summer I will have lightly backed him then I'll turn him away until he's 4 as he's a big boy and want him to be able to grow into himself. I'm in no rush at all so I don't worry that I haven't done as much as others might - I'm not out to produce him for 4 year old classes (personally not a great fan of young horse classes anyway)
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You have just written what I am wanting to do with ours.
 
I think it's just important to do what you feel is comfortable and that they can cope with. My boy is now telling me he's up for a bit more so that's what I'll do, his will be work in the school with poles and things to walk over etc. and continuing his walking out, seeing traffic etc. My main thing is manners so that's all I ensure I reinforce and keep everything consistent. I think it's very difficult as now you see a lot of produced horses and its very easy to compare and think I'm not doing enough/things right but that's not what i'm doing - I'm 'producing' my horse for life, so what if he looks like a gangly 3 year old lol and if we don't get to our first ridden show till he's 6 - doesn't bother me :)
 
Slightlyconfused said:
What is the harm in desensitisation to flappy stuff, especially rugs etc now? Not hammering him every day just playing a few times a week.
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to my mind absolutely no harm and the more they do to learn the better. I have always done loads with my youngsters. Mine is 2 in May and won't be backed till he is 4. He is only limited by my imagination. He is already traffic trained, he is led out and understands how to stand and wait till traffic comes past on a quiet road. he is also fully trained to tractors, trailers, diggers and just about all other machinery. He has had a roller on and been led in it, I untack the riding horses and he carries the saddles to the tack room, I tie wellies over his back and they flop around his front legs as he walks,, all the walking under and over tarpaulins, he's done a little leading off another horse and we are now teaching him this properly so he can go out riding with us. He pulls a 5 gallon metal can around, goes for walks along with the wheelie bin, he has done his sheep training and will move them and is about to start his cow training. The feet and grooming we did long ago. He stands at the mounting block whilst I lean over him, (no weight) stands whilst I whirl the lunging whip around his head, I drop metal cans over his back onto the ground on a rope, obviously all the leading in hand stuff, I will make him a lifesize dummy for this summer to carry. I won't put a bit in as he will be backed in a headcollar and reins. In preparation we go for walks with the reins on and me "riding" him with my arm over his back and holding the reins. He understands walk on, stop, back and turn. We have done loads of other things as well.
He does exactly as the adults do and comes in at night in winter. He loves it and following their routine. I see great disadvantages in youngsters not learning to come in and be stabled at night. Most are going to have to do it as adults at some time. I bought a 4yo who had lived out or in a big barn. It took him years to adjust to stabling and really upset him. Yet with the other youngsters bought at a much younger age they have known nothing else and the stable is their home,

I try and do something with him most days and far from being servitude he loves it.
I've done this with all my youngsters and they have all loved it so I don't understand why anyone one (other than perhaps a stud with too many of them) would not want to work with them.
Enjoy the journey with your baby, if he likes working with you carry on. The more you do the more bonded you will both be.
 
I pat him in the field, try and dodge the variety of friendly babies, bring him in for the farrier now and then. That will probably be his lot until he is 3
 
Nowt! Left in the field in a suitable herd until they are ready to be backed.

They are taught to lead and pick up their feet when they are foals and thats about all.
 
My homebreds are taught to lead, tie up and have their feet picked out then they are put out in a big field together with an 'uncle' to keep them in check. They get brought in every day for a feed butI change the catch in and turn out order around so that they get used to being out on their own for a brief period and learn not to stress about it.

As far as desensitisation goes I stopped doing it as I found it didn't really make a difference in the long run.
 
Our rising 2 years old are left to their own devices mostly - but just did a few weeks of 'education' where they've learnt to load, be tied up, wear rugs and got used to horses coming and going from the yard. They are already very good at being led and with the farrier, and now they are back out, where they will hopefully stay for the foreseeable feature.
 
Going against the leave them out grain, here, but What about showing?
My appy lad was shown as a youngster, and so has our Welsh D.
It's a good way to get them out and about seeing things, too, and helping with the bigger world not being a scary place as they see a lot more of the world.
 
Like Paddy555, I've done a fair bit with mine as babies and find it benefits them hugely!

Why wait till they are 3/4 to start doing work. I begin handling, picking up and leading as babies. Mine do all the mare and foal shows and I think it hugely benefits them. My mare is super chilled and loves the fuss of getting dolled up for shows. The babies learn to travel and also get to go to a show and gain confidence from their mum.

As yearlings they do inhand shows and are required to wear a plastic bit. I was initially worried about this but put it in my yearlings mouth and threw him out for a few hours (did this for a few days). He didn't care and managed to eat grass no problem. Again, he went to shows and was super chilled out as he's been at them as a baby. There is the added advantage that all shows are on grass so he could graze inhand while waiting for his class. As a yearling he would load on his own (I put down the ramp and he walked in) and could travel on his own, although I tried to bring a friend most times. He would lead no problem and trot in hand when asked (followed by polos - big believer in positive reinforcement with horses, especially the babies). I didn't do the 2 or 3 year old classes on him as he lives out all year (bar if its really bad in winter) and wasn't produced like a proper show horse. We just about got away with it as a yearling!

He is now rising 4 and will be broken this summer. He's had a saddle on multiple times (in fact carried one from the field for me as a yearling!), a roller, been bitted up, had clippers on him, walked on roads, walked on tarpaulin and over poles. He actually stood beside his field gate while I put a leg across him one day and just sniffed my foot. I think he'll be a super easy breaker! He hasn't long reined, lunged or jumped yet.

His younger brother is 9 months old and did foal showing last summer. He will do his yearling shows this summer too, hopefully. Again he's not produced so probably wont look mature enough as a 2 and 3 year old but I rather they grew slowly but correctly. After weaning (at 7 months old) he was kept with my cob. They share a huge stable (25x13 ft) and hes in a routine of going out with other horses and coming in at night, all horses walk in loose and go to their correct stable - including him! He leads and trots in hand when asked, picks up his feet and moves over when I nudge him away. He's out everyday in a herd from 9am to 10pm. He hasn't done anything else yet.

I don't think I do too much with them. They're still the first over to the gate when they see me. I honestly think they enjoy the little one on one sessions and it gives them something to do. I think they get bored in the field! The small but continuous handling certainly hasn't made mine bold, bolshy or over handled but gentle and confident horses. I would only do things I think they are capable of and read their body language. If they are unhappy in any way I stop what I'm doing.
 
ashlingm said:
Like Paddy555, I've done a fair bit with mine as babies and find it benefits them hugely!


I don't think I do too much with them. They're still the first over to the gate when they see me. I honestly think they enjoy the little one on one sessions and it gives them something to do. I think they get bored in the field! The small but continuous handling certainly hasn't made mine bold, bolshy or over handled but gentle and confident horses. I would only do things I think they are capable of and read their body language. If they are unhappy in any way I stop what I'm doing.
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I am really glad you posted that. I felt so much the odd one out!

I think people miss a couple of years of their youngsters life by just turning them out and doing the minimum. I also think that continually working with them from a very early age makes it far less stressful for them. They are drip fed stuff all the time and it just becomes normal for them. They don't have a very big shock at 3 when they move from a semi feral life out with a herd 24/7 to having to do a lot of learning. Just because mine are continually learning doesn't mean they miss out on the youngster herd stuff. They are out the rest of the day with their friends. At night although in, and understanding the stable routine is not a bad thing to learn, they are next to their friends, can groom over the door and have constant company. Mine too are gentle and confident.
 
All of our youngsters have done 1-3 shows per year so they get the whole being led, bathed, rugged up, travelled, going places malarky but other than that they lived out with a quick pat each day when being checked over. Unless I actually wanted them in for something they did beggar all. I have some lovely, well mannered shetlands because of it.

As to teach them about scary things, an occasional plastic feed sack or haylage sack would fly into their field in the wind and they dealt with as you would expect - Run around like lunatics snorting, farting and prancing before ganging up on the offending object and ripping it to shreds whilst galloping round the field with it in their mouths.

There's nothing better for youngsters than letting them figure stuff out for themselves and letting them make it into a game.
 
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