what have you done with your six year olds this year ?

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northernsoul

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My boy turned six may/june due to a messy divorce and upheaval last year we did nothing last year just hardly any hacking , this year we hacked out built up and did two shows we didnt practice for and brought home two rossettes one at each show we never even jumped a course of jumps so he did really well !I hoped to do another show finances/time permitting or a pleasure ride, and next year do a show /pleasure ride a month what hav e you done with yours, and plans for winter/ next year please :)
 
I have no six year olds at the moment, but I usually leave my youngsters til 4 to back, 5 to ride away and hack them until 6 before building them up for much more intensive schooling and jumping..

I have 3yo and 2yo CBs amongst my herd.. The 2yo will probably be backed, hacking and schooling before the other and younger than normal as he's particularly physically and mentally mature.. My 3yo will probably be much later as he is fizzy, gangly and mentally immature still.. He's a bit special, I want to get him out and about..

My other 2 were beginning to jump at 6.. This is just the way I prefer to train my horses.. Works for us but I always take it on a horse by horse analysis as they can be so different..

I've seen rising 7yo competing medium and higher and I've seen them barely hacking sensibly too!

Your plans sound good, I can't wait til my lads are old enough to get out there! My other riding horse is only a light hack now after breaking her shoulder.. She was BSJA..

I don't count the ponies.. My 5 and 7yo are lawn mowers and general entertainers for my 5 and 7yo step girls :)
 
Absolutely sod all!

Finally got over a 6 month virus in about Mar/Apr time, steadily got him fit over time, then he sustained a kick to front leg which put him out of work for about 2-3 weeks. Got fit again and did a couple of local SJ shows, then daft horse has fractured his hind cannon bone! Now on the 8th week of box rest!

So my six year old is still like a 4-5 yr old!
 
I have a 6yo. :)

we haven't done a lot as I've had
him about 10 weeks.

we've done one show and a clear round.
we know he can jump so we've been concentrating on improving his flatwork and ridden manners.

the plan for winter is to continue with flat lessons and have a jumping lesson once a fortnight.
we might do some BS if the lessons go to plan.
he's not fit enough either so we'll be going to the beach and doing lots of hillwork as well.
 
I have a 6 year old new forest. I have owned her since 2 years old and this has been our first year of jumping! We have been doing whp, xc , sj and pony club odes up to about 80cms. I only jump her once a week at the very most and we have compete about once a month. In between times we do lots if hacking. I only school for maybe 15mins then go out a hack as she gets bored easy! Plan to work on her dressage over the winter plan is to BE her next year if she measures tall enough!
So rewarding when they get rosie this age having brought them on yourself :-)
 
I've taken mine off the track. Taught him about circles and carrying himself nicely. Jumping small fences not hurdling, hacking alone, trusting his mummy and this weekend he will learn about showing ready for show jumping as and when he's ready. It's a bit of most things but slowly and small. This winter we will build on it and aim to do some 75 and 85 cm classes but no jump off to start with even if he goes clear. I'll pot hunt on the older horse lol.
 
I have two 6 year olds. The WB who I have had since she was just backed at rising 4 and is having her third summer with me did her first season of affiliated showing in novice classes (9 outings from March - Sept), started novice unaffiliated dressage (once so far, shock of my life came second and qualified for some RC champs next week). Went to a couple of flatwork clinics and did a couple of XC / SJ clinics (80-85cm max) and will go autumn hunting and then a few full days this winter.

The TB who I have had for just under a year so this was her first summer with me went out to be shown in hand twice, went to a couple of flatwork clinics, spent a week with my trainer at the start of the summer and otherwise pootled around hacking at home with a schooling session once or twice a week.

I don't feel either have been pushed hard, both have enjoyed their work and the approach I have taken is different to suit each horse's mental and physical maturity as far as I can gauge it.
 
My 6yr old, a complete joy by the way, is competing once a month since May at BD Nov (picked up some points & qualified for the Areas though won't be going). He hacks, with a little schooling as we go, 4 times a week, one with a bit of galloping, schools in an arena for 30 mins (no more) once a week. Just started schooling with Elementary in mind. I've built his stamina gradually, he has filled out & I hope he has stopped growing !:)
 
We got our 6 yo in May last year, he was very immature and weak so last year was spent building him up slowly. He's definitely grown a bit and has filled out and muscled up quite a bit.

This year he started out by doing a couple of unaffiliated prelim dressage tests and was a guinea pig at a lecture demo at this level. We have done some jumping training at a nearby show centre while at home we have concentrated on gymnastic work. He has also been xc schooling a handful of times too. Competition wise he has had 4 runs at BE90 and coped well, best result so far was 2nd. He's getting a few time penalties xc still as we won't rush him as he definitely a "thinker" and grows in confidence once he works things out but equally, I suspect, he could easily lose confidence if pushed. He has one more event left this season and then over the winter he'll have a holiday and do some more dressage and sj.
 
i was wondering if i havent done much hes mature now, thank you for all your information i will do more shows next year and try and do one before winter rot sets in and anything else is a bonus over winter and get out and about next year
 
We haven't done any competitions but I have made progress with her schooling. She is now working Advanced with tempi changes and lateral work in place and has started the 3 Ps (piaffe, passage and pirouettes) Not bad for a horse who had 5 months off following sinusitis surgery last year and who only gets ridden 3 times a week! I've never known a horse find dressage so easy.

She also hacks out and is so safe she is the nanny horse for others who are usually older than she is.

Our major achievement this year was when she was graded as a Premium Mare a couple of weeks ago.

Now we've got to get ourselves out to a few shows.
 
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