What is your 4year old doing?

Jojo_Pea4

Jojo_Pea4

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What work is your 4year old doing? Schooling, hacking and jumping? How much do you ride of each of these a week? Do u give them break?

Do you compete? How often?

Thanks in advance
 
Haven't backed it yet. Will start when the weather improves. My aims for 4 year olds are just to get them going sweetly in the school, popping over a couple of jumps, hacking and taking to a few shows to take in the experience. :)

I turn away from October time usually, and bring back into work early in their 5 year old year when I will decide what to aim them for.
 
I have a rising 4 yr old (in may) she has been bought back into work about 2 and a bit weeks ago. She had been turned away since October. At the moment we are hacking out alone just plodding about for about 20 - 30 mins in walk around some bridleways and quiet tracks. She is ridden up to 3 consecutive days and has no more than 2 days off in a row. I try to ride her 3 days on 2 off 2 on and 1 off 3 on and 1 off etc just mix it up a bit (and when the weather is good) :) after another week of walking we will move onto some trotting work and go from there really. She has just had fronts on yesterday so hoping to do more road work now :D
I plan to do some dressage woth her and local shows this spring/summer. I will introduce some small jumps early summer and go from there.
 
mine will be 4 next month and (all going well) will be competing for the first time in March She's a Quarter and has been in training for just over a year now. She's ridden 6 days a week for roughly 30 to 45 mins. There is no turn out where she is but she has a roll in the indoor school regularly. She will be doing reining classes and in the future I would like to try her at 'cutting'. I'm looking forward to seeing her strut her stuff. :)
 
I'll be following this thread with interest. My 4 year old mare is schooling 2 /3 days per week for about 40 mins and also hacking out with company and alone 2/3 days per week (although we have had a few exciting times over the past week).

She gets 1 - 2 days a week off depending on my workload and I occasionally lunge / long-rein once a week for 20 /30 mins. We haven't been out and about yet but that is coming this Feb / March and we have only tackled some natural obstacles out hacking (steps, small log) and colour ground-poles when schooling. Again I have plans to move that this Feb.

What do you do with yours?
 
Our little man was backed this summer (turned 4 in July) and is now doing bits of everything. He's probably hacked twice a week, schooled 2 or 3 times and usually has a little jump once a week although not always.
His schooling is probably only for 40 minutes though as any longer and his little brain can't cope :p The jumping is usually pole work leading to a little grid and we've got a group of four on the yard who join in so he has plenty of breaks.
He probably goes to a party every other week. This is normally either a couple of dressage tests, some showjumping or just a lesson or hiring an arena to get him used to different places. We'll be doing some more xc schooling in the spring when the grounds better.
Our aim is to do an 80cm ODE in the Spring and then he'll be sold :( hopefully.
He probably won't be turned away as he is very strong and completely ready to be out doing. In fact, he's a total nightmare with more than two days off in a week and causes havoc in the fields! I wouldn't usually expect to be doing so much but he's so chilled about going out and we've gone at his own pace work wise, he's just a very quick learner. It's interesting to hear how other people are doing it though as I'll have the next one to get on in the spring...finger's crossed he's as good as the current baby :rolleyes:
 
rhino said:
Haven't backed it yet. Will start when the weather improves. My aims for 4 year olds are just to get them going sweetly in the school, popping over a couple of jumps, hacking and taking to a few shows to take in the experience. :)

I turn away from October time usually, and bring back into work early in their 5 year old year when I will decide what to aim them for.
Click to expand...

This! I refuse to rush a youngster. I want them to have a full working and enjoyable life. My rising 4yo (end of April) hasn't even learnt about circles and saddles yet! There's no rush - she's growing :) Her 1/2 brother, at rising 6, is still growing and he was taken slowly too.
 
We've not had him long, But we have hacked alone and in company, schooled (no longer than 40mins), had a flat lesson, a jump lesson, lunged. All to see how he responds.

He has two days off a week, ill try and work it so he has two hacks a week, two schooling sessions, the other day either pole work, jump or lunge. But will change if something needs more work.


Our aim is to get him out late March/April to a unaffiliated show jumping and dressage.

He's 5 in May.
 
Mine will be 5 in March so is only just a 4 year old! At the moment he is being sorted by my lovely YO as I broke my collarbone and associated ribs 3 weeks ago!

At present he is exercised 6 days out of 7 and mainly hacks, but will be schooled for 2 of the 6 days, is lunged at least once a week and jumps (very small!) as and when when he is schooled. Generally lots of variety and nothing too strenuous or difficult for the poor wee lad!
 
My 4 yr old (5 in April) has just come back to work after a small break and he's working nicely in an outline in all 3 paces, can comfortably jump round a course of 2'3, been to a few local SJ and one HT and hacks nicely on own and in traffic. Will be concentrating more on jumping this year as he's a bit older, although am taking it a bit easy at the moment as he's suddenly gone bum high again!
 
My boy is currently 4 years and 9 months. He was doing 2 days schooling and 2 days hacking/ 1 day hacking and 1 day lunging until new year. Now I have upped it to 3 days schooling for 30 mins and 1 day hacking and 1 day lunging/ 2 days hacking.

I occassionally do pole work and jumping but not very often because he is aimed at a dressage career anyway and I am conscious about his joints still developing. Over the last year he has probably jumped between 5- 10 times and then it was just jumping a handful of times in the session just over 2ft3 ish.
In schooling we have just started shoulder in. His leg yield is developed well and doing more canter and asking him to come a little more collected.

My exmoor filly is 3 years and 9 months (4 in may/ june) and I started riding her properly in november/ december. She is ridden 3 times a week. They were 10 minute sessions in the school in walk and trot but she has just learnt canter with the rider on board and is now starting hacking out so will now be one session in the school (10- 15 mins) working on balance and starting to ask for a baby outline and 2 sessions out hacking (up to 30 mins).
 
hi, my girl is 4 in june 2012. i backed her in august 2011, where i just rode her for about 10 / 15 mins in the school 2 or 3 times a week and then ventured out on a couple of 'rides' for about 30/40 mins on our own when i felt she was up to it. i had, previous to this, walked her out in hand since she was nearly 2 years old to get her used to traffic. then i started to lunge and long rein her before finally getting on board in august. i roughed her off in october 2011 for the winter and then i am planning to get back on with things in march 2012 - i will do the lunging and long reining again to refresh her memory and long rein her around our local lanes and then get back on board again and take it from there. i have also taken her to local shows in the summer of 2011 to socialise her to the world. i am lucky, she has been very easy as i have handled her so much every single day. i hope this might be of help to someone. ta,
 
Ex flat tb, (4 in april), Had her hacking lightly end of last year, lunged handful of times. Then chucked out in a field, just brought her back into work doing w/t in field, lightly hacking. Will take her to a few places just to have a look i.e baby dress/sj/xc Maybe BE 4y/o in july depending on how sensible she feels! then cubbing a handful of times before she'll get chucked back out til 5 y/o.
 
Sportznight said:
This! I refuse to rush a youngster. I want them to have a full working and enjoyable life. My rising 4yo (end of April) hasn't even learnt about circles and saddles yet! There's no rush - she's growing :) Her 1/2 brother, at rising 6, is still growing and he was taken slowly too.
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This too! Have two four year olds, both still vegetating and will stay that way until they are sold ready for the new owners to break in. I've found people prefer to start them themselves which is fine by me.
 
My 4 yr old - worked anywhere from 1 to 4 days per week, hacking out at mainly walk with a bit of trot. He's occasionally lunged or long reined, but main focus is hacking both on and off road. In fairness to him, when I bought him 4 months ago he'd done nothing, so we're taking it slowly :)
 
My rising 4yo is very hairy and fat from wintering out! Last summer I backed her and rode her for about 6 times out hacking and twice in the arena and then left her.

I really believe there is no rush and that starting them early will just take it's toll and end up causing problems.

She's going to come in again soon and probably do some more hacking with the odd but of schooling for a month or 2 and then another holiday till the summer where we will do a bit more.

Depending on how she's going/feeling will say if she will tick over through next winter or get hairy and filthy again being ferral!!!

Having bred her I've been waiting for well over 5 years to get to this point, but I will continue being patient till she's more grown up!!
 
My technically 5 year old (5 in June) is currently schooling once or twice a week, lunged once or twice and then hacking quietly round the lanes twice a week. She's never in the school more than half an hour and hasn't yet jumped with a rider on her back. She's coming along really nicely, quiet, bold and self confident, a bit nosey but willing to listen so I'm taking it slowly because I don't like to rush them. My cob was brought on exactly the same, slowly and carefully and he's great so I have high hopes for her too!
 
My rising 4 year old (4 in may) is youst to all tack, lunges and is starting a little bit of long reining. I am currently in the process of getting him youst to me putting half my weight on him and hoping to be fully on him in a few weeks. However I plan to take it slowly when Im on him and just plod about a few times a week in the school, increase to very short hacks in spring/summer. Im not planning on doing any strenuous work i.e. jumping etc until hes nearer 5/6, and will no doubt winter him out this year too.

I only work him for about 10-15 mins at the moment about 3 times a week, and I do an odd in hand walk out on the lanes/ roads too. He had done nothing when I bought him about 5 months ago, so Im going slow and building up a good bond with him, which is more important to me.
 
My gelding is rising 4 (4 in May)
I backed him in the summer and got him going very quietly in the school, we had to stop and start as he ws growing very fast so I only got on him when he was balanced.
In late autumn he started hacking gently out with his stable mate and we built up his fitness slowly.
As it is winter now I only ride on weekends so he usually goes on 1 hack (1hour) and then 1 other session.
I take him to local indoor schools to play or to friends houses who have schools to play with other horses, nothing too strenuous but just getting him out and about he build his confidence. Last weekend we hired an indoor school and took him and his stable mate for some jumping. Baby did teeny weeny ones in trot (max 60cm) for the first time and LOVED IT! I think he didnt want to go home after the hour was up, I couldnt believe how well he went, he even managed cantering up the school after a fence without bucking!
This weekend he is going on his first ever training clinic, FW on Sat and Pole/min jumping on Sun - his first proper weekend out so hopefully the excitement of the occasion doesnt get to him, he's rather big and its a long way down! :)
 
My boy turned 4 in october and I really only got going on him properly in September. We are currently hacking for an hour on Saturdays and Sundays with a (flat) Schooling session of about 40 minutes and a lunge session during the week. He is easily bored so I am keeping schooling to a minimum.

I haven't attempted jumping yet as a) I feel he's too young. b) he struggles to co-ordinate his feet at the best of times and c) I feel we've got so much more to work on before we get to that stage! lol!
 
Mine will be 4 this july, he has been turned away since September and is just now coming back into work. My aim for this summer, amid showing him inhand, is to get him going nicely under saddle and popping a few jumps ready for a little bit of unafilliated jumping this winter and then hopefully he'll start doing some ridden classes next season :)
 
Mine is off work because it is broken AGAIN (she's 4 in April)

I backed her over Christmas as I couldn't do her last year due to her gammy leg, managed three weeks of work, and now she is off again! Horrible, cocktail legged pony!
 
Sportznight said:
This! I refuse to rush a youngster. I want them to have a full working and enjoyable life. My rising 4yo (end of April) hasn't even learnt about circles and saddles yet! There's no rush - she's growing :) Her 1/2 brother, at rising 6, is still growing and he was taken slowly too.
Click to expand...

This! Ours is 4 in July and has just had a play on the lunge just getting him to move away and learning about his own spacial awareness. He has been mouthed for a while and we are just slowly nagging away at manners and boundaries due to him being a big lad!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...121782577121.114783.1622522214&type=1&theater
 
Mine will be 4 on 1st April (D.O.B. in her passport). I bought her in September and let her settle in before introducing her to wearing a bridle with bit and a roller. She has had a saddle on twice, and has been introduced to long reins where I got her to walk, turn left and right, cross the school on the diagonal, stop, trot in a straight line and take a couple of steps back. She learned this in one 20min session. I've sat on her 3 times, then turned her away for the winter. She is currently roughing it in 100 acres of old pasture, with a herd of 40 mares and youngsters, including my 3yo.
I'll re-introduce her to tack and long reins this spring, take her out for walks in hand, and progress on to riding her gently in the school, before some quiet hacking over the summer. I might do a couple of small in hand shows with her, and she will winter out again this year. :)
 
Mine is now rising 5 but last year we concentrated on hacking. She was backed before we got her and had been doing a bit in the school.

We started hacking, mainly in walk building her fitness and confidence. She only went in the school for a maximum of 30mins and until the clocks went back it was pretty infrequent.

By then she was hacking confidently and obediently in company and alone, in all paces.

We have done poles in the school hut no jumping.
 
Sorry forgot to add, weather and light permitting she could do a maximum of six days a week hacking. Hacks could occasionally be up to two hours long. We try not to give her more than two days in a row off and generally she does five days a week.
 
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