What would be the first five things you would teach a lightly handled horse in preparation of being backed?

[Tarragon]

Assuming that they already accept a headcollar, are ok to lead, tie up and can have their feet picked out, what would be the first five things you would train your horse to do in preparation of being backed, in what order and why? It doesn't matter if they are very small things.
I am just curious and interested in what other people would consider to be the basics and 5 seemed like a good number to choose - not too many and not too few

 

[Annagain]

If we're talking specifically for riding and all other basics are in place, I think accepting a bit and saddle, stopping, starting, turning and standing to be mounted would be the five first things needed.

 

[ycbm]

1. Wear and be led in a bitted bridle
2. Accept a saddle on the back
3. Have the saddle girthed up
4. Be leant over with full weight.
5. Be led off while leant over.

No, I haven't forgotten anything, I don't lunge or long rein. Sometimes all of that can be done in one day, sometimes it will take weeks. Ludo was about 2 weeks, mostly on the leaning over stages. Joe could have been done in one day, but he had been trained to harness already. I've had one that took maybe three weeks over doing up the girth, he exploded. The leaning and sitting on him went without a hitch.
.

 

[Tarragon]

No, I haven't forgotten anything, I don't lunge or long rein.
.

Would that come later?

 

[ycbm]

Would that come later?

Not unless it was part of a recovery plan from an injury.
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[I'm Dun]

I'm doing some of this with my 3yr old at the minute. It mainly consists of wearing his bridle with a headcollar on and going out ride and lead. Hes happy to be sat on and lead about, has been twirled round the lunge a couple of times only on huge circles and mainly going round 3 acres. Hes popped a couple of xc jumps but that was more that he was interested and keen rather than something I would normally do. Next steps are saddle on and then long reining out alone.

I'd normally have the saddle on before being sat on, but he doesnt have a saddle yet and has had toddlers sitting on him for ages, so a bit back to front! He happy enough with saddles plonked on his back, but hasnt had one on for "work"

So I guess
1. Bit and bridle, then saddle
2. Basic voice commands and politeness on the lunge
3. Ride and lead
4. Long reining

 

[Tarragon]

If we're talking specifically for riding and all other basics are in place, I think accepting a bit and saddle, stopping, starting, turning and standing to be mounted would be the five first things needed.

I suppose it depends what you would consider the "other basics" to be. I think I thought more emphasis would be placed on in-hand schooling before actually getting onboard. For example, how do you go about training them to stand to be mounted?

 

[teddypops]

Voice commands, wearing tack, long reining, leading out on a hack from another horse, being lead around with someone leaning over their back.

 

[Hepsibah]

I am in no way an expert in such things having only done it once.
I did a lot of putting things on Daisy's back. Folded rugs, numnahs, brushes, my coat, upturned buckets long before a saddle was introduced. I spent time jumping up and down next to her every day. I sat on the field gate next to her so I was above her. I draped ropes over her back and under her belly in preparation for being girthed. By the time she was backed, she didn't worry about anything in the slightest, it was all just some new interesting thing people do.

 

[Archangel]

I used to work on an Arab stud and some of the youngsters were very forward in a trying very hard and thinking lots way. Right from foals we taught them that when a hand was placed on their neck in a certain way and just held there that was "reset, relax, let's have a moment". It became hard wired into their thinking and very useful later on.

It is useful to train in a time out moment that the horse instantly recognises. Brains can get very tired and boil over, even when they are physically not that taxed.

 

[ycbm]

For example, how do you go about training them to stand to be mounted?

They have to stand to be leaned over, so they stand to be mounted. Repetition and reward (voice or treat) when they get it right.

If I have a fidgety one when I'm on my own, I keep taking the steps to the horse until it realises those darned steps ain't never going to stop. When the horse stops moving, reward. Convert that over time to taking the horse to the steps instead of the steps to the horse.
.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I used to work on an Arab stud and some of the youngsters were very forward in a trying very hard and thinking lots way. Right from foals we taught them that when a hand was placed on their neck in a certain way and just held there that was "reset, relax, let's have a moment". It became hard wired into their thinking and very useful later on.

It is useful to train in a time out moment that the horse instantly recognises. Brains can get very tired and boil over, even when they are physically not that taxed.

I do something similar in that I train a head down cue-have done it by clicker training and without.

Also, teach them to wait-which sounds obvious but loads of adult horses dont know how to wait either. so we go and stand somewhere, horse is on a loose lead rein/reins over head. dont look at them, any time they move, even their head, then correct them by putting them back where they were. rinse and repeat-until they cock a back leg and relax.

If was to get another youngster I would also teach flexions, a bend to stop (on the ground) and connecting leg aids to hind legs on the ground well before backing.

 

[TPO]

Yielding to pressure and giving their head side to side and down with light pressure.

"De sensitising" as in ok to touch all over with flag/bag/rope and OK with things moving around/beside/above them. Life prep for dropped reins/birds flying up/bushes touching them etc putting saddles and bridles on after this is much simpler too

Control of shoulders, ribs and quarters. Able to step over, turn and stop by the smallest of signals (end result) Including lining up with mounting block/fence

Groundwork over poles/tarps, around cones, down narrow spaces (channels out of jumps etc), raised poles, backing up down channel of poles, side passing along a pole, through "spooky" things

Repeat with tack

Repeat with rider

 

[JackFrost]

Any/all of the above + 'hacking' out alone in hand.

 

[twiggy2]

One thing I think is very important to teach them is that when things fall of them its all ok and there is no need to panic, I start with a saddle cloth and slip it off their back whilst holding it and progress to just pushing it off them, then a treeless saddle and finally a treed saddle (they tend to make more of a thud when they hit the ground.

 

[planete]

Leading from both sides. A pet peeve of mine when a "well-handled youngster" has not been made familiar with this.

 

[sbloom]

Because backing is usually, at most, a 6 week period, I'd be building up rider carrying muscle/posture/straightness from the ground over a fairly long period. Something like Manolo Mendez techniques.

 

[Caol Ila]

When a human hits the deck, it's fine. I didn't mean to teach it. I was leading Hermosa, looking at her/foal/something, crashed into a traffic cone, and ended up on my arse on the road under her front legs. She stood perfectly, giving me a slightly baffled look. Well, that's done then.

 

[ihatework]

In preparation for the general backing I’d want them comfortable with touch all over, yielding to light pressure (neck flexion / stepping over / stepping back etc). I’d then do my version of sacking out - which is essentially just desensitisation to stuff they will encounter eg saddle cloths flung over roughly, random stuff touching them including lunge lines round hind legs. Then bitting and rollering.

 

[paddy555]

One thing I think is very important to teach them is that when things fall of them its all ok and there is no need to panic, I start with a saddle cloth and slip it off their back whilst holding it and progress to just pushing it off them, then a treeless saddle and finally a treed saddle (they tend to make more of a thud when they hit the ground.

I teach them that with a full size dummy. Well a very well stuffed large men's overall to be precise. I don't lunge as such but I sort of lunge for this. I make it so the dummy slips off at a walk and then at a trot and that the correct action is to stop, look down at it and move away, no need to panic. I put the dummy over their neck, over their bum, anywhere it is going to slip off and hit their legs.

 

[DizzyDoughnut]

One thing I think is very important to teach them is that when things fall of them its all ok and there is no need to panic, I start with a saddle cloth and slip it off their back whilst holding it and progress to just pushing it off them, then a treeless saddle and finally a treed saddle (they tend to make more of a thud when they hit the ground.

I'm going to try this with my 2 year old, he's fine with me waving things round him, dropping loud things next to him and he very politely stood and waited for me to get up when I fell over in front of him, I'd never thought to make things actually fall off him though, I'm teaching him to stop when I say stop so when the time comes to get on if I do fall off I can just tell him to stop, although I don't think he'd go further than the nearest bit of grass anyway.

 

[paddy555]

Yielding to pressure and giving their head side to side and down with light pressure.

"De sensitising" as in ok to touch all over with flag/bag/rope and OK with things moving around/beside/above them. Life prep for dropped reins/birds flying up/bushes touching them etc putting saddles and bridles on after this is much simpler too

Control of shoulders, ribs and quarters. Able to step over, turn and stop by the smallest of signals (end result) Including lining up with mounting block/fence

Groundwork over poles/tarps, around cones, down narrow spaces (channels out of jumps etc), raised poles, backing up down channel of poles, side passing along a pole, through "spooky" things

Repeat with tack

Repeat with rider

I do that. I also use their sides as a wall to throw a ball at, we play football around the yard when they are loose deliberately kicking the ball between their legs or at them, swirling and cracking the lunge whip over them, take them and the wheelie bin for a walk down the road (that does get some strange looks) take a 5 gall can on a lead for a walk down the road, backing through 2 rows of 45 gall oil drums with the gap in the middle getting narrower until they back and hit a drum where they have to demonstrate the correct action.
Also traffic training, it has to be trained with whatever is available ie car, landrover, bike, tractor etc before backing. Also long reining, it has to long rein where I want to ride ie roads, tracks, streams, cattle etc and keep walking when another horse trots off in front, take the lead, go behind etc.

as I don't ride till 5 then backing is the tiny bit that happens at the end by which stage they are so bored.

 

[Spotherisk]

In hand work by use of the noseband and later the bit, so soft yield at the joint of the head and neck, bend in the neck, bend from base of the neck. Lowering the head to take the bit from below their mouth. Standing still and just hanging out, because having had a friend video me I realised I do things too fast for the horse.

 

[Spotherisk]

Re falling off, practice throwing yourself on the floor and then giving the horse ginger biscuits, then they’ll never run away (yeah, right!)

 

[SpeedyPony]

To tolerate flapping things- ropes/light chains hung down from a roller (obviously not long enough to get a leg caught), wearing rugs/tarps/feedbags and having these thrown over them. Being touched all over, whether with a hand or a crop, being touched on the opposite side from the handler (leaning over, under or around the chest/hindquarters).

Leaning over, but also tapping/scraping the foot over their hindquarters or flank- so they don't go into orbit if this accidentally happens when they're being backed.

Moving away from pressure to the flank or hindquarters, turning the head with pressure from the reins, also voice commands.

Solid in traffic- anything you can find, farm vehicles, canvas sided wagons, pushbikes, cherry pickers. Also calm around livestock/dogs/children/raised voices/car horns/bird scarers.

Moves as directed by a hand/arm- i.e. can be sent through a gate ahead of you to turn and wait while it's shut, or will halt/go back from a gesture.

 

[southerncomfort]

Yielding to pressure and giving their head side to side and down with light pressure.

"De sensitising" as in ok to touch all over with flag/bag/rope and OK with things moving around/beside/above them. Life prep for dropped reins/birds flying up/bushes touching them etc putting saddles and bridles on after this is much simpler too

Control of shoulders, ribs and quarters. Able to step over, turn and stop by the smallest of signals (end result) Including lining up with mounting block/fence

Groundwork over poles/tarps, around cones, down narrow spaces (channels out of jumps etc), raised poles, backing up down channel of poles, side passing along a pole, through "spooky" things

Repeat with tack

Repeat with rider

This is generally the sort of thing I do too, but I would also say that all youngsters are different and for me it's far too nuanced to name just 5 things.

One thing I do for every baby is lead out in hand lots. As in miles and miles. And ensuring we meet and cope with every possible scary thing. Not only does this make early hacking exceptionally easy but it builds a fantastic foundation of trust and bravery. If you've already got their trust then backing is just another day of training for them.

If you haven't already got a copy of Richard Maxwell's book, I highly recommend it.

 

[tristar]

Re falling off, practice throwing yourself on the floor and then giving the horse ginger biscuits, then they’ll never run away (yeah, right!)

i love that!

probably some truth in it, although i would use carrot sticks

 

[Antw23uk]

Reading these makes me so excited, I have a new 2 yr old gelding sitting in my field at home. He's my long term project

 

[southerncomfort]

Reading these makes me so excited, I have a new 2 yr old gelding sitting in my field at home. He's my long term project

Pics and info please!! ?

 

[Antw23uk]

Pics and info please!! ?

I was desperately trying to keep it quiet but i am rubbish at keeping secrets and reading posts like this just set me off, lol!