When does backed become broken?

Some American terms that are interesting:

a 'green-broke' horse with '90 days on him' ie the 12 weeks backing and riding away
the 1000 hour horse that's 'fully-broke' - ie after 3 to 3 and a half years - equivalent to a produced horse?

I don't like the term 'broke' particularly but thought the timescales highlighted the stages well
 
Evidently there is no black and white answer.

I classed Bonnie as backed when she had been ridden without a lead at walk and knew to stop and steer.

Currently I class her as broken but green, she walks, trots, canters, stops, bends, moves off the leg, steers etc but can still be a little dreamy and not pay attention. We've even popped a little log here and there.
 
some good old names on that thread posted by KB! happy to bump into a few of them on other platforms now instead.

I'd use the terms backed and ridden away as described upthread, personally.
 
I also don't like the term "broken".
To me "Just backed" is sat on and stop/go in place and basic steering.
"Backed" is able to walk and trot round a school and probably going out for little hacks.
"Broken" is what happens years later when you get the vet's bill!
 
Backed is the process of sitting on the horse a few times, hence "just backed" means it's been sat on, possibly walked around a bit, trotted a teensy bit, steering a work in progress. Backing covers the first few days after it's first been sat on. Broken means w/t/c, turn and stop, possibly a teeny tiny little cross pole jump. Schooling/training is everything after that.

P.S. what you call it is irrelevant as long as people know what it means.
 
JFTD-WS said:
Blimey, I don't "expect" rears, spins, bucking or knobbing off with any youngster I've done. I certainly wouldn't expect to be thrown off. A bit of wobbling, getting to grips with the idea, but not significant misbehaviour - that suggests there is something amiss with the training, the horse, or the tack to me. They say 99% of what you do with a baby horse should be sinfully boring to watch - really deadly dull to watch. I think people forget that, sometimes...
Click to expand...

Agree! Groundwork should be done well enough to avoid any serious lawn darting although there is always the exception to the rule (we've only had 1 and there were extenuating circumstances that hadn't been realized at the time).
 
To me backed means someone sat on it and didn't fall off! Broken suggests a more finished job - so the horse knows the basic aids and can follow them, more or less. I agree with those who prefer ridden on or ridden away though, although I don't suppose it really matters.
 
I've always assumed that a backed horse was one who'd worn tack and been lead about with a person on board.
Ridden away= w/t/c under saddle, steering and brakes plus hacking.
Broken= as with ridden away but with more refinement, clearer understanding of aids etc.
 
I count "backed" as literally accepting a rider on their back, being led up and down and getting used to the leg on the sides and a little steering. Lightly broken/ridden away is walk and trotting on their own in straight lines, a little hacking on tracks/through fields sometimes too. Fully broken is walk, trot, canter, decent steering and brakes, and then the schooling goes on top !
 
The term 'broken' is IMHO old hat, though old habits die hard and I found myself referring to the 'breakers' yard' to which I sent my homebred for backing *confused terminology*.

Lightly backed (sat on) and backed and riding away (riding out in all 3 paces) are the two terms I use.
 
I'm another one that hates the term broken.

In terms of early riding I'd generally say the horse has been introduced and accepted a rider in the early stages, largely to avoid the that word.

The rest thereafter I'd just refer to as foundation work until the horse has enough hours on him or her under saddle that they can go on and specialise. For me, a foundation would encompass the horse being able to be ridden in the school with rhythm, relaxation with straightness and basic balance. Ideally it would include some basic lateral work, basic polework, jumping & basic hacking as a guide.

Anything after that, to me, is just further (perhaps discipline specific) schooling.
 
Ive just had a conversation about this. Our new mare has been away to be backed, and is coming home today. Shes been there for a couple of weeks, and has been sat on, walked, trotted, cantered and jumped a small fence. The people I used have said, shes backed and not 'broken'. So im taking this as its all still very wobbly and proceed with care !! So we will be following the same routine she had at the yard, which is take time getting on, walk around yard initially then if all ok up the lane and back, and then into the arena.
 
I think the key is not to assume anything!!
I’ve learnt this the hard way, as I’m sure many of us on here have!!
Whenever I get a new youngster , even if I’m told it’s been backed/broken/ridden away/produced/round Badminton 😂, I start with in hand stuff, as if it’s not been backed, and take it all very carefully and go with my gut feel.If it’s been backed well, then you can tell, and make good progress. If not, then you have to teach it yourself. Also, people have different standards, for eg, mounting. I like them to stand still by the mounting block and wait for me to get on, others just get legged up and off they go!
Assume they know nothing and haven’t seen anything!!
 
backed = been sat on, lunged with rider on, if you go for a trot off the lead rein may still need person on the ground nearby to back up cues with a whip etc
Ridden away (broken) = wtc will go for a little hack on own and in company and maybe pop a cross pole. still very wobbly though.
 
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