When to start? 2 year old cob.

[ItsJzo]

I know the title has probably made most of you click on this thinking I am someone who wants to back him now, noooooooooooo!!

I just want peoples experiences/advice on how they they went about bitting, bridling, and when did you first put a saddle on your horse/pony?

I have experience with youngsters, and this isn't really a post asking for help, it's more just too ask what rate other people took it depending on the horse/ponies attitude.

Oreo is 2 years and 4 months and currently lunging for 5 minutes before a small walk out.
I haven't long reined him as of yet but is something I plan to do soon, he is a very mature 2 year old, infact one of the bravest and easiest horses I have ever owned. He is very brave and inquisitve, anything that frightens him he normally investigates.
Out in traffic, I couldn't ask for something better behaved, he is unflappable, not just with heavy/large traffic, but with bikes suddenly going past, dogs barking at him, and the general things that normally I would expect a horse (esp a young horse!) to go a bit loopy at.

He is like an older horse in a young body however he does have his typically babyish ways, he likes the canter mane and tail spray and is happy to accept it, but the fly spray he cannot stand the noise of the bottle and makes a big fuss over it, but he also kicks out sometimes when over excited or asked to do something he doesn't want to do.
He seems to display this behaviour when we are out and he is dragged away from grass, I never let him eat the grass when we are out, but if he decides he desperately wants to stop and munch, if I attempt to pull him away, he will either think about rearing, (starts backing and lifting his feet ever so slightly) or he will trot along side me and kick out, but his kicks out are not little kicks, they are the type that if I didn't know and recognise his behaviour, he would have me on the floor almost everytime.
This behaviour seems to become more apparent when he is out with the welsh section d mare, who gets very very spooky/nervous, and obviously he follows suit but instead of being a nervous wreck he tends to turn naughty.

He no longer goes out with her, as she had developed seperation issues that needed nipping in the bud, but he has never had a problem coming away and being tied up, but the other day, normal weather, nothing going on in the yard, tied up in the normal place with his hay as normal, and he decides to rear every single time I walk away from him. He doesn't pull back, is more just protesting at the fact I chose to walk away. But this behaviour is very rare!

So in a nutshell, I do think I have the perfect pony, and in my mind, he will start the harder work at around 3, such as wearing tack etc, and hopefully backing won't be much further behind because he is very mature for his age, especially considering how he has had nothing done with him since he was a baby.

Did anyone else back their youngsters at 3? Alot of people do, I don't think backing at 3 is a huge issue, I think each horse is an individual and it depends on how balanced and established the rider is, however I think I will be waiting till Oreo is roughly 3 and a half to 4 before I actually sit on him, and once that's been done, he will be sent away to be ''finished'' off professionally purely because I have the money to do so, and I have a friend who would do a fantastic job with him.

SORRY about picture size, I don't know how to make them smaller!

 

[Sparkles]

We very lightly back at 2 1/2, hack away at 3, then start schooling at 4

 

[ItsJzo]

I think 2 and a half is too early. I will wait till he's 3 / 3 and a half, plus he is nearly 2 and a half and far too small! X

 

[holt889]

I had a cob from 8 months and he was the easiest you youngster I've ever had. Upto the age of 3 all he did was everyday stuff ie being tied up, groomed, walked around fields in different tack or rugs, washed, etc. As he was a big chap my very lightweight daughter leaned over him and eventually sat on him and got him used to legs and mounting and dismounting. When it came to backing properly it was done in minutes and he was ridden away at 3.5/4 just light hacks, abit of lunging and long reining. I think as long as you introduce it all from an early age, cobs are so sensible - usually!- that they are then ready for the final stages and take to it all better.

 

[Wheels]

My boy is 3 yrs 3 months and is just learning to long rein now in straight lines and large turns, I won't teach him to lunge until a couple of weeks before I back him which will probably be Christmas time, then he'll be turned away until spring.

Personally in your situation I would be working on the issues you are having first before you try to tackle other things, rearing while tied or at any point while being lead and the kicking out while being led need nipping in the bud now before it gets worse and someone gets hurt. These things are never best left as they can escalate very quickly

 

[millitiger]

I tend to sit on them the late autumn of their 3yro year- walk and trot on few little hacks (10-15 mins) and then turn away.
This tends to take about 3 weeks from start to finish, very low key with no pressure.

Then bring them back in spring of 4yro year and re-back and then hack them for the summer in company/alone.
They tend to get another break of around 3 months over the winter between 4yro and 5yro.

Schoolwork is left until they are late 4yros or beginning of 5yro year.

 

[Sparkles]

I think 2 and a half is too early. I will wait till he's 3 / 3 and a half, plus he is nearly 2 and a half and far too small! X

Hardly too early to be tacked up/mouthed/long reined round the roads and be used to a lightweight teen leaning over/vaulting up on for a 10 second walk round 3 or 4 times. Ten minutes with the above out of 24 hours, for about 4 or 5 days over a couple of months, doesn't harm them in my view. Other than that, they live out running as a herd of 2 year olds 24/7. All are quiet as a lamb to then break properly at 3, and then go on to do walk and trot hacking 3 times a week, then at 3 1/2 we introduce canter to them in an open space. 'Breaking' doesn't class just as the riding to me, but the groundwork covering everything but the rider previous to getting on. But only my opinion.

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

My 2 yr old Drum cob has already been tacked up, will hack out inhand with a saddle done up tightly, he knows walk and trot and will happily trot with his saddle on, he will be tied up, had the farrier, getting used to a stable currently and has good manners. Haven't lunged or long reined him as I feel he isn't ready mentally.... he is 15.3 at the croup and 15.1 at his withers and weighs about 600kg, he would easily take a rider. We plan on backing him next summer
XX

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

The rearing and kicking out when dragged away from grass is not excitement its bad manners. As is the act of putting his head down to graze when you don't want him to. You should be able to lead him without this happening. As another poster mentioned, you need to stop this behavior from the cob now.

To answer your main question, I'd break him in at three. Though there's no reason for him not to be got used to tack, walked out and handled or taught a few voice commands before that. Lungeing and riding I'd wait until he's three.

 

[JFTDWS]

My 2y8m pony has been bitted (wouldn't take him out without) and had a light synthetic saddle popped on his back in the field. He hasn't been girthed yet.

He's worn a rug and is used to blankets / flags / saddlecloths thrown over him. He's been lead out in his bridle, met traffic and such. He's used to spending time in the stable and being left alone when I take the others out. He's encountered all manner of "scary" objects for desensitisating and is used to most forms of handling. The only thing left to do this year is to take him to a show, probably agility as I hate in hand showing with a passion

He's been free schooled over fences twice - once intentionally, once he broke into the field to join one of my older horses in the fun He's never been lunged, though he has been handled on the lunge as a long line. He will start long reining next summer before backing in winter - he will be 4 the following January and I will back him lightly around then and turn him away for spring, if he's physically mature enough.

That's my plan of action, anyway. I backed my previous one (well, current ride, really) at 3 and a half, doing walk trot work in the field in the first year. This one I will do more work on hacks than in the field (logistically challenging last time) and back slightly later. But I'm tall and reasonably heavy relative to his size (highland, c. 14,2, hopefully) so I'd rather leave him till I'm sure he's physically capable of carrying me.

 

[Cocorules]

Until this year I had backed at 3.5 and bitted at the same time. But last year when I came to do my then 3 year olds one would have accepted it but I felt she needed longer she was unhandled until nearly 3 anyway. The other kept growing at the back end and was mentally immature. For the first time I did them at 4 and I would do so again in future they are so much more relaxed.

I prefer to bit around the same time as backing as unless you are showing I do not see the benefit. They get that quickly anyway. They get teeth checked before being bitted too.