When to start breaking in..........

C

cobface

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What do you do with your 2yr olds?
Coblet has turned 2, next spring i plan to bit her, and start the early process of long reining getting her used to tack etc and by the end of next summer hoping to lightly back her then turn her away for winter and bring her back as a newly turned 4yr old in april.
 
I bitted my boy at about 18 months simply for showing - with a straighbar nylon snaffle. I later used the same bit for leading out in hand - the sooner you can start that the better IMO.

My boy is now rising 3 (born in October) and I've just started lunging and longreining, now in a loosering french link - for discipline purposes really as he was a bit full of himself! I plan to continue this twice a week ish through the summer and see how we go in the winter and then bring him back into work March time as a 3.5 y/o and back him properly and ride him through the summer... I may try and keep him ticking over during the winter or I may turn him away and pick him up again in the spring as a 4.5 y/o. depends on him really. Ihave also started leaning over his back as he is a big lad at 16.2hh already and I don't want his size causing me trouble when it comes to the big stuff!!

good luck!
 
CBFAN - 16.2 already!!

My cob stands at 14hh and even now she uses her weight against me when she doesnt want to do something. Have been leading her out but she gets strong in a headcollar so the bitting process may have to come sooner! shes still very bum high and has long cannon bones so i reckon she should make around 15.2hh. :) Looking forward to starting her but can see i may need a bit of help!
 
My little boy has just turned 3, and I have been long reining him a couple of times a week for about 3 months now....(with the odd week off, or only being done once.....) and I finally got on him for the first time last week!!

He was very very good, though a little unsure of my weight on him, as he still has a fair bit of maturing to do I think!

I have taken him to several shows this year and last and walked him out in his tack to get him used to sights and sounds.

He has had to walk up and down the road to his stable at night, in the winter, since I have had him though, so he is quite used to traffic....

There are some pictures on my FB page if you fancy looking at his backing progress!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=224451&id=751570742&l=69fce91cb2
 
As he is so big I would live to break until 5, as otherwise many leg problems will occur and your horse will be knackered by the time its 6
 
I started Stinky's education from 16 months - bitted and leading, walk, trot, turns, stand, back up - all ready for showing. Took him for walks with just the two of us, so he learnt to trust me.

At two, he was long reined, led off my old horse to see more of the world, getting him ready for later hacking. I continued with his in hand education, walking over poles, tarps and general things likely to scare him, loud motorbikes, bicycles, people with brollies. Had a saddle on, taught to stand at the mounting block and had me put a foot in the stirrup though not mounted.

At 2 1/2 he did 5 minutes a week being sat on. I am very small, he is very sturdy and my vet and trainer were happy to do this. We did things like having a leg up, mounting from various objects, adjusting stirrups, girth, arms and leg waving - no real ridden work.

At 3 we started little hacks and 10 minutes in the school at walk and trot. At 3 1/2 we did our first canter and started lunging on large circles and using the whole school with poles put down.

At 4 we started to do bit more schooling, lunging, local dressage and showing, longer hacks both in company and solo.

At 5, affililated showing, learnt to gallop and jump small fences, did first little WH course in showing. At 5 1/2 did our first jumping competitions.

Now 6, keeping on with showing, now jumping up to 3', and had it not been for my illness, we would have hunted this spring and done some XC - now put off until this autumn.

I started early but everything has been done very slowly and gently, never turned away as he likes to be kept thinking and has never been stressed and needed time to recover. I appreicate not all can do this as I did him at home with professional help and he was not sent away.

I don't like the word breaking, I prefer to use education - and education is not just about doing nice circles in the school but getting out and seeing life and as many experiences as possible from tractors to loose dogs.

I now have a nice all round little horse that rarely spooks or gets upset - partly due to his nature and due to the hours I have put in on him.
 
I also wanted to add

Our Clydesdale came to us at four. We just hacked her for a year, and from 5 we have done some small jumps (which she loves) and a little schooling. At 5 1/2 she too did her first little jumping competition. She is now 6 and we are starting to do some canter work, but compared to Stinky she is very green and not as balanced, but he is 15.1 and she is 16.3 and needs a lot longer to get her strength and coordination together. Realistically it will not be until she is 7 that we will get a nice fairly balanced canter on a 20 m circle which Stinky could do by the time he was 4 1/2. This weekend she did her first showing show - really enjoyed herself, but we did ask that folks kept out of the way when cantering the corners of the ring!

All horses are different and what works for one will not for another. Stinky is very mature, Farra is calm but like he was at four in terms of what she can do. My WB mare at 7 was like a 3 year old and was treated like one - another big girl that needed lots of time to mature both mentally and physically.

I hate this 5 min edit thing - admin needs to give folks a bit more time to think and type.:(
 
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