Where are others with thier 3/4/5 yr olds? Am I on track???

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Sunny08

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As post says really, sometimes i feel my little mare is far ahead of the game other times I feel I am taking her too slowly...
She is just turned 4, 16.1hh, AA/ISH. as a 2yr old she had a mature and easy to handle attitude which has stayed, I broke her in properly in March when I felt she was physically mature enough. Now she works in the school 2/3 times a week, hacks 2/3 times a week and normally lunged once a week... I haven't started competing her and I don't ride her more than 30mins at a time, I jumped her once on lunge but haven't started jumping her properly but do add the occasional poles into the school to make it more intersting. She is a forward thinking mare, she is forward going, starting to come into a contact and has good transitions and really good natural balance.

I am doing my trailer test this summer so hoping to start getting her out and about end of summer/ autumn time just to 'experience life'. I intend to start her proper schooling training in winter and introduction to competition next year?

Am I on track - I know every horse is different so what point are others at with thier babies? I really want this girl to end up novice eventing...
 
I broke my little sweetheart in 2 months ago she is now 3 but I sat on her when she was 2 years old but nothing more (she was already 16.1hh by that point lol)

so 2 months have gone by since i re-sat on her and at the moment we are walk/trot/cantering, I did so much long reing with her and still do so. got her walking and ocassionally trotting over poles. Just getting her desensitised to everything at the minute, started hacking her out but im waiting till next month so i can buy some horse boots for her so just messing about in the field at the moment.

Got her doing to leg yeilding the other day, nothing too major just messing about and having fun! trying out different things! Will start doing it properly next year but i wont turn her away in the winter. Also going to try and get her to some shows before the end of the year -maybe in hand showing.
 
Hi, You sound at a very similar point to me with my 4yr old. I backed her in February this year. I just try to do a bit of everything and keep life interesting for her. We do go out in-hand showing, but not every weekend, prob once a month.

In the school i have just started to ask a tiny bit of leg yeild, just to get her moving away from my leg and it is really helping with her transitions.

I am a bit like you, i do feel i am taking things very slowly but i want her to last me for life so am very consious about not breaking her!!
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I think as long as you are where you want to be it really doesn't matter. I think people can put too much rigidity into working with babies and at the end of the day if you are enjoying what you are doing and progressing (whether it is a little bit or a lot) then you are on track.
I do what I think is right with each of my babies depending on how they are going and have clear aims in my mind that fit with their trainability, ability, conformation etc. If I don't go to a show then I don't go to a show but I know exactly when they are ready and then I go.. and not before, just because people think I should.
I think you sound like you're well aware of your baby and where she is up to so I would say you are bang on track
 
3yro- saddle/bridle on and long reining around the field. won't be getting on until the autumn as still not too immature.

4yro- hacking alone/ in company. schooling nicely and about to start jumping.

5yro- hacks well. good lateral work. jumping 1.10m and abou to do her first BE event
 
Hello There, I am planning to back my part bred section D in August, she turned 3 in May so we have started some light work on the lunge, long reining and walking out etc. I've had her since she was 10 months and will have her for the rest of her life (or mine!) so have been able to bring her on as slowly as she needs, she's very calm, extremely confident and enjoys new things so so far she is proving almost too easy (dare i say it!) It's sooo exciting bringing your own on though there's nothing like it! I used to work on a stud farm and so everything had to be done in a certain way to a certain time frame! You are so right when you say every horse is different and should be treated so! Keep us updated she sounds lovely!
 
I bought my boy in Sept last year as a 4 1/2 year old. The dealers I bought him from had him for 3-4 weeks. He'd been backed (poss before they got him) and was doing some quiet hacking and a bit of school work with them.

He was (and still is) very quiet and sensible. I spent the winter hacking him (in company for the first few weeks and then by himself) and schooling 2-3 times a week for around 30 mins with a bit of jumping every few weeks. We also went out to a v small local clear round jumping and a few dressage comps to get him used to going out and about.

This spring I increased his schooling and started gradually expecting more of him in how he works. He's done some more prelim dressage, been XC schooling a few times and more recently done two 2ft3 ODEs. He turned 5 at the end of May and is currently having a few weeks on hols in the field to give him a bit of a break.
 
Our boy who turned 5 last week has hunted a few times, hacks out alone, done some unaff sj and is doing his first aff. dr in a couple of weeks time, he still gets abit brain dead xc so we're limiting it for a couple of months, he will go to pc camp and then hunt for most of the winter with the aim of BE intros next spring, but who knows! don't even know it we're doing it right.
 
3rd birthday- 15.2, did nothing as he looked to have a lot of growing and maturing to do.
3 1/2 - in the September, now 16.1 backed lightly and rode a little in the school then didn't do much over the winter
rising 4 - March, fully broken, working alone in school and hacking out.
4 year old - hacking, schooling, lessons, in hand showing,
rising 5- endurance, learning to jump, lessons, unaff dressage
5 year old (now very fit)- planning: more dressage, lots of long hacks, more jumping, Xc schooling, SJ, ODE, ridden showing....
6 year old- eventing
 
my four year old was backed in february. is now schooling nicely and jumping little fences under saddle. is hacking out in company but not braved cantering on hacks yet
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he's been to one clinic but no shows. will start taking him out to little local shows end of this year with aim of BE intro next year
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Uno was 4 in April. He had been sat on a few times in November, then rested and I bought him in January. I restarted him in March. He is now hacking out in company and short hacks solo, goes sweetly on the flat (with the odd baby tantrum) and is popping a small course of fences. He's been on a few outings to other arenas and the local RC showground and is probably ready to go to his first party!
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He is probably ridden 4 times a week to include hacking and schooling, and is lunged with a kavalkade lunging aid to help him work over his back. He is turned out from 6am until around 6pm every day. This routine seems to work for him, although I am always very conscious of doing too much with him and tend to go along with how he feels. For instance, a couple of weeks ago we were popping small parallels and uprights and there was a 90cm upright left out from the previous lesson. He was feeling confident so we went for it and he didn't bat an eyelid, altho if you had said to me beforehand that we would be jumping said fence I would have LOL!!!
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