Where do you back your horse for the first time?

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fitzaud2

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just wondering, as I would always back them in the arena, but recently, a guy was backing a pony in my friend's arena, and as we were watching the pony buck and drop the rider, my friend said he would never back a horse/pony in a sand arena, and he has been doing it for 30 years. his theroy was that if you back then on a driveway/road, they will respect the hard ground, and preserve themselves. my ex father in law does the same thing, for the same reasons, but i'm thinking self-preservation, if they do decide to throw you on hard ground, it's going to hurt alot more. Any opinions welcome!!!!!
 
I backed my boy in the arena but he was so well prepared and is very laid back, that he just walked off with me with no problems.

The only time he ever bucked me - and he has only had one bucking session and that was after 6 weeks and was entirely my fault - although he had been backed six weeks, I only did 10 minutes a week on him to start and asked him to do a turn when he was a bit unsure and pushed him and he exploded into bucks, I was glad I had a soft landing as I was off after the fourth.

Thank god he has never done it since as he scared himself sh*tless to see me on the deck and ever since he hates it if I fall off, which thankfully has only been twice and down to me loosing my balance and not him being naughtly.
 
first time or two, in the stable. a large one (mine are 15'x15') with no low beams, obv. I have never had a problem doing it this way, they feel secure, they can't do a runner, you can circle both ways (done it in a 12'x14' too) without a prob and show them what you want.
after that, usually walk around yard (stones/scrapings) and then, if all good, into arena.
i was told years ago by a true old-fashioned nagsman that the best place to get on for the first time is on concrete, because 99.9% of horses will not muck about on it for fear of slipping over. I've only been dropped once on concrete (and that wasn't a just-backed horse either) and i didn't hurt myself at all, have sustained worse injuries falling onto sand & rubber arena surface...
 
In the school generally. I can;t bear the idea of getting on in the stable!! Scares me for some reason.

Saying that, I did back one out on a hack (!) Me and friend were walking him out and he was being so good I thought he'd e fine if I got on and he was. Walked down the lane and that was that (grass track I might add, with friend leading me)

If you put all the work in in the school its just the next step, and nice if they are on the lunge so they can just go round the circle if anything spooky happens!
 
Yes - a stable for the first time - don't put shoes on until they are well established and riding out reasonably sensibly. Not so sure about the concrete, but can sort of see the logic......but as we all know there are always a few who do not have self peservation as their first motivator!
 
Always in my field/paddock, I wouldn't back them on concrete, rather get thrown onto mud/grass. (although saying that, I've had a lot of youngsters and not one of them have tried to get me off) never put shoes on unless they really need them, always back them bittless and bareback.
 
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fitzaud2 said:
just wondering, as I would always back them in the arena, but recently, a guy was backing a pony in my friend's arena, and as we were watching the pony buck and drop the rider, my friend said he would never back a horse/pony in a sand arena, and he has been doing it for 30 years. his theroy was that if you back then on a driveway/road, they will respect the hard ground, and preserve themselves.
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Sorry - but that's just plain silly! MOST horses who have been properly prepared don't buck when you first get on them - and it's NOTHING to do with the surface!!

But the one who IS going to panic and either bolt or buck (flight or fight) will do it on any surface as a friend found out when she bought a horse that was MEANT to be backed and ridden away - she mounted it in the yard the first time and it dropped her onto the concrete very hard!

We always back them in the manege - that's where they do all the preparatory work and where they feel 'safer'. I have 'backed' a horse in the stable first when I was on my own - but wouldn't do it by choice.
 
we have just done my three yr old about 6 weeks ago and did her in the stable. as said above no room for them to run around esp if onnly 2 of you, they feel secure nd you can walk round on them and use reins and legs etc then second day went for walk in arena and down rd a little way as she ws very good.
 
i've done them in the stable, concrete yard, arena and field- wherever the prep work has been done.

the arena isn't always the best choice as you need somewhere quiet where the horse and rider can concentrate 100%- on a busy yard this isn't always the arena!

my current 4yro still isn't ridden in the arena as it finds it a worrying place- he is mounted in the concrete yard and hacked out on the lanes but it would have been stupid to push the arena issue at this stage because it is the "proper" thing to do.
 
I'm with JanetGeorge on this one. I want the getting on bit to be a simple continuation of the work already done - and I certainly don't expect a problem if I've done everything right up to that point - so I do it wherever the horse has already been working. The last thing I want the horse to think is that this is something "special" and arouse suspicions. I often don't have help and have a system that works for me, so I'd rather stick with it than be chopping and changing as I go.

I think that is a BIG part of it. People who have been backing horses for years have a system that works for them, are good at "reading" the horse and acting accordingly, and could probably get the job done in lots of ways, but they know their own ways inside and out so that they progress by feel as much as by planning.

Part of it is experience, too. I had a big problem early on backing a horse in a stall with inadequate help and it definitely made me uncomfortable with the method. I also HAVE seen horses fall on concrete - including one that was being backed and subsequently needed a year to recover and never was able to do its intended job - so I would be leery. And some of it is cultural - it's very unusual to take horses hacking for more than a walk about where I'm from until they're riding reasonably (which can take anything from a couple of sessions to weeks) in the school, going forward off the leg, coming back to the hand etc. I'm just not comfortable putting the horse into strange situations until I'm sure it understands and has confidence in me and my aids. I really do think it's possible to skip steps and set up problems almost without knowing it in the initial stages so I want to know the horse knows before I start testing it.

That said, it depends on circumstances to some extent. I don't like doing them in the stable but recently did one in the 20x20 (yes, really) box it lives in, although that was partly because it got VERY worried about the mounting block in the school and we did think perhaps it wasn't as "untouched" as we'd been told. Also, the other person was a good, experienced horseman, so we were able to communicate well and keep things calm.

There are lots of ways to do it "right". And the truth is the vast majority of domestic horses are going to be pretty easy so long as people use sense and care. However, the value of a trustworthy system is for the few that AREN'T "normal" and require special attention or that have already run into trouble.
 
I recently backed Coco in our big barn on concrete, but have to say that wasn't by choice. He is very happy and confident in the barn and all the prep work had been done in the barn, I'd even resorted to lunging in walk & longreining on the concrete yard. Normally I would go for the field or school, but we have no school and this winter the fields have been unusable.

I fell off recently on the road & wasn't even bruised, and a couple of years ago in a school & was really bashed up, so I think there's a large element of luck as well as having a good landing.

Ideally I would do all prep work & backing in a nice quiet menage. Do get them off on hacks asap tho' generally 3 or 4 rides or so after backing at most. Last horse I backed was hacking out alone the day after she was 1st sat on, although she was a nice steady cob.
 
Backed our youngster in the yard (dirt surface) where she felt happy and comfortable. For preference I'd choose anywhere that was enclosed and where the horse felt relaxed and was used to working. For our girl, the mounting block was just part of the furniture and she was often turned out in the yard so was used to mooching around there. She didn't bat an eyelid when I sat on her and happily walked up and down the yard from the first day. We then took her into the arena and worked there and then went off out with a trusty pal first and then on her own.
Personally, I'd say the important thing is that everything is relaxed and calm and nothing is a big deal. Take it at the horse's pace as they're all different. Time spent early on will be worth it in the long run.
 
Normally on the yard or if they are a bit sharp, in a stable. My theory is they are used to the yard and the surroundings, have lots of other things to look at rather than worry about the rider and they generally seem more settled this way. I NEVER do them in the school, for the simple reason that if they do go to start up they have far more room to really get going and much more space to get away from the person on the ground. First few rides of our lot are always normally done round the yard walking round the horse box, first with someone holding lunge line and then without. I'm also very warey of doing them in barns ect. as was helping a friend do a very very naughty one who she tried to do in a barn which quickly worked out that it could hook her off on one of the beams by going up and plunging! (that was a sit on for an hour in the stable job in the end and by no means easy FYI its now a top class ridden New Forest but he still has shall we say "character")
 
personally another for a concrete yard here :)
when i backed V i did all the prep work in terms of sitting on him on the yard, leaning over, sitting on him for the first time etc and he was fine. the first time i actually sat on him in the arena (after a few weeks on the concrete) he dropped me 3 times in a row... it wasn't just a simple buck it was a full on rodeo session...the only difference to him was the surface he was on...i hadn't done anything else different... he's still funny to get on now- he's cold backed and i have to take precautions with him...if i am going out hacking i can get on him and head straight off...if i'm going in the arena then he goes very tense for the first few strides (he doesn't buck or pratt about anymore BUT he still tenses and 'humps' his back which used to be the sign that a rodeo session was coming)... he's certainly a horse that has a great sense of self preservation, he's never put a foot wrong on concrete....
 
We long rein a lot to start with. The young horse then has to square up to the world himself! Initially down bridleways (luckily one by yard), then around the fields. We back them on the yard (scalpings)..no shoes still! Get shod up. Spend a lot of time hacking out; teach them to lead from another horse; then hacking out themselves so they build confidence in a rider. Then we start schooling.
I feel too much is done initially on endless circles when the tendons and musculature are still developing. Also I think very young horses are more inclined to be difficult if doing too much of something they might find boring and difficult. Much schooling can be done out hacking if the rider stays engaged eg good soft constant elastic contact; well prepared clean transitions; halting square; leg yielding.
 
mine was done in her stable and has been hacked out and ridden in the field since.
we lunge in the arena but havent done much ridden work as its a deep surface and she would find it very hard work- getting her forwards is the msot important thing. shes not even tensed her back, never mind bucker yet (been sat on about 12 times now)
i think where ever they are most comfortable and relaxed is best...?!
 
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