Young horse learning bad behavior: is he ruined forever?

[kindergartencowgirl]

Last year, after encouragement from my trainer, I purchased a Dutch Warmblood foal.
He is 18 months old now; his name is Pete. He spent his first year on pasture.
Several months ago my soon to be ex husband took it upon himself to try to longe Pete in the round pen. Because of his ineptitude, Pete ended up jumping out of the pen and running away... twice.
Fast forward to yesterday as Pete has come to live at my barn and start his training.
The first report I get from my trainer is that Pete has learned such bad habits that he will always be a problem. She had him on the cavesson in the round pen and it was quite a scene as he tried to repeat this bad behavior.
It was very distressing to receive this report and I am looking for support! Pete is wonderfully bred and has a good mind. Is there hope for him? He will work five days a week with my trainer, who I really trust and love. Will he get past this? Or as my trainer said, will I never be able to trust him and will always need a stud chain?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Why is he being worked at 18 months old? Particularly in circles in a round pen?
I appreciate you are overseas, but surely you would worry about his developing joints?

 

[Birker2020]

Why is he being worked at 18 months old? Particularly in circles in a round pen?
I appreciate you are overseas, but surely you would worry about his developing joints?

I was just thinking the same thing. Stop immediately. WB's have enough joint disorder issues without you adding to it!
Working 5 days a week. Using a stud chain. Poor horse. You need to give this baby time to mature, you shouldn't be doing this until at least 4 years old and if it were me I would wait until five years and lunge maybe once a week tops.

He is a young horse who needs to be out in a field with horses of his own kind, and taught to tie up, lift up feet, be groomed, etc a couple of times a week and certainly not drilled to death on the end of a rope.

 

[Starzaan]

He’s probably just saying ‘I’m a BABY and my bones haven’t developed, stop working me please!!!’

 

[AmyMay]

He’s 18 months old. Leave him alone to grow and mature.

 

[conniegirl]

No he isn’t ruined for ever but he will be if you keep working him 5 times a week.
Warmbloods are slow to mature in both body and mind. They also don’t respond well to force.

 

[stangs]

Trust and love the horse instead of your trainer. At 18mo, all he needs is the occasional groom and practice of basic husbandry skills. Lunging five days a week at this age will not only damage his joints, but also seriously sour him. How does your trainer plan on working through this ‘bad behaviour’ - forcing him to keep doing it until he gives up?

Let him spend at least one more year in a paddock 24/7 out with friends. Far better for his joints, bones, feet, mental state… the list goes on.

 

[[153312]]

He's not ruined now but he will be if he's drilled in circles from 18 months old. He won't be skeletally mature until he's 5-8 but if you keep up the "training" you're doing, he'll be permanently unsound by then, as well as his good temperament destroyed.
Just let him be a baby....!!

 

[windand rain]

He is far far too young to be lunging but appreciate that in the USA it is common to start them far too young. So best to stop turn him away for at least 18 months. I don't lunge until about 6 years old once bones and joints have finished growing. For the first three years they are caught up maybe twice a week for hoof handling leading and loading at three they learn to wear tack and long rein at 4 carry a rider in walk trot and canter and ultimately hack out at 5 they learn to work in circles and maybe do a bit of jumping. If you want a horse to last a lifetime you cannot rush it. Warmbloods in particular need long time muscle training and development alongside the slow maturing brain which needs time to assimilate the information. I know others will have you doing more but my horses were all ridden until their late teens the ponies to late 20s

 

[MissTyc]

Get rid of the trainer.
Sounds like they don't really know much about horses.

But to your question: nope, not ruined forever. The first time I free jumped my gelding, he slammed on the breaks, slid under the jump, fell to the ground, leapt up and crashed through a fence in panic. Oh. Oops. Once under saddle this horse never refused a jump in 14 years, willing attitude, amazing animal. Just didn't like free jumping, I guess. He was 5 at the time, but he was such a baby brain.

 

[laura_nash]

Your trainer is telling you your 18month old has been ruined for life by 2 bad experiences and the only possible solution involves stabling him and working him 5 days a week? Ditch the trainer.

 

[Ossy2]

He’s 18 months old! Put him back out to pasture and let him mature i’d expect you won’t have half these problems in another 18 months time

 

[teddy_]

Please stop ?‍?!

So many warmbloods are plagued by orthopaedic problems and this approach to production is no doubt part of the wider issue. Working any horse on persistent circles < five years of age is damaging, end of.

Turn him away and don't touch him for two years, beyond basic handling.

 

[Arzada]

Stop lunging him. Find a new trainer, one who will guide you in teaching your horse the basics eg tying up, picking up feet, leading etc Once a week for you to learn from your new trainer should be sufficient. You are your horse's only advocate and he is being mistreated by being worked so young. Read up on the physical and emotional development of horses eg https://equinehelper.com/when-do-horses-stop-growing/

Is there hope for him? He will work five days a week with my trainer, who I really trust and love. Will he get past this? Or as my trainer said, will I never be able to trust him and will always need a stud chain?

Yes there is hope but only if you put a stop to this regime. Stop trusting this ill informed trainer and definitely stop loving them. And don't trust and love the next one until you know for sure that you can trust them. Always be with your horse for this training. Don't use a cavesson and don't lunge. Down the line when your horse is mature enough to start his ridden career it may be that you never lunge him. We never lunged ours prior to backing.

 

[ycbm]

New poster, first post ETA (other than a very brief intro). I am hoping to goodness this is a troll thread. If this is for real, please turn this poor little baby away with a suitable herd until he is at least three.

 

[[153312]]

New poster, first post. I am hoping to goodness this is a troll thread. If this is for real, please turn this poor little baby away with a suitable herd until he is at least three.

Not their first post, it's genuine unfortunately I think: look at their intro thread. She thinks this approach is going to get her somewhere in dressage I think, when actually all it will do is harm her horse.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

My young horse has done the following:

0-2: ate grass
2-3: ate grass and walked in-hand
3-4: tacked up, sat on bareback, ground work
4-5: backed, began hacking, learned how to lunge but not lunged beyond learning the skill
5 (current age): started flatwork, and has started to lunge a bit now that she is learning how to circle

I have only worked in straight lines, usually hacking, until she was five, on the basis that I want her growth plates to be stable before putting strain on her legs.

She’s the most important thing to me and I want her to be sound and happy for as long as possible.

 

[sbloom]

From your other post it sounds like you've perhaps only been riding for 5 years? An unbroken horse is a lot for anyone to take on, and you are therefore dependent on your trainer who is giving you terrible guidance as others have said.

I would take a breath and have a really good think about what you want to achieve in dressage, how you feel about horses and how we should "use" them, how much you'd like to learn about what makes horses really tick, how to prepare a baby for being ridden (much more preparation than many people do)....so many things that you need to be sure about. If you have no experience with any of this you are vulnerable to poor advice, with an experienced older horse you would need a lot less advice and could be less dependent.

Have a good think, and have a good read around this forum to see how people feel about their young horses and how best not to damage them physically and mentally and see if you think you can give this boy what he needs.

 

[hobo]

Might be a clue in the posters name Kindergarten is for very young children!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Might be a clue in the posters name Kindergarten is for very young children!

They could be a teacher.

 

[[153312]]

I presumed their name was because they're new to horses/ownership.

 

[Arzada]

Might be a clue in the posters name Kindergarten is for very young children!

Hello, I am a 57 yo AA dressage rider from Northern California.
I have been in training for almost five years. I have an 18 month old Dutch Warmblood named Pete.
I hope to learn a lot from you nice people.

Kat

 

[Leandy]

Do not start "training" a warmblood for dressage at 18 months. Leave him out in a youngstock herd for another 2 years, then you can start him. Please spend that two years doing some research on when and how to train such a horse and in finding an appropriate knowledgeable trainer to help you enjoy the process.

 

[Meadow21]

I think everyone has been saying the right advice. Stop lunging him and just give him time to mature. A friend has a big Dutch warm blood and he only was started at 5! Up until this he was regularly brushed, lead about and free schooled occasionally so he was comfortable around people and in different environments. When he turned 5 and they started him it was only 2 days a week work, and long reined/hacked out once a week when he could. Now 8 he is an incredible horse, never put a foot wrong and I don’t think anyone has ever come off him. Let him mature and grow! Someone once told me (not sure how true this is) that 6 years for a horse is equal to 18 for a person, so they shouldn’t be worked regularly/heavily until at least 6! Before then it is just learning/fun.

 

[windand rain]

As the OP hasnt returned we can safely say either not the advice they wanted or a troll

 

[ihatework]

He will only be ruined if you continue on as you are.

 

[Circe]

Your trainer sounds like an idiot
Let your horse grow up and mature before he really does get ruined.
Kx

 

[Jellymoon]

From your other post it sounds like you've perhaps only been riding for 5 years? An unbroken horse is a lot for anyone to take on, and you are therefore dependent on your trainer who is giving you terrible guidance as others have said.

I would take a breath and have a really good think about what you want to achieve in dressage, how you feel about horses and how we should "use" them, how much you'd like to learn about what makes horses really tick, how to prepare a baby for being ridden (much more preparation than many people do)....so many things that you need to be sure about. If you have no experience with any of this you are vulnerable to poor advice, with an experienced older horse you would need a lot less advice and could be less dependent.

Have a good think, and have a good read around this forum to see how people feel about their young horses and how best not to damage them physically and mentally and see if you think you can give this boy what he needs.

This.