Young Horses

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Flosii

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Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone else has a youngster and is finding it difficult to find things to do to stay entertained.

I am currently quite frustrated by not being able to compete or do sponsered rides as he is not yet 4.
I know not everyone will agree that he should be ridden or even competed at 4 (everyone has thier own ideas) However he is ridden 3-4 times a week light to moderate schooling session x2 and a hack at weekends. He seems to really like this routine and gets quite grumpy if not ridden on his set days. one day ridden one day off.

When I brought him it was belived he was a 5yr old and the people I brought him from were riding as such, so his routine and workload has come down alot.

Anyway the point is has anyone got some exercises that we can do over the winter? (he turns 4 in April and will not start jumping until the new year)

Thanks in Advance
 
I do current do some long reining with him, although not sure who gets more exercise from that pastime! :)

I will have to have a look into it, never realised that there were winter in hand.

Thanks
 
If you make longreining interesting, it exercises their brains as well!

Whereabouts are you? I know of about 4 different places near me that have winter showing on
 
There are plenty of non-schooling / non-jumping exercises you can do to keep him entertained as well as helping him learn.

Try setting up obstacles such as bending poles, walking over tarpaulins and riding him near/over scary objects which will help with his confidence in himself and with you as a rider.

You could also take him out to shows as a 'non rider' I know many people who take their youngsters to shows and just let them have a look round without actually having to compete.
 
You could also take him out to shows as a 'non rider' I know many people who take their youngsters to shows and just let them have a look round without actually having to compete.[/QUOTE]
Now I think this is a really rude thing to do, the organisers set up the show, put all the time and effort in and then get people who contribute nothing, not even one measly class entry, using their efforts to school their horses! :eek: Pay for an in hand class, withdraw if you think it is too much for the horse, but don't try and get your money back!
 
YorksG said:
You could also take him out to shows as a 'non rider' I know many people who take their youngsters to shows and just let them have a look round without actually having to compete.
Click to expand...
Now I think this is a really rude thing to do, the organisers set up the show, put all the time and effort in and then get people who contribute nothing, not even one measly class entry, using their efforts to school their horses! :eek: Pay for an in hand class, withdraw if you think it is too much for the horse, but don't try and get your money back![/QUOTE]

I have been to shows all summer, most of which have been at my livery yard and I have helped to set up and others with the organisers permission. It is a case of asking I think and not just turning up.
I have also been schooling around, in on obsicales. But Ponio is so layed back he is almost horizontal. I mean he is very switched on in his work but not phased by much.

Dianchi - I am based near Silverstone Race Circuit.
 
I don't think you need to enter a class if you want to take your youngster to a show to be honest. I think yes, maybe ask the organisers if you are able to bring a youngster along. I have taken mine along to a show where I was not doing anything with him. was though showjumping my other. I rode mine round a bit (he had done some in hand classes previously) and actually it went a bit t*ts up as he chucked me off! This though was in a large field they had away from any warm up arena (this was a SJing show only). I know the showground and people and they are very nice and want to help people with their horses so I had no qualms taking him.

I don't see anything wring in taking your horse as long as you don't interfere with competitors (ie don't just ride round of lead round a warm up arena!). You need to pick the right shows.

I would normally hang about, watch classes and buy food/drink anyway so I don't see what's wrong in that.

To be honest, had I not done this with youngster I may not have realised the issues he had so I am glad I put him under that bit of pressure then.
 
I've just bought my son a shetland who is rising 4. As well as him riding her I have just started lungeing her, going to start long reining soon with the aim to break her to the cart. I also take her out dog walking with me all over the place - from down the main street in the village to out in the hills and fields, means she gets to see a bit of everything! She popped a small fence today which she LOVED so I think she will enjoy doing plenty more of that :)

My son is great with her, and doesn't take any nonsense when he is leading her, so I think I've got a wee in hand showing duo to look forward to :)
 
I have a 4.5 year old and I have been riding him now for a year. I have always hacked him out. I personally think you can not do enough hacking. He does everything. Bomb proof in traffic, tractors, motorbikes,bikes, dogs, buses, flapping plastic bags, going in front, behind, slow gentle hunt training days, ,alone, in company, traveling in a trailer or box again alone or in company and finally taking him to shows to just have a look . The only thing I am now working on is pheasants that fly up in his face. Hacking is such valuable experience. I am now ridding him for an hour, 5 times a week. In the process he has become really fit as there are lots of hills where I am.
My advice to you would be take your time and do as much hacking as possible as it can only help in the future to make him a more confident and less scared horse. Best of luck and have fun (I know I have and do) .
 
I agree, if you have another horse which you are competing, I don't see any problem in popping the youngster on the box to have a look at the sights and sounds. If not, and you only have the one, perhaps see if you can take him out with a friend whilst they are competing?

But in the meantime, yes it's frustrating waiting as you feel they COULD do these things, however what's the rush? Hopefully, produced correctly, these babies will go on into their twenties. I don't see the point in rushing things at an age where it could oh so quickly go wrong.

I am at this stage with my 3.5 year old. She is 'backed', and walking round the school off the lead, after doing all the groundwork. But I only ride her (ten minutes walk around the school as she does tire very easily) once a week, she has every other day off and the rest of the time is spent walking her out in hand 'hacking' if you will. I also do a LOT of long reining with her - have you got any off road hacking where you can do this? She has become quite a pro and trots circles, serpentines etc - keeps me very fit also as I struggle to run in boots in a sand school ha ha!

Again, as mentioned above - could you do a bit of in hand showing? My little mare has got clipper marks all over her from having an ECG post-vetting, and has had her mane and tail chewed by the youngsters in her field so it's not an option for me, but could be for you?
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. We went in the school last night and managed to get our first proper canter, by that I mean on the right leg on both reins and he is beginning to understand the leg aid! I was absolutly over the moon with him.

abbeyjoll, I too feel that hacking is great an that is why he goes out twice a week (weekend) as I haveto ride in the school with lights during the week. We are this weekend taking him out in the trailer to go hacking elsewhere and we are going to trundle through a water complex. So fingers crossed he will take that in his stride just like everythign else.

I hope you manage to de pheasant your boy. We had one fly up in the school the other day I jumped about six foot pony never moved, and then someone switched off the school lights and plunged us into darkness, but my little man just carried on troting round!
 
We did an in hand show in the summer (one week after I got him) as it was at home which I feel is brillient learning for him to have shows on his home turf, (We came 4th) so was a very happy owner. I think I am finding frustrating because I have only every had ex racehorses, the last was a little tricky when she was out, so now I have gone to my little Heinz57 who tbf has been absolutley perfect at everything I have faced him with I get worried incase he starts to get bored and then develop bad habbits.
 
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