Youngster

L

LKWilliams

Active Member
Joined
22 October 2019
Messages
41
Visit site
So after backing horses for years I have just started backing my youngster. He's been brilliant and doesnt care. But that forms part of a problem, he doesnt care what you do. He has been out for a trot with another horse. Is happy to follow a person on the ground, but will not go forwards without someone infront of him. I sat on him and my groundsman tried to push him out on the lunge and he wouldnt go, I clicked as this is how we get him forwards. This is only his 3rd time being ridden.

Just looking for other peoples experiences with this and some advice.
Ive always done youngsters that are more forwards and a bit silly than something this chilled out.
 
If you have been backing horses for years then you will realise he has no idea what you are doing up there and the aids mean nothing to him.
I would get off and go back to ground work and set my verbal commands in stone on the lunge, get someone on top and us verbal commands only from the ground and lunge him with a rider on, the pair verbal comands with physical ones and fade out the verbal using them only when needed.
 
Long reining would help - lunge him with two reins then gradually straighten up behind him. He'll understand the voice aids, and you just transfer your position so you are behind him. He will then get the idea of instruction coming from behind.
You may need to establish your lunging better first though - he should go out on a circle if asked to.

Don't be tempted to long rein him with a rider on though - I saw someone do this once on a sharp colt. He span, and the long reins wrapped round the horse, strapping the rider's legs to the horses's side. Horse then froze - one of the scariest things I have seen in a bit.
 
He is absolutely perfect to lunge and long rein. It’s just once I’m on he doesn’t want to play ball. He’s happy out with another horse but not happy in the school. I am trying to do as much hacking as possible but we are on an A road so it’s so busy at times we can’t
 
LKWilliams said:
He is absolutely perfect to lunge and long rein. It’s just once I’m on he doesn’t want to play ball. He’s happy out with another horse but not happy in the school. I am trying to do as much hacking as possible but we are on an A road so it’s so busy at times we can’t
Click to expand...
Can you not box up to somewhere quiet and hack out from there?
 
LKWilliams said:
He is absolutely perfect to lunge and long rein. It’s just once I’m on he doesn’t want to play ball. He’s happy out with another horse but not happy in the school. I am trying to do as much hacking as possible but we are on an A road so it’s so busy at times we can’t
Click to expand...

He’s not, not wanting to play ball. He’s newly backed and has no idea of what you want of him. He’s been ridden three times only,

I’m confused how you don’t understand this 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️
 
I had a young horse that had supposedly been backed . If it had , then it was done badly . I got our local super pro rider out . 2 days of consistent long reining and she understood all the voice commands. 3rd day rider got back on board and hey presto , problems sorted .
It sounds as though your young horse just hasn’t accepted your voice commands. Go back to basics , instil them and then go hacking .
 
amymay said:
He’s not, not wanting to play ball. He’s newly backed and has no idea of what you want of him. He’s been ridden three times only,

I’m confused how you don’t understand this 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️
Click to expand...
I understand that he's not going to be walking and trotting on command, he lunges perfectly when no one is on. As soon as you get on he challanges the person lunging. Happy to walk down the lane. Im just asking for advice on this.
He was better today as I just got on and had no one holding on so he couldn't follow anyone and was happy to walk on his own.
 
Thank you for all your help, he will be hacking until the new year anyway to build himself up.
He will then be turned away and brought back in for the hunting season.
 
My gelding was like this. Like you, I've backed loads of horses - he was the first that wouldn't go forwards on his own. He wouldn't even lunge without a person in front of him at first, that was a battle all in itself! He was also a rearer if you pushed him to do something out of his comfort zone, but is destined to be a super safe large pony for novice 'dad' so I needed not to encourage that. The rearing didn't last long, was just until he got his confidence.

We did:
- lunge solo
- lunge around the outside of the school so he was going 'first' in straight lines; long-rein round the outside of the school.
- walk hacks led, hanging back behind the others, going in front of the others, going off on his own. Then long-reining walk hacks, as the led ones really, alongside times when I led him from another horse.
- Leading him out from another horse, then getting on him and walking back towards his human 'dad' and another pony (with other horse attached at first, then other horse led beside him, then behind...).
- Hacking with annoying shetland as his buddy. He hates her, thinks he can do everything better than her, but... she was his guide when he needed one. As soon as he could, he wanted to go first, then got bored of her disappearing antics (she likes to spin and run off in random directions so we had to wait for my son to stop her and rejoin us) and would just carry on walking without her. In time, he got bored, wanted to canter and when I asked (voice), he went. At first trotting away from the shetland, then cantering back towards 'dad', but gradually cantering away too. Once he was happy going forwards out hacking, we went back in the school and he would go first. He is still slower and harder work in the school, but he's still only 4!

Compared with all the others (and his half-sister who we acquired this summer, who went first happily on about day 3!), he took a long time to get started. But he is so sweet and lovely now, and it was definitely worth it.
 
maya2008 said:
My gelding was like this. Like you, I've backed loads of horses - he was the first that wouldn't go forwards on his own. He wouldn't even lunge without a person in front of him at first, that was a battle all in itself! He was also a rearer if you pushed him to do something out of his comfort zone, but is destined to be a super safe large pony for novice 'dad' so I needed not to encourage that. The rearing didn't last long, was just until he got his confidence.

We did:
- lunge solo
- lunge around the outside of the school so he was going 'first' in straight lines; long-rein round the outside of the school.
- walk hacks led, hanging back behind the others, going in front of the others, going off on his own. Then long-reining walk hacks, as the led ones really, alongside times when I led him from another horse.
- Leading him out from another horse, then getting on him and walking back towards his human 'dad' and another pony (with other horse attached at first, then other horse led beside him, then behind...).
- Hacking with annoying shetland as his buddy. He hates her, thinks he can do everything better than her, but... she was his guide when he needed one. As soon as he could, he wanted to go first, then got bored of her disappearing antics (she likes to spin and run off in random directions so we had to wait for my son to stop her and rejoin us) and would just carry on walking without her. In time, he got bored, wanted to canter and when I asked (voice), he went. At first trotting away from the shetland, then cantering back towards 'dad', but gradually cantering away too. Once he was happy going forwards out hacking, we went back in the school and he would go first. He is still slower and harder work in the school, but he's still only 4!

Compared with all the others (and his half-sister who we acquired this summer, who went first happily on about day 3!), he took a long time to get started. But he is so sweet and lovely now, and it was definitely worth it.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for that! I’ll give all that a go!
It’s so frustrating as he’s so good and not worried it’s just going forwards x
 
Third time ridden?

Third time ridden I expect to do about 100 metres in total and get off. First time 10 metres and second time 50.

If at any time in those few metres the horse doesn't understand forwards, I turn it, which makes it move a leg to keep its balance. Praise every step mightily and they soon get the idea.

.
 
LKWilliams said:
Thank you so much for that! I’ll give all that a go!
It’s so frustrating as he’s so good and not worried it’s just going forwards x
Click to expand...

ycbm said:
Third time ridden?

Third time ridden I expect to do about 100 metres in total and get off. First time 10 metres and second time 50.

If at any time in those few metres the horse doesn't understand forwards, I turn it, which makes it move a leg to keep its balance. Praise every step mightily and they soon get the idea.

.
Click to expand...

I agree that expecting any more than a 100 m or so and thinking it will be easy for him is expecting too much of a young horse, he may be perfect on the lunge and long reins but that does not always transfer to what they understand when ridden.
As you are someone who has backed a lot of horses I am surprised you are finding this confusing or frustrating, in my experience of starting many over the years this is a stage a lot go through and a good trainer does not get frustrated they find a way to work with the individual in a positive way that they can understand, he is probably worried just not outwardly showing it, most soon catch on once they understand what is required and start to go forward willingly, give him a bit more time.
 
Are you teaching him to go from your voice on the ground? I teach them to go forward with voice commands then do the same on board but with a leg aid.

But if it's only the 3rd time ridden he probably just needs a bit more time, and I would only aim for literally minutes of ridden work but everyday.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top