youngsters - 4/5 yos - how confident a rider do u have to be..

I think it totally depends on the horse, the support you have around you and how you "click" with the horse.

I bought my 5yo after looking for a horse when I sold my previous mare. She totally destroyed my confidence and I couldn't even get on her without shaking and crying.

Then I was looking for a been there done that type, but ended up with Mick. And we have done so much this past year. A ODE, jumping, dressage, trec...and I would NEVER have said I could bring on a youngster. But he was right for me and I was right for him, so it worked. We also are on the best yard in the world, with so much support.
 
[deleted user] said:
I think it totally depends on the horse, the support you have around you and how you "click" with the horse.

I bought my 5yo after looking for a horse when I sold my previous mare. She totally destroyed my confidence and I couldn't even get on her without shaking and crying.

Then I was looking for a been there done that type, but ended up with Mick. And we have done so much this past year. A ODE, jumping, dressage, trec...and I would NEVER have said I could bring on a youngster. But he was right for me and I was right for him, so it worked. We also are on the best yard in the world, with so much support.
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My thoughts exactly having just had a nasty experience with a supposedly established 9 year old who ruined my confidence
 
kerilli said:
GOD no, I never said that, and I've never thought it either. Not my quote.
QUOTE]

Sorry Kerilli, must have picked it up somewhere else :)


Sorry if have offended you! :)

Ps. Didnt mean you have ruined a horse!

what I meant was, that with the first horse you start and bring on, you are more likely to not reach full potential with horse; perhaps my choice of wording was not suitable :)
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see, I don't know either - I think you have to be confident in some ways but more being calm and firm as opposed to thinking you're the best rider about and can handle any horse type attitude. If you catch my drift?

I got my 4 yo when I was 16 - he was a 16hh conn x TB and just a very personable soul. Loved people and basically wanted to please. I hacked him out on his own from the wrod go - I don't know, he just gave me the confidence to do that. Plus though, i had never had a pony who hadn't really done what was expected (well apart from the one before him but that's another story), not had anything to knock my confidence in that way. Before buying him I looked at LOADS of horses of varying ages - we never really looked at youngsters but his ad just grabbed me (think it was the thought of a dun!).

He is now 19, still going strong but this year I bought a youngster (18 mths now) with the view to bring him on so I can start him off when I have to consider slowing my other one down a bit. I have never brought on a horse from scratch but we did partially break in a freinds horse she just sort of gave to us. We just sort of got on and got on with it and he was brilliant. I think a lot of it is not over-thinking about it - ie don't think about what COULD go on or what the horse could react to etc. My theory is if you ride the horse how you expect it to behave this can work very well - if you're not scared of lorries, plastic bags etc then you should be able to give that vibe to the horse. Ok, so it's not as black and whiet as that but I know what I mean!

I like the idea of blank canvasses. I have found with older horses you can end up just taking on some one elses problems and mistakes and if the horse is indeed fantastic you're going to have to pay for it!! My 4 yo never went through a tantrum stage and quiet frankly I probably did far more with him as a youngster than I should have (BSJA etc) but he just went with the flow and seemed to love it.

I don't know, it's tricky. Be open minded, certainly don't rule out a youngster though, it is lovely seeing them develop.
 
Agree with the post about how the horse is fetched up, we have all seen well behaved children and the squawking brat scenario, same applies to horses. I had my two lads turned out together with my old mare (serious dragon lady) who kept them in line and I didn't let them have an inch.

What I have now are two confident youngsters, that will stand when told to stand (god send for my wrecked back) listen to mother and know that mum is the boss. Its not something that happens over night, rather months of patience and firm black and white rules.

If you let them have an inch or do not set boundaries you will reap what you have sewn later on. Be firm but not a bully and not sure if this helps, but for the first year of their ridden lives they are not allowed faster than a trot (canter work on the ground, on a lunge) not had one that has tanked off with me yet......that may be fatal last words lol :D
 
Lol, Confident! my current personal horse I bought a few months ago as a just broken 4 yr old. I bought him as he had a really laid back temp. and seemed really chilled to ride. In the past two weeks he has grown rather large prominent horns. Now he's not only feeling fit and well, he's also more confident, carries himself better and so has taken to some rather exciting airs above ground in canter. He feel's lovely and very engaged and then BAM! It's all rather too engaged and gets rather hairy. I hoping that with a couple of weeks hard work he'll come through this, if not its making for a rather interesting period and certainly was interesting at a jumping clinic on friday. Young horses go through stages, some don't but most when they hit 5 tend to "find their feet" a little more so be prepared for this. I'm hoping mine has found his now, and won't get any worse but who knows. They tend to level out at 6/7 and get a bit easier.
 
Confidence in both handling and riding is essential as a youngster looks to you to give them the reassurance they need in all sorts of situations.

From personal experience I would say the most important thing you need when taking on your first youngster is a good instructor who can make sure you are getting the most from them and that you are doing right by them.
 
I would say fairly confident. Yes there are always the exceptions to the rule with youngersters - nice quiet confidence givers - but these come at a premium because they have generally been started professionally.

I've backed and brought on a fair few youngsters in my time - normally with a lot of help - one I can say I had to sell because she had been too much for me - perfect as a 4 year old but when she hit 5 and found her feet - well she found they could go in the air quite easily!

I think it is down to personal preference. After about 10yrs of youngsters this time round I bought an older more experienced horse - and I have to say I am loving the fact that she is straight forward and knows her job. I miss the hugely rewarding feeling of doing something on a youngster and thinking 'i thought them that' but with her it is a known quantity not always the concern, and she can forgive my bad days a lot more...

After my personal experiences I would always advise against a youngster if you are not brimming with confidence and knowledge - and have lots of help on hand.

Good luck with your search!

x
 
to be honest i would say you have to have some level of confidence but as long as you can be patient a young horse will give you more feeling of accomplishment than what an older horse will, i bought taz at three, have now had him two years, and love the thought that i have produced him to be the horse that he is at the moment, my friends three year old is quieter than taz, alot of people at my yard have recently bought youngsters and as long as you can stay relatively calm and work through any potential problems you will be fine
 
I've brought on several youngsters and all have turned out fine- the one I've been having most problems with is a very green 5 year old who was almost totally ruined by unconfident handling- the horse lost confidence in the owners....it was a vicious circle....he's coming good now though.

Its not all about the riding .....confident handling on the ground will pay dividends. The horse needs you as an effective, fair leader that he can trust and sometimes if you are not confident enough to do this the horse will either take over and turn out bolshy or become anxious and stressed.

The one I lost my confidence with - several years ago now....was a 'been there done that'' 11 year old who was set in his ways. A lot of older horses know every trick in the book and are not necessarily easier or quieter IMO;)
 
JanetGeorge said:
You don't have to be super confident to ride SOME 4 year olds! I've got a 4 year old here at present who was backed at Christmas and has been quietly ridden away since. Almost ANYONE could ride him - he just doesn't know what naughty is! And I sold a 3 year old a couple of months ago who is as close to bombproof as ANY horse comes - his new owner had never had a youngster before and she hasn't had a moment's worry with him - has even let her 9 year old daughter ride him in the school (he's 16 hh!)

What you DO have to be sure of is that the youngster has been properly handled and produced - by someone who knows what they're doing! A good youngster is NOT cheap - but they're a worthwhile investment as you have a VERY good chance that - barring accidents - they'll stay sound for a LONG time! And you're not undoing other people's mistakes!
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Absolutely right.
I am a nervous cr*p, appalling rider but I bought a 4 year old saint. Yes he's had his moments but someone did a superb job of backing and breaking him and other than him learning he's a big brute and occasionally using it against me, he's been brilliant. I have learnt so so much and I have to say every one of his faults I've caused. He's what we've made him (for better and worse) and I'd do it again tomorrow - but only on the right horse.
 
Depending on your situation and if you can find one have you considered a greenbroke older horse? I have seen a couple of recently broken 6/7/8 year olds arround going for not much at all. You can have the oportunity to bring on yourself but (generaly) the horse is beyond the teenage strop stage and has a little more confidence and life experience so is less neurotic.
 
You need to be confident as well as a good rider and have a good understanding of how that particular horse is feeling at the time when your asking them to do something, you need to know when to ask and when to stop asking, there is fine line that can easily be crossed....but their all different!;)

You can't be afraid of coming off, it's part of the deal, you have just got to crack on with the job.

Very rewarding, always interstering but emotionally draining at times.

If your is heart is not in it, then don't bother as it's a waste of time, money and energy otherwise. :D

That's my take on it anyway.
 
You need to be very confident. If I were you I would hold out for something more experienced.
I bought my first youngster, he had just turned 5 recently broken and quite sane considering, however they inevitably have major baby moments and there personality can change quite dramatically as they mature physically.
Two of my friends also have youngsters bought as 4 yr olds and both have had their moments too.

They can be rewarding but you do have lots of down moments too. Not the easy option no matter how laid back you think they are, :)
 
It depends on the horse, i ride quite a lot of youngsters and am not the most ballsy rider i wont get on just anything but can deal with the problems if and when they arrise,

if you go for a youngster just make sure its a super chilled out easy going on not all babies are difficult just like not all oldre horses are straightforward
 
JanetGeorge said:
You don't have to be super confident to ride SOME 4 year olds! I've got a 4 year old here at present who was backed at Christmas and has been quietly ridden away since. Almost ANYONE could ride him - he just doesn't know what naughty is! And I sold a 3 year old a couple of months ago who is as close to bombproof as ANY horse comes - his new owner had never had a youngster before and she hasn't had a moment's worry with him - has even let her 9 year old daughter ride him in the school (he's 16 hh!)

What you DO have to be sure of is that the youngster has been properly handled and produced - by someone who knows what they're doing! A good youngster is NOT cheap - but they're a worthwhile investment as you have a VERY good chance that - barring accidents - they'll stay sound for a LONG time! And you're not undoing other people's mistakes!
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I agree with Janet!! I've had older horses that I have had more problems with. A young horse is NOT always a bad thing. My new was young and green However he has a wonderful temperament and while yes he can still do silly things sometimes, like threatening to rear because he wasn't allowed to just follow the other horse out of the school, I just talked to him, circled him around, stood him still for a few mins and he was fine.

The only thing I will say is you do need to know how to spot little things that turn into major problems if not dealt with.
 
You need to be confident but the level of confidence required will depend on the individual horse as some horses are easier to train than others. There are some youngsters which are 'unflappable'. They are laid back, take everything in their stride and are willing to please. If you are an experienced rider, capable of bringing on a horse then you could look at buying something like this, as you won't need to be super confident, but you will need to be confident enough to be firm and show the horse what is right and wrong, encourage it and be able to put up with the occasional spook etc which is just a part of any green horse. Cobbier shorts tend to be easier to train and Irish types are known for their trainability and calm natures.

Hope this helps. :)
 
It depends a lot on the horse. I have a 9yr old that has seriously knocked my confidence. I have never been a nervous rider, always had foprward going 'difficult' horses but this one, well it has me worried! I think he will always be like he is so even as a 15 yr old would not be suitable for a nervous or novice rider.
 
It depends on the horse. Mine is 5 but I've had him from a foal. I am very nervous and not very good. He is so ace to me. I did have to get him BE by a professional though as a nervous rider/young horse doesn't work with jumping fillers etc. but apart from that I've done it all myself.
 
As a rule of thumb, normally very confident and competent. Fleur at five was to say the least a huge challenge at times, but she stayed that way so part of it was that she was a highly strung warmblood.

That said, Farra and Stinky at three/four would hack out alone and could be and were ridden by novice riders, albeit under my supervision. On the rare occasion, something could make them spook, but no more than many older horses I have ridden.

I would say most riders would be fine with a gypsy cob or a clydesdale from a young age but not a TB or WB type in general. The thing I would say you need is understanding that at times youngsters do daft things without warning and need to get out and learn about life and what it can throw at them.
 
I bought my boy at 4 rising 5, he had been long reined and sat on as a 3yo and then done nothing but chill in a field and a bit of in-hand showing. He's my first horse and I'm not a typically ballsy rider. Saying that I have ridden a variety of different horses and up until I bought my boy I was hacking point to pointers (quite calm ones mainly). I mainly chose my boy because of his temperament - he is a quiet baby, I've backed him and am in the process of schooling him at the moment. We've had our moments, he left me face down in the mud twice after disappearing off with the long lines round his ankles and we have had some serious strops out hacking. He will hack alone and in company now and usually not totally disgrace himself.

I think although I'm not a really confident rider I was open about that and I bought the type of horse that suited me. He's a 13.1hh Fell pony so you can imagine that when he has a tantrum and rears it's a lot less scary than a 16hh TB which I would hop straight off and not get back on!. I've come off him twice at a walk due to spooking and swerving and have been pushed and shoved and trampled and dragged round the school on the lunge more times than I care to remember. We tend to progress slowly, after 6 months we don't canter in the school, we're still working on trot! We've just started canter transitions on the lunge which can be a little hair-raising. I also have regular lessons and my instructor has ridden the pony on occasion to iron out particular problems.

One thing you do have to be I think is technically quite a correct rider, I feel that I've learnt to ride all over again having lessons on my pony to teach him how to go correctly in the school with bend etc. I never thought so much satisfaction could be gained from being able to walk a correct 10m circle but I can now spend ages working on his walk (maybe why we haven't made it to canter yet!). Another thing you need is endless patience, I had no idea I had these levels of patience!

I've found that patience, stubbornness, a sense of humour and a secure lower leg position (which I'm working on) are required for a youngster, you cannot let them take the p**s and you can't get too fazed by what they do one day, they may not do it the next!

Sorry, this has turned into a bit of an essay!
 
I think you have to be sensible if not confident when buying a youngster. I am not a very confident rider and I bought a just turned 5 year old just over 3 years ago but I am fairly sensible. I have plenty of lessons and I am realistic about his behaviour and take things very slowly so that neither of us is pushed too far out of our comfort zone. He is a native so his temperment is quiet in general.

I agree with the comment that when very young they can be very quiet and energy is spent growing and then suddenly they can go through a more confident questioning stage when older, especially with the cob or coldblooded late maturing sorts.

TBH - I did not think I could handle a youngster originally but could not find a suitable affordable older pony and in the end I have been able. Sometimes it is the people who are really confident that they can handle any horse or problem that come unstuck.
 
It's not just about confidence, you need the skills, strength and stamina to be able to react to the horse's every move.

So you do need a certain degree of fitness, to be able to use your body correctly and have the muscles and self co-ordination to stand up to any high jinks. If you're weak and feeble either in mind or physically they will soon realise this and start to take the mickey. :D
 
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