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I have some questions about foals. I might buy a yearling ( I would not start it under saddle until it is 3-4 years old) and need some advice on how to start it under saddle. I have never owned a horse but I have worked with green and young horses before. I will be working with a trainer. Any advice welcome 🐴 |
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Jeez. Everyone is being so hateful and half of the people didn't even read the entire post. I like my young horses, but older ones are safer. I started with a 20 year old TB, who had raced and played polo and was totally sound and sane. Then, I moved to a young roping mare that was not quite solid enough to rope, but fine for a kid to ride. Next, a mare that went 10 years after her "30 days" before she was ridden again. She is 16 now and runs a 9 second stake race. Since she is starting to get older, I broke her daughter to ride last year. That one is about to be 6. She runs an 11 second flag pattern and is working on her handle a bit before getting back in shape to compete in spring. Now, I'm doing ground work with a weanling and doing some saddling and lunging with my almost 2 year olds. They are very developed, not scrawny and lanky. They are halter bred with thick bone and pretty good muscle. They can start training before a thinner built horse can because they are sturdier, but they still need until their b-day before they are ready for any real riding. In terms of starting them, horses are afraid of things on their backs at first. It helps to have them wear a blanket in the winter. They get used to the feeling and are more comfortable. One of my yearlings is very desensitized, and swinging her lead rope over, under, and around her as a weanling, making lots of weird noises, and showing her objects has made her very calm. Like with my adult horses, you can walk up to her with the blanket in the middle of the pasture and throw it over her back in a windstorm without a flinch. It took time, running the blanket on her, and practice to make her so fine with it, but she has never flinched at being saddled or even taken a silly step with it on. You can get a lot of advice from people who have had horses a while and don't mind sharing knowledge. My mom watched me learn by doing and stepped in when I needed it. You can get a lot of good tips from trainers on youtube as well. I would recommend you get a 2 year old if you want to start riding at any time, maybe a yearling if you want to spend a lot of time on the ground first. Just make sure it already has some training, because the first good manners are the most important thing and set a horse up for now they will always be. It is best for an experienced horseman to get those first skills taught because they can be frustrating, and the last thing a baby needs is for the human to get mad at them. I hope this helps on your journey to having your dream horse! P.s. If someone has a horse that is over a year old and not even halter broke, don't buy their horse and don't take their advice. A horse needs to at least be halter broke to do the hard basics, so that person either doesn't care too much for the horse, or can't teach it. |
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These would be questions you should ask your trainer. You dont start a foal under saddle, you start a HORSE. There is alot of opinions on "when" to start a horse under saddle. General vet consensus is that 3 years of age is the minimum "safe" age with many vets advising 4+ as better or, on an individual basis, when the animals knees close. A horses spinal processes aren't closed until 7 years. How? If you have to ask the question, you aren't ready to start your own horse. In this case, it'd be best to send to a trainer to put 30+ days on him/her. And then once the horse is "broke" work under guidance of your trainer. Unfortunately, if you dont start the horse right, you can make life lasting issues for the animals work career. |
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If this is going to be your first horse, don't buy a foal. Buy a horse that is older and trained. |
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Ivy Wood Stables said:
If this is going to be your first horse, don't buy a foal. Buy a horse that is older and trained.
Agreed. If you buy a foal and don't know anything about foal care or know someone who could help you take care of the foal then it could/will end in disaster. If you want a horse (and don't already have one) you should start out with getting a solid, broke horse and (if you don't already have one) a trainer to teach you the basics of horse care (if you don't already know that). Also, you should not be riding a horse until they are at least 2 or 3, some people start their horses later (or earlier) per vet's instruction. I just have a question for you though, have you ever worked with/owned horses before? I mean no offense by this question, it's just out of curiosity :) |
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I get the appeal of buying a foal as they are generally cheaper BUT remember then you have a long wait until you can really do anything with that horse. Like previously stated it's generally recommended to back no sooner than 3 years old. I know thoroughbreds are backed way sooner but I have seen from personal experience the damage this does not just physically but also mentally. If you do purchase a foal then there is a lot of other factors to look at. Firstly, how old is the foal you're looking at? If the foal is younger than 6 months old then it needs to stay with its mother until it is weaned. Foals that are between 6 months to a year need to be kept in a herd environment with at least one older mare or gelding to teach them proper manners and how to socialise correctly. Nothing teaches manners better than a grumpy mare or gelding (I have seen my own mare give some well-placed kicks to youngsters who had no concept of personal space). Just a tip: unless you are extremely experienced with horses and have access to the correct facilitiesdon't go for a foal. |
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I don’t mean to be rude, but I will be blunt about this. If you are asking these questions, you should NOT buy a foal. Take more riding lessons, part board or lease a horse, maybe buy a first horse that is pre trained. Once YOU can confidently answer these questions yourself, then you can consider buying a foal. |
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Green + green = black and blue. I agree with all the above posts. Foals are cute but need a correct start in life. I'd suggest you get a horse thats already started |
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You can’t start a foal under a saddle you would hurt them! You can start a horse around to 2 and 3 years old. I like starting my horse at 3 mainly. I also agree with the posts above. If you ask me you should teach them how to lung and stuff before even daring to put a saddle on! I have a little foal myself they are the cutest thing ever but not ready for stuff like that yet lol! Hope my advice helps! |
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I agree with everyone above. |
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