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That all being said, if you know your horse is ready, I don't necessarily think it is a problem to start getting them used to the basics in a way that doesn't hinder their development and growth. With my mare as a two-year-old, she already had a solid start on the ground, I had built a good relationship with her, and above all, she wanted to learn; she would always love trying new things, and she seemed to get bored with all the groundwork (we still did the groundwork, don't worry, lol), so I started just sitting on her in the pasture with a halter and lead rope. I would get her to flex both ways, then neck-rein her both ways, and maybe back a few steps. It was really simple stuff that didn't strain her too much, mentally or physically, but it allowed her to figure out some aspects of riding without messing with her growth. I didn't actually start riding her until she was like 3.5, and even then, it was, usually, 20–30 minute sessions, part groundwork with like 10-15 minutes of riding, once or twice a month. When she was 4 years old, I started riding her more consistently, but I still paid attention to make sure she wasn't stressed out by it. As KPH said, just compare them to humans. Each horse is different; some pick things up faster, some slower. Even if they are eager, I don't start riding them for more than 15 minutes until they are 4 years old, and even then, I try not to push them too hard if they struggle with something since they are still babies. Some horses like a challenge and like to learn; just make sure you aren't doing too much until their bodies can handle it. Make sure, no matter what, you are listening to what your horse has to say, as that is the most important part of training. |
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ShiningStar Stables said:
ghost light stables said:
ok ima set this here starting a horse a 2 is better than staring at 3 although only walk trot and getting your horse in the bridle no jumping or loping when you start a horse at 3 or 4 there will be worse problems as your starting it 'late' as the horse could be harder to start or even handle on the ground from not being started at a younger age i hope this helps a bit plus they said they walked over a small crossrail
I don't fully agree with this. As someone who has started a 13-year-old that hasn't had anything done with it, they can be stubborn, but overall, you just have to work at their pace and they will get there. In my experience, starting a horse later doesn't make it harder as long as you have put some work into the horse on the ground. If you take the time to form a solid bond with the horse and set them up for success with the groundwork, then they will usually be easier to start. If you just throw a foal out at pasture and don't do anything with it until it is 4 and try to pull it up and start it under saddle immediately, it will obviously be harder. Hopefully, that made sense and came out right. Its 3 a.m. here, and my brain is mostly fried lol
i get what your putting down as ive also started older horses but i also forgot to put in that starting horses at two helps there growth a lot better and it helps them get stronger
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I agree that starting a horse too young can be damaging to both their mental and physical health, but I have also seen for myself that with the right training a horse who was started young can do very well. I know an 8 year old girl who can handle and ride a 5 year old horse extremely well by herself. They were beginning to learn rollbacks and travers and other more advanced moves. Again, this was with private training which I know can be very expensive and is not for everyone. And this is one horse, every horse is different and progresses at different rates. Please don't take this post the wrong way. I'm not trying to attack or criticize, I'm just giving my experience so it can be used if deemed helpful. |
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Trivia Team |
This isn't about progress or how well the horse is doing now, it's about longevity of the horse. Breaking them too young leads to problems years down the road, but unfortunately we're too used to immediate gratification these days so these consequences don't become apparent until too late |
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FirstLightFarms said:
This isn't about progress or how well the horse is doing now, it's about longevity of the horse. Breaking them too young leads to problems years down the road, but unfortunately we're too used to immediate gratification these days so these consequences don't become apparent until too late
this^^ |
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I understand that, but this also circles back to the fact that rushing a horse's training and pushing them to progress faster than they're ready for can affect a horse's longevity. Doing certain things too early can be extremely damaging to the horse, but there are also things that are okay to start early. 2 years seems very young to start a lot of riding but basic things may be okay to do periodically. If it were me, the most I would be doing is lunging and working on things we can do from the ground unless told otherwise by a credible trainer. The people I mentioned before started their horse at three years and were working with world-class gaited horse trainers to develop him the right way. Jennifer and Larry have a lot of experience training horses and do anything they can that will help improve the horse's quality of life. They have immense knowledge of the horse's body and how it works and have seen many issues in horses. I'm not trying to be biased or unfair, I'm not trying to tell you that other trainers do it wrong, all I want to share is what has worked for me and my horses. If you don't agree, that's fine, but if other people think this is helpful, it's there for them. |
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ShiningStar Stables said:
That all being said, if you know your horse is ready, I don't necessarily think it is a problem to start getting them used to the basics in a way that doesn't hinder their development and growth. With my mare as a two-year-old, she already had a solid start on the ground, I had built a good relationship with her, and above all, she wanted to learn; she would always love trying new things, and she seemed to get bored with all the groundwork (we still did the groundwork, don't worry, lol), so I started just sitting on her in the pasture with a halter and lead rope. I would get her to flex both ways, then neck-rein her both ways, and maybe back a few steps. It was really simple stuff that didn't strain her too much, mentally or physically, but it allowed her to figure out some aspects of riding without messing with her growth. I didn't actually start riding her until she was like 3.5, and even then, it was, usually, 20–30 minute sessions, part groundwork with like 10-15 minutes of riding, once or twice a month. When she was 4 years old, I started riding her more consistently, but I still paid attention to make sure she wasn't stressed out by it. As KPH said, just compare them to humans. Each horse is different; some pick things up faster, some slower. Even if they are eager, I don't start riding them for more than 15 minutes until they are 4 years old, and even then, I try not to push them too hard if they struggle with something since they are still babies. Some horses like a challenge and like to learn; just make sure you aren't doing too much until their bodies can handle it. Make sure, no matter what, you are listening to what your horse has to say, as that is the most important part of training.
This is pretty much what I'm trying to say. |
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Daytime Flurries, Clearing Overnight
