Here is more informatiom on my horse I need to now more about the bit to use?

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Kate 05501

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Oct 13, 2004
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Dakota is a black filly is six months old. She is staying at my sister friends barn and I live six hours away. I'm moving near my sister's house in June or July. I still need to know more about the bit? There is so many bits it's hard to know which one to use. Should I wait till she is 2 year old or 3 year I won't try to ride untill she is two. I want her to be able to hold my wait and she is ready to ride. I'm tring to get eveything be for I move.

When I was down at Christmas time Dakota was listing to me as I was bushinh her and touch her ears and down her front feet. My horse is with three others horses so its hard to stat in the stall.


Kate 05501 and the gang
 
Hi! Hiya

I have one filly. How many horses do you own and what breed are they? Do you have othet pets? I was wondering can you show an horse that don't have pappers? My horse is Qmerican Quarter Horse. I like to show it in horse sports. I have been on this board but I have to use the libary compture and it's on time limit. So I hope to hear from you and learn more about owning a horse. This is my first horse.



Kate 05501 and the gang
 
Horses are still quite immature at 2, and sometimes even at 3. I would never put weight on a horse younger than 3.

Your horse will go through so many changes between now and then; you don't need to start worrying about a bit now at all :) The right bit will depend on the shape of her mouth, just as the right saddle will depend on the shape of her back. Since she will be growing and changing for quite some time, you won't know what she will need until she's old enough.

For now, the best things to use on her will be brushes, hoofpicks, soft cloths, and halters & lead ropes. You can get her used to being touched everywhere, get her used to being led and to listening to your voice, and (very important) get her accustomed to picking up her feet and holding them up to be trimmed.

Teaching her manners and relaxation around people, now, will help you tremendously when you do go to start saddle training her.

---

Without papers, you won't be able to show in breed-only shows. There are shows where you can compete no matter what the breed of your horses; these shows do not require papers.
 
Ive got two horses -
a 16hh, 16 yr old Irish Thoroughbred (king), and a 15hh black lightweight cob (hector):
bestfriends.jpg

Ive also got a dog and a rabbit. :p

I dont know about the showing thing - the rules may be different where you are I think so I dont want to say!

xxx
 
Hi I cant get to grips with bitting a baby' a horse is a horse whether it is in the states or over here and here we don't back or bit them till at least 3 and then they are turned away for a year to mature' a horse doesn't stop growing till at least 7 yrs old and how you can expect a baby to carry an adult beats me' still I accept that some people do things differently'' good luck'
 
Originally posted by Megans mum
Hi I cant get to grips with bitting a baby' a horse is a horse whether it is in the states or over here and here we don't back or bit them till at least 3 and then they are turned away for a year
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I have to comment here. We do actually bit youngsters in brittain. Yearling can be bitted especially when shown as colts. They have small bit admittedly but they are nevertheless bitted. I had a Section C colt and as a yearling I was unable to hold him in a headcollar so had to bit him. Also showing yards bit yearlings to show them.

I had to comment, sorry.:eek:
 
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Well over here in Britain, not sure if it applies to everyone, we turn them away after they have been broken in until they have matured a bit.

Sorry only just read pams thread after posting, didnt mean to repeat.
 
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I'm training my horse at two or three years old and it's depend on her.

When I move closer to my sister I want to train her the bastic stuff. Like getting her feet clean and brushing her. I want to teach her to walk beside me and not to pull me like a teddy bear or a doll. I know she can't be broken till she is 2 or 3 year old. If Dakota isn't ready at 2 year old then I will wait till she is ready. I also want a close bond with her and trust between both of us. I hate that I can't be their to take care of her. I also meant the bit for the bridle.


Kate 05501 and the gang
 
I'm just bitting my nine month old colt - I use a tiny rubber snaffle smeared with treacle, and he wears it for minutes at a time. The only reason he's being bitted is because we hope he has the potential to stay entire for breeding, and so he'll be shown this year. Some shows insist on yearling colts wearing a bit, so I'm doing it now, and taking my time over it - if it wasn't for that he wouldn't be bitted until around 3, to be honest. Far too many changes happen in the mouth between birth and say, four years old to make bitting a neccessary thing. If he was a filly, where there's no requirement for bitting, again, I wouldn't bother. Because 2 and 3 year olds are shoen in the same class here, he won't do much as a two year old except be a baby, but I still worry that he's doing too much now. Babies need time to just be babies.

If you're desperate to bit her (and in all honesty, I wouldn't) use a gentle thin nylon or rubber snaffle, smear it with treacle or molasses to make the whole thing a pleasure, and don't overdo it - just let her wear it for a few minutes, and build up very slowly from there. You need to be very aware of any teething problems - bit a youngster when their mouths are sore and you'll create a youngster that doesn't like bits.

Otherwise, echo Galadriel - lots of grooming, and basic handling in short sessions is all she really needs. Show her plastic sacks and hoses if you like, and general life - but the absolute best you can do for her is to let her be a foal.
 
This is an interesting thread. I own 2 ex-race horses. My one, Fred was raced from 2 yo to 5 yo. He is just now turning 6. He suffered no injuries - luckily. My other, Seku, was put on the track at 18 mos - a horrible thing in my mind. And it backfired. At age three he chipped his right front knee and came up lame. He's now 4 and I am just getting on him, the first time being last weekend. Of course, some of that time off was due to his recovering from surgery and then a nasty fight with some barbed wire (got loose and then tangled in the neighbor's fence). Seku sold as a colt for $75,000 because he was a grandson of Secretariat and looked just like Big Red. He still does. However, I paid a $250 adoption fee for him. He will only be good for flat work, but that's enough for me.

The first thing I did when I got my boys was to leave them the heck alone for about 3-4 months. We did a lot of grooming, a lot of leading and walking, but mainly, I wanted them to learn how to be horses. They didn't know what grass was, nor carrots and apples. Fred refused to be outside at first and I had to lock him out of the barn so he could get some sun. They had worked so hard in their young lives, that they didn't know what down time was. It took 2 months before Fred even gave a try at playing, and now he and Seku are two fools, charging back and forth, biting and kicking at each other, chasing one another. It's a glorious thing.

I'm not putting down the racing industry because I don't fully understand it. But I really believe putting Seku out on the track that early did him in. Of course, this is a lot different than biting a young horse, but it seems that horses should be allowed to enjoy themselves a little before being worked. There's so much time to enjoy them, why take the risk?

(granted, I'm just a pleasure horse owner - no glory of winning, showing or training at all)
 
I agree with Galadriel - the horse is far too young. You can cause a great deal of damage and problems for the future by starting a horse before it's ready. I would advise you to spend time socialising the animal and getting it used to being handled from the ground for the next year or two. It's fun to teach it to "stand" when you walk away and to walk to heel without a lead rope (I have reason to be glad that my horse learned these "tricks"!). You'll need to do some "free" schooling and lunge schooling before you even think about weight on its back.

When you do start to introduce a bit you want to use the mildest you can find - and be prepared to be educated by your pupil. A straight bar or mullen mouth snaffle is the mildest but some horse prefer a jointed snaffle. A John Patterson snaffle (jointed but with a curve on each piece so the joint can't bang on the roof of the mouth) suits a lot of horses.

Don't let anyone tell you that you need to use a strong bit. My horse is a dangerous lunatic in a mullen mouth pelham but an obedient lamb in a JP snaffle. And this is not unusual!
 
I agree with Galadriel as well,

2 years old is very young. My mare is turning four this year and we have only worked on ground manners and things like that so far. We are going to saddle break her this year though and even then it will be very light because she is still so young(mentally and physically).

Anna
 
I have had both of mine bitted from 1 1/2 - 2 years old, I have to agree with Chev here the best bit's I have found for such early bitting is a rubber straight bar snaffle and a straight happy mouth bit.

Echo the teeth check though as mine had her wolf teeth come through while bitted and she was so resistent to the bit it has taken almost a year to get her to re-accept it.

I wouldn't sit on her before 2 and a half and wouldn't work her properly before three, there are reasons for this, Shandy was backed at 2 because the vet estimated her age wrong, we have had loads of troubles with her, from napping etc to mental and physical issues, it took turning her away for a number of months and going right back to the beginning to sort out her troubles. Even now at 3 1/2 she is a very nappy, insecure animal under saddle and it is mainly due to being overfaced too young - accidently - I would never choose to back a horse this early again.
 
I just want to do the right thing?

The bit I was going to use is Apple and peaunut flavor bit. I thought Dakota would like this one. I was going to do flat work only. Until she is ready. I thought if I can walk her and stop her and she don't pull me like a doll then I'm head of the game. I won't trot or canter untill she is ready to do that. I don't want to rush her or hurt her. I also know from training dogs that you do it five times and move on. I also want make the lessons short and leave it on a good note. I also from training dogs to treat for good behavor. I know I have a long wait till I can ride her but I want to bond with her and to teach her tyhat she can trust me.

Here is a question then, what can I teach Dakota? I also want to thank you for your help. I'm lerning the best way to raise my little girl.


Kate 05501 and the gang
 
If you can get hold of it a book called boombproofing your horse could have some good exercises foryou to try. Have a look on amazon they may have it there.

Bramble had an appleflavoured first bit that she took to well so it sounds a good choice, she also bit through it in four months so keep an eye on the wear and tear :rolleyes:

I wouldn't actually agree with the do it five times and move on analagy, maybe in one session but it has taken a long time for my youngsters to get the basics I would suggest you read some good horse training books before you get too far into it and that may help give you some ideas etc.

I know my horse has been hurt physically and mentally by backing too soon, the problem is there weren't any signs until it was far too late, please reconsider sitting on her before 2 1/2 othewise I can only sympathise with the work you will both have to put in as it often does not work backing too young I have had one on loan that had similar troubles and at 9 still hadn't got over them. Horses are very forgiving creatures and don't let us know when we do things wrong all the time.

Why don'tyou concentrate on groundwork until she's older, longlining and walking out in hand are brilliant for building trust in each other and also teaching the basic gaits etc without putting strain on her, it would actually help her be a better ridden horse if you do a lot of groundwork like this when she's old enough (not before 1 3/4 to 2 yrs old IMHO)
 
It's not really a matter of repeat five times and move on. Training horses and dogs are two very different things, and you need to approach them differently or you won't get good results.

The best thing you can do right now is get a few good books that talk about handling foals and how horses think - those two subjects are really important if you want to get things right. Different people have different approaches - but horses don't, so there are also a few points that you can think about now.

The first one is that foals of that age are physically and mentally unable to cope with lengthy training sessions. They learn best in short bursts, and usually if you don't set out to actually train them as such. Spend a few minutes every day rubbing her all over - work up to touching her legs, then her feet, and finally to picking her feet up. Work up to each new step slowly, at her pace. Be firm, but always fair, and never force her - it won't work. Encourage every tiny step she makes in the right direction.

Teach her to yield to pressure on the halter - start by standing at her shoulder with her halttered. Pull gently on the halter to turn her head towards you - as soon as she starts to, praise her. Work up to asking her to step forward into the pressure - again, the first time she takes even a tiny step, reward her. From there you can teach her respect on the halter - she will come to understand the idea of moving into pressure when led this way.

Take her out for walks once she's confident on the halter - nothing too much, just fifteen minutes looking at new things is great. Show her plastic bags - let her investigate new things and reward her when she does, calmly, reassure her if she needs it. Try not to frighten her, just show her the world is an interesting place and not something to fear.

She'll learn that you are someone who will keep her safe - that is trust. She'll learn that you won't let her push you around - that is trust. She'll learn that she likes to be around you and be scratched - that is trust. You really don't need to have training plans, or exercises to do with her. Everything you do with her is groundwork - even just rubbing her face when she stands quietly next to you.

It's also vital for her to have other horses around (anad preferably horses her own age). That is a must - a foal growing up alone will never usually make a well-adjusted horse. The vast majority of what she needs to learn is learnt from other horses. She needs to play with them, and interact with them, and feel safe with them. You cannot provide everything she needs - only other horses can.

Once she'll lead happily, and let you handle her all over and pick her feet up for picking out and trimming, there really isn't anything else you honestly need to do. Just let her be a horse.
 
Young horse

Whatever you are teaching, whether horse, human or hound -always finish on a good effort. If they do it well stop and go on to something else and try again another day. I think this is at the bottom of the "try it 5 times". Horses have good memories and will not forget what you've taught them and praised and rewarded them for but they can get stale if you bang on for too long on one thing in a session - like us really.

I rather get the impression that you are new to dealing with young horses. Please get some professional help - it'll be worth it in the long run but choose carefully.
 
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