Training a young horse??Help!!

D

darren2003

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Mar 6, 2002
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Bangor, N.Wales
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Hi,

Has anyone any tips on how to start lunging a horse that is new to the lunging experience??

I have a 2yr old Welsh Cob Gelding, who is my first young horse ever, and I’m not really sure on where to start with him (lunging, backing, although I know he’s a bit young to start backing and how do I get him to accept the saddle when I do eventually start backing??????


:rolleyes:
 
Hi Darren
have to trawl through the memory bank for anything useful.
I know you said lunging but I found long reining to be far easier to start with with my young mare and then progressed to lunging with two reins, although I didn't do a lot of lunging on a circle until she was older as I didn't want to put too much strain on her joints.
As far as introducing a saddle, let it be a thing they get used to seeing around, let him sniff and inspect it until he's comfortable with it being around (I useda synthetic so it didn't matter if it got a bit grubby or got teeth marks on it/ leightweight for horse to get used to). I used a roller to long rein with to begin with, so she was used to having something around her tummy.
Needless to say my mare is incredibly laid back and was very easy to do. I'm no expert but I'm sure you'll find lots more help on here.
PS have you got anyone nearby who can help you get started/pass on tips? An extra pair of hands is very useful with a youngster!
 
Teach him to walk, trot and stand up in hand first so that he learns the 'vocabulary' for his lunging. Once you start lunging get someone to help you by walking with him with you lunging. At his age stick to very short sessions of about 10 minutes and work mainly in walk with a little bit of trot. Avoid a lot of trot or canter at this stage as it does put a lot of strain on developing joints. If you know how to long rein it may be preferable to start him off with this and then progress to lunging when he is a bit older and more mature.
You can start working towards the backing process even now by gently leaning against his side and putting arms over his back without taking your weight off the ground. Introduce him to a lunging roller once he accepts this, initially just placing it over his back and then progress to fastening it around him. Do it up quite loosely at first (just enough so that it will not slip) and even with that be prepared for a bit of bouncing when he first walks on(some do, some don't), once he is happy about that you can tighten it up a bit more. If he progresses happily through this there is no harm in putting a saddle on him to get him used to it. Again lean over him with it on and get him used to that. He will probably be ready physically to back lightly next year as a 3 yo and then turn him away to grow a little more and mature before starting again when he is into the spring of his 4th year.
 
I would agree with LGD re approach but I'd actually not start lunging for a while yet. In the meantime, you could continue to introduce the young one to new experiences - and to the notion that you're trying to help prepare the ground for what's to come next. What I mean is the patient demonstration that if you are asking for something which is reasonable, you are teaching (over time) that what you wish is to receive a reasonable response.

Good luck, I'm no expert but I'm learning!!
 
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