What workload (if any) are your rising four year olds doing? Any of them riding? Bombproofing? Lunging/longreining etc
What are your rising four year olds doing?
- Thread starter shandy84
- Start date
Mine is doing a little longreining, has been taught to lunge in walk and trot but won't actually do it again until next summer. He has been sat on but not backed properly, I am probably going to leave it until spring. He's a good lad but still very babyish in his head so I don't think it will hurt to wait a bit longer.
I've been a slacker with my boy. I keep on putting off having him started due to personal reasons, but he is officially going in to be started in March (he turns 4 in June).
He's pretty bombproof, that's just his temperment, but he's been clipped, bridled, saddled, lunged a little bit, trailered, groomed (including mane pulling)That's about the whole story. this is him as of last week. still a bit baby looking. He's butt high right now, so probably not a bad idea to wait.
Once he's started, he'll stay started. I usually don't turn out.
He's pretty bombproof, that's just his temperment, but he's been clipped, bridled, saddled, lunged a little bit, trailered, groomed (including mane pulling)That's about the whole story. this is him as of last week. still a bit baby looking. He's butt high right now, so probably not a bad idea to wait.
Once he's started, he'll stay started. I usually don't turn out.
when kez was rising four he had not been taught to lunge. I refused to lunge him til after march this year, when he properly turned four. He had however been long reined, done some of the work from kelly marks perfect manners book and was hacking out inhand. He'd also been aclimatised to a saddle and a contact (through the long reining) on the bit. When we did eventually teach him to lunge it took about 5 minutes for him to click on to what we were doing. certainly no riding. He was looking very immature til this summer so i would never have dreamed of sitting on him.
Mine'll be 4 in April.
He's been lunged about 3 times, had bridle and saddle and brushing boots.
Had my lightweight sister on his back for about 2 mins.
Loads and travels, farrier and vet and wormers, rugs, shower and bath, ground manners.
Otherwise he's enjoying his last winter carefree and wooly.
I'm not in a hurry, he has the rest of his life to be a riding horse. I just want him to get most of his growing-up done before we start working him.
He's been lunged about 3 times, had bridle and saddle and brushing boots.
Had my lightweight sister on his back for about 2 mins.
Loads and travels, farrier and vet and wormers, rugs, shower and bath, ground manners.
Otherwise he's enjoying his last winter carefree and wooly.
I'm not in a hurry, he has the rest of his life to be a riding horse. I just want him to get most of his growing-up done before we start working him.
mine will be 4in May. Shes bored jst now cause iv been busy with my other horse but she loves coming in and learning. Shes backed and goes well under saddle,longreined and lunged. Shes good with farrier and geting hosed down,shes jst perfect
very laid back and clever. Ridden work with her at the moment is not very often and very little due to time hope to take her down the beach in summer thou or if the ground starts getin 2hard round here we take them across 2the beach 2lunge so thatl b fun xx
very laid back and clever. Ridden work with her at the moment is not very often and very little due to time hope to take her down the beach in summer thou or if the ground starts getin 2hard round here we take them across 2the beach 2lunge so thatl b fun xx
When Ive had 4 year olds I have spent time longreining round the roads getting used to traffic and all those scary things in life... also gentle introduction to harness, having a trap pulled behind them to get used to noise behind them ( not put to straight away) desentising having the shafts around them.. all good fun !
When M was four she was being taken out on a hack once a week and schooled once a week. She was taught to lunge although following this I only ever lunged her once or twice the whole time i had her! She was also introduced to poles and taken to a couple of local shows inhand
Rising four she had been backed and broken and being ridden once a week in walk and trot. She was also introduced to roadwork both ridden and inhand. She was loading/unloading, getting used to being groomed, having regular farrier, also introduced stabling to her at this point.
Rising four she had been backed and broken and being ridden once a week in walk and trot. She was also introduced to roadwork both ridden and inhand. She was loading/unloading, getting used to being groomed, having regular farrier, also introduced stabling to her at this point.
We have two. Both were backed in spring and are being gently hacked out once a week through the winter to show them the world. The mare has just turned out to be pregnant so will stop hacking in early spring and be a mum for a while. The gelding will be started "for real" at the end of spring with the aim to have him competing & fit before the start of winter 2009.
I have a four year old! He does pretty much everything...but hes not ridden much more than a couple of times a week at the moment.
I had him since he was 7 monthsld - I used to walk him out like a dog on roads and accross moorland. When he was 2 1/2 I long reined and lunged him for about 10 mins at a time. I backed him as a 3 year old - he was nearly 16hh and had 10 inch bone, so he was strong enough to sit on, although I am aware bones arent fully developed until around 6 years. He was pretty much left for the winter, and I rode him out occasionally - Im lucky hes the sort of horse who I can leave for weeks without riding, and then just jump up and go! He turned 4 July just gone, and has been ridden around 1x a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) over the summer. Its all roads and train tracks around here though, so its mainly a steady walk and then the odd canter/gallop when we get to a farm....even then its just the length of the field.
Hes a lazy boy - and very trusting, so I took advantage of it, and I used to sit/climb all over him when he was lying in the field. It got him used to having me on his back, so when it came to backing him, I pretty much just hopped straight up (I wore a body protector and hat though) because it wasnt really new to him.
Ever since I first got him, I would put tack him, bags, and even bounce balls off him, so hes used to pretty much everything. Hes still a bit green to ride, just because I havent taught him all the "universal" commands, but I can mostly get him to do what I want, which is fine by me! Ive also moved my horses to a field right next to a construction site - yay! They get to be right up next to tracters and lorries and all sorts of things 24/7! Its desenstising them whilst Im not even there - bonus! the horses are separated from the work site by a metal fence...but its almost like theres nothing there - I thoughtheyd be scared, but they stick their little noses through to be stroked by the builders, and are the first on the scene when something comes crashing down - they are sooo nosey! Builders have my number incase anything does go wrong, but they are pretty safecant see how they can get into site unless a tracter takes the fence down!
Anywho, I believe that as long as you arent over-working or over-loading the horse with weight before they have developed enough (also depends on horse and breed), you can get started on most things from a foal! All my horses are tied on their own (without hay) whilst I school/groom or muck out. I think its good practice for them (I dont leave them out of site though - just incase). The all get a saddle chucked on at an early age, they all get desensitised to bags/flying coats/mad dogs/kids, they all get exercise/footballs bounced off them, long reined/lunged/free schooled,and walked out in traffic (alone and in company) from as early as possible.
I make sure I dont throw them in at the deep end though - I let them take things slowly, and work them up to where I want them - how long it takes depends on the individual horse. I dont over work them - my 15 month old filly gets free schooled/lunged 1x a week, 2x each way. Its mainly for bonding, and getting her to listen, rather than building strength. she also gets walked out (when Im free), and has been desensitised to flying balls etc...you can bounce an exercise ball off her head, and she doesnt react at all! I also hang T-shirts etc off her ears so she gets used to things flapping in her face (there are lots of flags in the village, and some youths around here tend to like pulling them off, and they sometimes fly around, so I dont want her to freak if one does get her in the face, lol).They also get a full body wash with a hose pipe - which they love!
Ive been fairly busy though, so most days I only get an hour or so in the field to do the horses - so they arent over worked incase anyone out there thinks they are, lol. I just believe that a horse should be prepared for the big bad world as young as poss!
I had him since he was 7 monthsld - I used to walk him out like a dog on roads and accross moorland. When he was 2 1/2 I long reined and lunged him for about 10 mins at a time. I backed him as a 3 year old - he was nearly 16hh and had 10 inch bone, so he was strong enough to sit on, although I am aware bones arent fully developed until around 6 years. He was pretty much left for the winter, and I rode him out occasionally - Im lucky hes the sort of horse who I can leave for weeks without riding, and then just jump up and go! He turned 4 July just gone, and has been ridden around 1x a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) over the summer. Its all roads and train tracks around here though, so its mainly a steady walk and then the odd canter/gallop when we get to a farm....even then its just the length of the field.
Hes a lazy boy - and very trusting, so I took advantage of it, and I used to sit/climb all over him when he was lying in the field. It got him used to having me on his back, so when it came to backing him, I pretty much just hopped straight up (I wore a body protector and hat though) because it wasnt really new to him.
Ever since I first got him, I would put tack him, bags, and even bounce balls off him, so hes used to pretty much everything. Hes still a bit green to ride, just because I havent taught him all the "universal" commands, but I can mostly get him to do what I want, which is fine by me! Ive also moved my horses to a field right next to a construction site - yay! They get to be right up next to tracters and lorries and all sorts of things 24/7! Its desenstising them whilst Im not even there - bonus! the horses are separated from the work site by a metal fence...but its almost like theres nothing there - I thoughtheyd be scared, but they stick their little noses through to be stroked by the builders, and are the first on the scene when something comes crashing down - they are sooo nosey! Builders have my number incase anything does go wrong, but they are pretty safecant see how they can get into site unless a tracter takes the fence down!
Anywho, I believe that as long as you arent over-working or over-loading the horse with weight before they have developed enough (also depends on horse and breed), you can get started on most things from a foal! All my horses are tied on their own (without hay) whilst I school/groom or muck out. I think its good practice for them (I dont leave them out of site though - just incase). The all get a saddle chucked on at an early age, they all get desensitised to bags/flying coats/mad dogs/kids, they all get exercise/footballs bounced off them, long reined/lunged/free schooled,and walked out in traffic (alone and in company) from as early as possible.
I make sure I dont throw them in at the deep end though - I let them take things slowly, and work them up to where I want them - how long it takes depends on the individual horse. I dont over work them - my 15 month old filly gets free schooled/lunged 1x a week, 2x each way. Its mainly for bonding, and getting her to listen, rather than building strength. she also gets walked out (when Im free), and has been desensitised to flying balls etc...you can bounce an exercise ball off her head, and she doesnt react at all! I also hang T-shirts etc off her ears so she gets used to things flapping in her face (there are lots of flags in the village, and some youths around here tend to like pulling them off, and they sometimes fly around, so I dont want her to freak if one does get her in the face, lol).They also get a full body wash with a hose pipe - which they love!
Ive been fairly busy though, so most days I only get an hour or so in the field to do the horses - so they arent over worked incase anyone out there thinks they are, lol. I just believe that a horse should be prepared for the big bad world as young as poss!
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My three year old, rising four, was started under saddle this year and is pretty relaxed walk and trot, not done much cantering although it's happened a few times and isn't a big deal. Hasn't done any ridden work for last few weeks as I've been crook, but last week he had his saddle back on for some groundwork and a few strolls down the lane so hopefully, if the weather stays good we'll continue with that next week and I'll be back in the saddle directly.
Don't plan to do much until next year, but it would be nice to keep him 'ticking over' so that he doesn't forget he's a riding horse He loads pretty well, does wormers, vets, feet, rugs etc. Apart from that he's just doing any sort of desensitisation that crops up - this week we have mostly been following the tractor and hedge trimmer down the road
Don't plan to do much until next year, but it would be nice to keep him 'ticking over' so that he doesn't forget he's a riding horse
He loads pretty well, does wormers, vets, feet, rugs etc. Apart from that he's just doing any sort of desensitisation that crops up - this week we have mostly been following the tractor and hedge trimmer down the road newrider.com