Skeletal maturation and starting a young horse
- Thread starter happyappygirl
- Start date
happyappygirl
Rocky Mountain High!!
"Starting" The youngster - Things to accomplish
If you don't want to read the whole thing, it details the growth rates of verious body parts, the most crucial being the neck and back. I know i want my youngsters to provide me, (or someone) with years of long healthy service, and this makes sense to me. YES it will be hard to wait four whole years to really have a trail companion, but, what's it worth to me? In terms of 25-30 years of sound service, in the grand scheme, 4 years isn't so much. So here is a list of what in reality should be done to "start" the horse before you ever really point him towards earning a paycheck. I thought it was a good list.
The following as a minimum list of enjoyable "things to accomplish" together with your young horse before he's four years old, when you do start him under saddle:
* 1. Comfortable being touched all over. Comfortable: not put-upon nor merely tolerating, but really looking forward to it.
* 2. This includes interior of mouth, muzzle, jowls, ears, sheath/udder, tail, front and hind feet. Pick 'em up and they should be floppy.
* 3. Knows how to lead up. No fear; no attempt to flee; no drag in the feet; knows that it's his job to keep slack in the line all the time.
* 4. Manners enough to lead at your shoulder, stop or go when he sees your body get ready to stop or go; if he spooks, does not jump toward or onto you, will not enter your space unless he's specifically invited to do so.
* 5. Leads through gate or into stall without charging.
* 6. Knows how to tie, may move to the side when spooked but keeps slack in the line all the time.
* 7. Knows how to be ponied.
* 8. Carries smooth nonleverage bit in mouth. Lowers head and opens mouth when asked to take the bit; when unbridled, lowers head and spits the bit out himself.
* 9. Will work with a drag (tarp, sack half filled with sand, light tire, or sledge and harness).
* 10. Mounts drum or sturdy stand with front feet.
* 11. Free longes - comes when called and responds calmly to being driven forward; relaxed and eager.
* 12. When driven, leaves without any sign of fleeing; when stopped, plants hind feet and coils loins; does not depend on back-drag from your hand to stop him.
* 13. Familiar with saddle, saddle blanket, and being girthed and accepts it quietly.
* 14. Backs easily, quietly and straight in hand, "one step at a time".
* 15. Loads quietly in horse trailer, unloads by stepping backwards from inside horse trailer without rearing or rushing.
Various people might like to add to this list. Please feel free, just so long as what you're asking your young horse isn't more than he can physically do. Getting the horse "100% OK" mentally and emotionally - those are the big areas in successful early training; most of the physical and athletic skills can come later, when it is fitting.
I've had people act, when I gave them the above facts and advice about starting youngstock, like waiting four years was just more than they could possibly stand. I think they feel this way because the list of things which they would like to include as necessary before attempting to ride is very short. Their whole focus is on riding as why they bought the animal, and they think they have a right to this. Well, the horse - good friend to mankind that he is - will soon show them what he thinks they have a right to.
If you don't want to read the whole thing, it details the growth rates of verious body parts, the most crucial being the neck and back. I know i want my youngsters to provide me, (or someone) with years of long healthy service, and this makes sense to me. YES it will be hard to wait four whole years to really have a trail companion, but, what's it worth to me? In terms of 25-30 years of sound service, in the grand scheme, 4 years isn't so much. So here is a list of what in reality should be done to "start" the horse before you ever really point him towards earning a paycheck. I thought it was a good list.
The following as a minimum list of enjoyable "things to accomplish" together with your young horse before he's four years old, when you do start him under saddle:
* 1. Comfortable being touched all over. Comfortable: not put-upon nor merely tolerating, but really looking forward to it.
* 2. This includes interior of mouth, muzzle, jowls, ears, sheath/udder, tail, front and hind feet. Pick 'em up and they should be floppy.
* 3. Knows how to lead up. No fear; no attempt to flee; no drag in the feet; knows that it's his job to keep slack in the line all the time.
* 4. Manners enough to lead at your shoulder, stop or go when he sees your body get ready to stop or go; if he spooks, does not jump toward or onto you, will not enter your space unless he's specifically invited to do so.
* 5. Leads through gate or into stall without charging.
* 6. Knows how to tie, may move to the side when spooked but keeps slack in the line all the time.
* 7. Knows how to be ponied.
* 8. Carries smooth nonleverage bit in mouth. Lowers head and opens mouth when asked to take the bit; when unbridled, lowers head and spits the bit out himself.
* 9. Will work with a drag (tarp, sack half filled with sand, light tire, or sledge and harness).
* 10. Mounts drum or sturdy stand with front feet.
* 11. Free longes - comes when called and responds calmly to being driven forward; relaxed and eager.
* 12. When driven, leaves without any sign of fleeing; when stopped, plants hind feet and coils loins; does not depend on back-drag from your hand to stop him.
* 13. Familiar with saddle, saddle blanket, and being girthed and accepts it quietly.
* 14. Backs easily, quietly and straight in hand, "one step at a time".
* 15. Loads quietly in horse trailer, unloads by stepping backwards from inside horse trailer without rearing or rushing.
Various people might like to add to this list. Please feel free, just so long as what you're asking your young horse isn't more than he can physically do. Getting the horse "100% OK" mentally and emotionally - those are the big areas in successful early training; most of the physical and athletic skills can come later, when it is fitting.
I've had people act, when I gave them the above facts and advice about starting youngstock, like waiting four years was just more than they could possibly stand. I think they feel this way because the list of things which they would like to include as necessary before attempting to ride is very short. Their whole focus is on riding as why they bought the animal, and they think they have a right to this. Well, the horse - good friend to mankind that he is - will soon show them what he thinks they have a right to.