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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
   
Location: North Dakota | Maybe I just need my butt kicked. (I can always count on the BHW folks if I need my butt kicked  )
I've got a coming 3-year-old gelding. Had him since he was 6 months old. Pretty quiet for the most part. Never once even cared that I put a saddle on his back. I put about 15 rides on him last year, not consistent. On about the 5th or 6th ride, we had a little incident which was 100% my fault. We weren't in a good location when he threw a temper tantrum and it made it a thousand times worse because he got his butt zapped by an electric fence. He thought it was me that did it to him. Got bucked off. (I got back on of course.) The next ride the next day he threw a crow hopping / bucking fit across the pasture. I don't blame him one bit for it because he was still scared from what happened the day before. Where I was boarding at the time, I had no arena and no roundpen. Only a large dirt corral (which was muddy most of the time from rain; hence why his riding wasn't consistent) and the pastures.
I moved my horses last year to a place that has a nice outdoor arena. I was pretty chicken by this point. Rides 8 through 15 were probably no longer than 5 minutes walking or trotting (very slowly) around the arena. More because MY confidence was gone. I did lots of ground work again before I mounted up in the new place. He seemed fine with it and 100% back to his old calm self.
Ultimately, I think my whole problem is money related. If I was in a better spot right now, I'd have no problem sending him off for 30 to 60 days this spring to someone else so that my stupid brain wouldn't have a panic attack on him. But we just built a house. And we have landscaping to do this spring. My other horse needs a saddle that fits him better. And I really should have a 3/4 ton truck and not my husbands 1/2 ton. There's always something. I could still swing sending him. It'll put me back on bills a small bit, but I could make it work. But I just think of the $$ I could save by training him myself and the $$ I could put toward something else. But then again, it would NOT be good if I got hurt with my current job. (That's my biggest deciding factor right now.)
Then there is the other side of me that had this glorious notion of "Wow, wouldn't it be cool to train him all by myself from scratch and have no one else touch him. What if he makes an awesome barrel horse?" That whole pride thing of doing things yourself. No, I'm not the world's greatest trainer, but I trained quite a few horses back in high school and I feel capable of training this colt too. Except my mind is just screwing with me, after getting bucked off (again, my fault .... I forgot to treat a colt like a colt and not trust him!!). And of course he's grown bigger since last year (he's over 15.2 hands now) and that's screwing with my mind too. Longer fall to the ground, and harder to climb into the saddle, even though he's never once acted up when I've climbed up. He's really been so good.
So maybe I just need a kick in the pants and get my arse back in the saddle again. He is a good colt. He should be easy peezy.
Or I don't know. The mind is sometimes hard to overcome. And he does seem to be a little spookier on the ground this year than he was last year .... but he is a colt, after all. They'll have that.
Or maybe I just needed to write down all my thoughts. 
Hubby is non-horsey and he wants me to send him to a trainer. Of course, he's concerned about me getting hurt. And it's a valid point because it wouldn't be good if I got hurt and couldn't work. (Although I will have disibility insurance together before I swing a leg over him.)
This was a ride or two before my stupidity and the incident.
Thanks for reading my blah, blah, blah, blah.
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
 
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Send him off. You might be able to work something out where they will take payments. This is coming from someone that started colts for a living for over 10 years, but I have kids and am home 99% of the time by myself. I live very rurally and would literally sit out here for days if I got hurt. I am sort of in the same boat. I have a show horse prospect that is 3 in Feb. I had hopes to get him riding some last fall and then give him the winter off and start again this spring. Well we have 3 rides since Oct. I'm not doing him any good so I am hopefully taking him somewhere this weekend, along with my barrel prospect that is also going to be 3. I hate paying for someone else to do what I can (and I love the feeling when you did 100% of the training) but after 30 days and knowing he is more solid and safer, I will be better prepared to take him from there. |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
Location: WYOMING | Its ok to put lots of short rides on him, repitition will be better than length anyway. I would do some real good desensitzation stuff and keep making short rides. Work with a tarp, banging stirrups, flappy stuff, etc and build ur confidence back up... but thats just me. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | Most certainly agree to sending him to someone!!! I have been riding broke horses now for too long n hate riding a colt (even after he's been ridden by someone else) bc of all the "things" that have to be "watched" for so I know how they are gonna act!!!! I like mine to have their 30 days or even up to 90 days with someone else first!!!!
Also I cannot be off work bc I got bucked/fell off!!! LOL
Edited by lhighquality 2014-01-31 2:09 PM
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
Location: WYOMING | IDK maybe you already did all this... ultimately you need to do what makes you the most comfortable... after 30 days of riding though my guess if he backed into another hot wire you would get dumped again. What I am saying is it sounds very situational why he bucked... but... I certainly understand your dilema. I SWEAR this filly is the last I will start... but I also LOVE to have one from start to finish so I understand that feeling!!!
http://youtu.be/ECU-fJGu6-k
http://youtu.be/WPQUetJXCk8
http://youtu.be/p2JB2vS7DGs
Edited by geronabean 2014-01-31 2:21 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 2258
| I have broke all my own horses for 10 yrs and broke a lot for other people. I got hurt 8 yrs ago and it took me a while to get back on the babies. I only ride my own now and I am still more nervous than I ever was before. I have a 4yr old gelding that I broke and have been riding since he was 2, he is good but needs more time outside and going places and I am nervous about it. So he leaves for a trainer probably next week to get me over the hump. He has never done a thing for me not to trust him but I know at this point I am not helping him if I am jumpy over everything I think he might spook at. So if you aren't sure about riding him then let someone put some time on to help you out with confidence. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | If your confidence is really that shaken send him off. I train outside horses, and I even had a client come get their horse before and gave them a reference to another trainer. That horse was a bad cat, he had scared me bad, and I knew I wasn't going to get over it. I absolutely dreaded even handling him.
That being said, if I was in your exact shoes with this colt and this isolated incident, I would suck it up and get to training him myself. My now 4yo tossed my butt on the ground once and bruised my ribs (OUCH!), but it was my fault, I knew he was fresh, I didn't work him on the ground long enough, and I goosed him a bit too hard with my spur. I had a mental block the next couple of rides, but if anything I just overworked him on the ground a bit, and rode more aware of myself, him, and our surroundings. After a few great rides I eventually got over it, and boy am I glad I did! He's turning out so nice and I can proudly say that it's not due to any help from anyone else's training. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 365
| I would send him off. No shame in admitting you need help, but there is in stubborn pride. |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | Send him. Your spine & brain are priceless. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Thank you all for taking the time to read through my post. I appreciate it. It's comforting to know that others are or have been in the same situation.
GeronaBean: When I moved to the new place, I did go through all that to try to build my confidence back up again. I kinda of "re-started" him, so to speak. It did help a little bit. But even as I sit here typing and thinking about it my mind is saying to me "WHAT IF you get bucked off again"? Obviously, even if I send him to someone for 30 days, doesn't mean he'll never buck or crow hop. Heck, my 7-year-old threw a sporadic bucking fit last year out of the blue. Hence why I try to tell myself to SUCK IT UP and go ride him and quit being a wussy because I CAN do it. I've never had a confidence issue like this before and it bugs me! When push comes to shove, I could force myself to do it.
Confidence aside, I think my internal battle right now is spending money vs. the pride of doing it yourself. (With confidence muddling that battle a wee bit. )
If hubby has anything to do with it, I'll probably be sending him off.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I suggest sending to the trainer especially if you are working, it is hard to commit 5 consecutive days a week for 4 weeks one to 2 hours a day.
If you choose to train the horse yourself, my bet is the horse will suffer in the end. Mine did when I was still training my own, and working full time. For the past 7 years I have had 30 days put on my horses then took over, now I am thinking 60 days with the trainer is better. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I send all my colts off to a trainer, after having my daughter....I just can't ride a buck like I use too.
Sending him to a good trainer would be a good investment, you can always finish him off your way once he is home |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
Location: WYOMING | r_beau - 2014-01-31 3:53 PM Thank you all for taking the time to read through my post. I appreciate it. It's comforting to know that others are or have been in the same situation.
GeronaBean: When I moved to the new place, I did go through all that to try to build my confidence back up again. I kinda of "re-started" him, so to speak. It did help a little bit. But even as I sit here typing and thinking about it my mind is saying to me "WHAT IF you get bucked off again"? Obviously, even if I send him to someone for 30 days, doesn't mean he'll never buck or crow hop. Heck, my 7-year-old threw a sporadic bucking fit last year out of the blue. Hence why I try to tell myself to SUCK IT UP and go ride him and quit being a wussy because I CAN do it. I've never had a confidence issue like this before and it bugs me! When push comes to shove, I could force myself to do it.
Confidence aside, I think my internal battle right now is spending money vs. the pride of doing it yourself. (With confidence muddling that battle a wee bit. )
If hubby has anything to do with it, I'll probably be sending him off.
well I know the feeling... sounds like sending him off would be best! |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | You will get pride from the fact you chose to send him off to get a good solid new start, which will gain your confidence to make him into the horse you want, not the horse you dread cause he might buck....... |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I train for people all summer long as well as start all my own colts. BUT I've been right where you are before too. I also know how hard it was to ride with any consistency last summer with all the rain we had. I fought through my fear of getting piled again & it took a LONG time to get through but as training is my income I had to deal with it. In your case I'd send the horse to someone else. When you're fighting your own head the colt knows it and will pick up on that little bit of nerves coming from you. For both of your sake, send him off. If you can go ride with the trainer once a week so you can feel him progress and build your own confidence before you bring him back home. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Yeah, I think you guys are right. I should send him.
I don't have any kids yet, so I do have time most evenings after work. But I know that I will be busy this year trying to get our yard together on the new house. Right now it's just a bunch of dirt. We want to finish the basement too, so if that project gets started, I will certainly be busy.
Now if I just cloned myself so that one of me could go to work, one could work on the house and the yard, and one could exercise two horses .... I'd be set! Oh, and then maybe a 4th one of me that could go get another job so I have more moolah to spend.  |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I had always done my own, mainly because I never had the money to send one off and I really do like the process, but I sent my filly off as a three year old for 45 days and it was worth every penny. She can be a bit cagey and at the time I had no where but dirt field to ride in and am home by myself the majority of time. My husband was really not okay with me riding her alone but I would never have gotten anything done waiting for someone to be around to ride her. I rode her all last year as a four year old and now I am going to send her off for pattern work this spring and I am really excited about it! I think the best way to learn a training style is to ride a horse that has that training so I am biting the bullet and paying for the training for both of us. I had to let go of the idea I needed to do it all or I wasn't good enough and decide it really didn't matter what people thought/said about it, my horse my money! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
| seeing that you are also in ND adds a whole other element. having a young horse this time of year is the absolute worst. You said you have access to an outdoor at your new place, right? well we both know that means squat in ND Nov - May. You say he seems more spooky this year than last, but some of that could just be weather and the lack of being messed with over the winter. You could send him now and get a good jump start for spring or you could wait until it isn't 100 degrees below zero and windy and see if he mellows out and you both get back into the swing of "work mode".
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: Great NW | Send him off for 30 days to a Reputable Trainer - one that saddles up in the moring and leaves them saddled all day or most of it. they horse you get back will probably be a few pounds lighter(he will get that back fast enough) but you will ENJOY HIM all the more and he will look to you as his Savior - heck you got him out of that place. :) Good luck and remember we are supposed to be having fun. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | star1218 - 2014-01-31 4:11 PM seeing that you are also in ND adds a whole other element. having a young horse this time of year is the absolute worst. You said you have access to an outdoor at your new place, right? well we both know that means squat in ND Nov - May. You say he seems more spooky this year than last, but some of that could just be weather and the lack of being messed with over the winter. You could send him now and get a good jump start for spring or you could wait until it isn't 100 degrees below zero and windy and see if he mellows out and you both get back into the swing of "work mode".
Yea, I haven't even ridden my coming 8-yr-old much at all because of the ICE, and that includes the arena. No way am I hopping on my 3-year-old right now!!
Absolutely. I am not too worried about him being a little spookier than usual. I mess with them every weekend, brushing, grooming, cleaning feet, farrier visits, etc but haven't done any serious ground work lately. Plus he's a colt.  They like to do that.
Whoever I send him to, I want them to ride him outside. So I am absolutely going to wait to send him until the weather is nicer and they will be able to ride him outside. And eventually alone! (because that's what I'll be doing) Plus I have to get him to the vet to have his teath floated and sheath cleaned, chiro check, and all that stuff before he goes back into training.
My goal for NEXT winter is to haul to an indoor on a regular basis (or maybe board somewhere that does) so I can keep him going and my other horse too. Just couldn't do it this year with the new house hustle and bustle and some big changes for me at work moving into an ownership position. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | My friend trains barrel horses and she sends all her babies off to get broke and started. It doesn't take anything away from what she does with them in the arena, that someone else broke or put the first 30-60 days on them.
Honestly, the prospects I have gotten over the years were at least track broke- and I didn't do that- and it doesn't take anything away from what I've done with them either. It's okay if you didn't do EVERYTHING with them.
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| I have been battling with my courage for 10 years now after getting dumped on my head off of a "broke", finished barrel horse on a shopping trip. I ended up with a green broke 10 yr old last spring that was born here...... SHE never did much of anything wrong but I too was haunted by "What if...." I hated it!
I now have 2 3 yr olds that need to be broke. I have rode the colt bareback a few times at a walk, geehawing him around and so far, so good, but still not sure if I have the guts anymore to really get him broke. Haven't been on Faith yet as she is not quite as well developed as the colt. Am going through the same thought process as y'all as far as sending them both off to get broke...hopefully BEFORE they reach 10.  |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I would send him off for 30 days, but not until you're able to ride everyday, like when the weather gets better. No point in spending money on rides when you can't continue riding after he comes back. Keep doing ground work until you can send him. Nothing wrong with having someone send him through his paces to "jump start" him and you finish his training. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 591
| Those young ones can gain or loose so much confidence in those early rides that I believe it is most important to have a rider who is 100% confident on their back. I have had a few that were gentle enough I thought I would give a shot at starting, but I didn't have the confidence and knew they would come back better than if I did it myself. You spend less time and money doing things right the first way than having to go back and fix them later. I had a friend that trained hers to be a bucker (among other habits) because he got away with it twice early on and was always testing to see if he could do it again. She ended up having to send him out anyway to try and fix the holes she created from lacking the confidence and knowledge. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | My filly is with a friend who is putting her first 30 days on her. I have done 'all' of my own training up till now on all the horses I've had in the past.
I'm working and just don't have time to get those first consistant rides on her....plus this girl is 20 years my junior and still has some bounce IF she comes off.
I miss my filly, however, she is doing great and once I get her home, I get to play with her.
I would send the horse off for the first month of rides and go from there. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3310
Location: Jersey Girl | I would send him off. |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | Send him off for 60 days, get him well broke not with a barrel horse trainer that way you know he never see's a barrel, then you train him yourself on barrels that way if he's an awesome barrel horse you can still take pride for it and you don't have to break him |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| I used to break all of my own horses. Have been thrown and everything else. Ended up in the hospital for three with a head injury and I thank God everyday that I did not end up in a wheelchair. That did not stop me from breaking colts. I am older and wiser now and I just send mine to a trainer. I have always trained my own barrel horses and found that my trainer can do more in less time without the frustrations. I think riding should be FUN. When it is not you should make some changes. Let someone else break the horse. Take it from someone who has bee there and done that, it is just as much fun, maybe more, to let someone else break and train your horse. You can get going a lot faster. |
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Do I send him to a trainer, or train him myself?