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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
 
| At what age does everyone start their young horses under saddle ? I know ages vary quite a bit , depending on who you ask . Just wanting to hear everyone's different opinions ! Thanks ! |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
  
Location: Texas | I start at 2. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | I got my boy when he was 2 1/2. He was off the track and crazy ha. So I let him just be a horse for a couple months. So right before he was 3 I started working with him. He is almost 7 now and due to a accident, he pretty much had his 6 yr old year off. But I also work my horses slower and bring them up slower. I don't care to enter in futurities, so by 4 is when I'm expecting a nice lope on the pattern. 5 I'm looking to place up in the D's. When he turned 6, I was gonna start on the GCPRA circuit here in AZ. And of course he hurt himself. So I guess it'll be his 7 yr old year! |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | I'm waiting till the spring (I think) on my boy, and he will be a coming 3 year old (he was born in June). I think he is mentally and physically ready now, but I just want to bring him along slow with the saddling and cinching and what not. I also feel that if they are a little more physically mature when started, there will be fewer problems down the road. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| I just bought a 6 month old baby is why I'm curious :) can't wait till she grows up ! Does anyone do anything with them their yearling year , or wait until at least 2 to start everything ? |
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  JMHO
Posts: 1869
Location: Oklahoma | I do a lot with my babies. They tie, lead, pick up their feet and I can pony them as well. I have a yearling that I have saddled and done some ground driving. I've also ponied her at a few races too. I don't do too much at once and I won't get on her until she's at least 2. As long as they stay respectful and helpful then I'm happy. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | 2 |
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 I am Woman hear me Roar
Posts: 3395
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma | I like to start mine the fall of their 2yr old year. Lounging, saddling, driving, standing tied, hauling, ect. I keep lessons short, about 20 min or so. I'll get on a few times and then let them have a winter off and come back in the spring and start riding more regularly. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | i put a month on the fall they are 2..then turn them out for the rest of the winter and bring them back in at 3..
m |
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Most of the time fall of their 2nd or 3rd year with just a handful of rides and then off all winter. I have started a few 6-7 year olds and one as old as 12. I'm not in a big hurry and in a lot of ways I like waiting until they're older. I do something whole lot of ground work though before I ever climb up. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | Fancy Lass - 2014-11-06 10:45 AM I just bought a 6 month old baby is why I'm curious :) can't wait till she grows up ! Does anyone do anything with them their yearling year , or wait until at least 2 to start everything ?
We haul our during the year between the house and another pasture. I don't start under saddle until they are 2, but they know how to lead, tie, back out of the trailer and haul pretty much when they are weaned. We start haltering before then, but most comes after. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | mtcanchazer - 2014-11-06 11:34 AM I'm waiting till the spring (I think) on my boy, and he will be a coming 3 year old (he was born in June). I think he is mentally and physically ready now, but I just want to bring him along slow with the saddling and cinching and what not. I also feel that if they are a little more physically mature when started, there will be fewer problems down the road.
I have a June baby also. She will be left alone until spring of her 2 yr old year and then will start breaking her. She is already broke to the walker and the pony horse so we've gotten a little done with her. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| Depends. Right around two, but I think it's best to do as much as possible before then. They should be totally ground broke (lead, tie, load, vet, farrier, etc), saddled, ground driven, and easy to be around first.
It's fun to teach them to give to pressure from the ground, too. Make it a game to see how lightly you can touch their chest to make them back, their side to move shoulders or butt. It makes them respectful of your space whch is especially nice of they get big early, and prepares them for the same concept under saddle.
Another thing that has saved my hiney many times is teaching a solid WHOA. I lunge and say WHOA, give them a stride to stop and face me, then pull them hard to where they stop & face. At a trot so you don't get too rough. Repeat until they actually do it on their own when you say whoa. If you do it right and reinforce enough, they never forget. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | On the 2 foals we've raised I started one in the fall of his 2 year old year and the other summer of her 3 year old. Just what I thought fit each horse for their physical development! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| I generally want mine to load in the trailer, back out, stand tied, let me handle their feet, be ponied, ground driving, and use to the saddle by the fall of their yearling year. I have a couple yearlings right now and one will be physically and mentally mature enough to have 10 or so rides put on her in the spring, then turned out until fall. The other I'll probably just wait until fall of next year to start her. But both of them are on the same schedule right now and are doing great! |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | as a 2 year old, as long as I feel they can handle the stress |
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Veteran
Posts: 289
Location: Northeast SD | It would be interesting to know the schedule of a horse that someone is planning to enter in juvenile races at 3 yrs old.. any one?  |
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They Don't Know Me
Posts: 3299
Location: Bastrop, TX | I am waiting to start George in the spring. He will be 3 the end of April. He is huge and I think ready now. Ive already been saddling and ground work done but mentally I want to wait. |
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 Ms Bling Bling Sleeze Kitty
Posts: 20917
Location: LouLouVille, OK | My yearlings get ground manners... they get tied, groomed, hooves picked out, all that kind of stuff, loaded and unloaded and lead around... other then that I don't usually start mine till they are 2 or 3... and I don't start them on barrels usually till they are 5
I like them good and broke, not rushed and sound for the long haul. :) but that is just me :) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | I have a 2 year old that was born in Feb 2012. I'm tempted to start her now. I mean i lay over her and everythign and she does not care. I think im just being a chicken. and the thing is she's never given me a reason to be anxious, i'm just being a dork. So i'll probably do it in the next month or so. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 616
Location: Texas | Fancy Lass - 2014-11-06 11:45 AM
I just bought a 6 month old baby is why I'm curious :) can't wait till she grows up ! Does anyone do anything with them their yearling year , or wait until at least 2 to start everything ?
I have a pony saddle and when my filly was 6 month old I was saddleing her and putting her on the horse walker with it on. I did this with her off and on until she was big enough to wear my barrel saddle (about 18 months) and then I started ponying her. At 2 my husband snubbed her to his rope horse and I climbed on her and rode her for just a few minutes,we did this about 4 times and then stated riding her in the round pen, she is three now and slow loping a pretty set of barrels and tracking the hot heels.
We have done this thru the years with lots of colts, the more you do when they are babies, the easier it is to get them riding.
Edited by kickincans 2014-11-06 6:30 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | Break the fall of their two year old year, winter off, normal riding while three, and start patterning at age four. I am a firm believer that the longer you give them to grow and mature, the longer they will last physically. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| Thanks everyone ! Great advice ! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| SoDak - 2014-11-06 2:24 PM
It would be interesting to know the schedule of a horse that someone is planning to enter in juvenile races at 3 yrs old.. any one?
I would like to know this too out of curiousity :) |
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When do you start your young horses ?