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| Looking for personal experience. Anyone ever started one that old? Halter broke and leads that's about all. Good idea to start or just turn into a broodmare? |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
 
Location: Opelousas, LA | Unless there was a reason that someone started her then quit, like she was super broncy, then I see no reason why it wouldn't be worth trying. When my husband and I met, his parents had a pasture full of 3-7 year olds that were barely halter broke. They were gentle and sweet to be around, not like scared mustangs or anything, just had not had much training. We started them and sold them, the couple that didn't sell we kept and went on with them. It really wasn't any different than starting youngsters other than we could move along much faster than with a yearling or two year old. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 878
Location: "...way down south in the Everglades..." | I started a mare at 7 and it really wasn't a big deal. Just depends on the personality and how much handling/how comfortable with people she is. The one I started ended up being sold as a kids hunter pony. Nothing fancy but she was easy to get going. |
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 Poor Cracker Girl
Posts: 12150
Location: Feeding mosquitos, FL | How funny - I've had the opposite experience. All the horses that I've ridden that were started late were all a bit counterfeit and lacked work ethic. When the effort got hard, they quit. It's like they never learned how to work for a living at a young age and didn't care to now.
I think long and hard about one that's sat up past 3 or 4. |
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Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | Funny you say that, we had one we couldn't sell because if he got mad, he would just stop and lock down, if you got off and led him, he would walk right off. Took a while to convince him that wasn't the correct answer, lol, but once we did he never looked back. He ended up being a pretty nice horse, sold him to HS girl and he ended up 11th at the TX HS finals, missed the short go by a few thousandths of a second. |
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Regular
Posts: 84
| I try to do as much research as possible on the horse as far as why they were not started etc prior to purchasing anything that old unstarted. However with that being said, I have had both good and bad experiences. More good than bad. Older horses are much more 'mentally' mature in my experiences. I prefer to get a 5-8 year old horse before a 2-4 yr old. There is just less growing up to do. I have only had 2 older horses out of approx 10 in the last 2-3 years that I started at an older age and was unhappy with. The one just had no try, and the other had all the try in the world to do everything I did not want her to do. Everything else has caught on very quickly and I have been pleased with them. If you can find one in the correct situation ( a whole herd just turned out) I wouldn't hesitate!  |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | TrackinBubba - 2017-01-04 8:20 AM
How funny - I've had the opposite experience. All the horses that I've ridden that were started late were all a bit counterfeit and lacked work ethic. When the effort got hard, they quit. It's like they never learned how to work for a living at a young age and didn't care to now.
I think long and hard about one that's sat up past 3 or 4.
Same here. For the right horse I suppose I'd consider starting an older one but in general I don't even give them a second glance anymore. I started to many older once when I trained all the time & just don't enjoy them at all. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | SaraJean - 2017-01-04 7:57 AM
TrackinBubba - 2017-01-04 8:20 AM
How funny - I've had the opposite experience. All the horses that I've ridden that were started late were all a bit counterfeit and lacked work ethic. When the effort got hard, they quit. It's like they never learned how to work for a living at a young age and didn't care to now.
I think long and hard about one that's sat up past 3 or 4.
Same here. For the right horse I suppose I'd consider starting an older one but in general I don't even give them a second glance anymore. I started to many older once when I trained all the time & just don't enjoy them at all.
I have heard this a lot too; that the older ones will often be lazy and lack motivation.
But, to give someone out there some hope.....I've only had one that was started late, my Sugar Bars granddaughter, and technically she had been kind of started as a two year old (sat so long bc owner was very ill, horse wasn't injured or anything). I sent her to the trainer for 60 days a year ago (she was 10). She had to be started from the ground up (couldn't even be tied). That mare is the coolest horse I've ever ridden an absolutely my soulmate. She tries her heart out and gives 110% every time I ride her. |
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 Regular
Posts: 73
Location: Central Texas | I started an 8 year old gelding that had been a pasture pet his entire life. Gave me no issues. Soundest minded horse I've ever swung a leg over. I guess he was just so old he didn't care. But he really enjoyed being out and messed with. He's now in a lesson program. I did probably two weeks of ground work without the saddle teaching him to lunge and move correctly. He didn't mind the saddle. Another week of ground work with the saddle and I was stepping on him. He was easy.
EDIT after reading comments. This gelding was extremely lazy. Didn't make it as more than a walk trot lesson horse or trail horse. Reason he's at a lesson stables now.
Edited by WinningPaints 2017-01-04 10:14 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | TrackinBubba - 2017-01-04 7:20 AM How funny - I've had the opposite experience. All the horses that I've ridden that were started late were all a bit counterfeit and lacked work ethic. When the effort got hard, they quit. It's like they never learned how to work for a living at a young age and didn't care to now.
I think long and hard about one that's sat up past 3 or 4.
^^^same experience for me. I started one at 6 1/2, he was super talented and sweet, but if it got tough he would throw me under the bus. Didn't like the pressure of competing. When I was first trying to break him he kept dumping me, like twice a week for who knows how many months that went on for. And he will still spin you off. I ended up making him a lesson horse that my trainer uses and he loves it! He doesn't do anything that is hard (I consider it mind numbing work because it's mostly just w,t,c and circles) and he gets praised for cantering lol He hasn't acted up either, been doing lessons for 2 years with no fall offs. She says its her best lesson horse. |
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Starting a 6yo