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Veteran
Posts: 160
 
| My husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to buy two beautifully cowbred four year old mares. We'll be picking them up later this week. They've been handled and very lightly started when they were younger, but have mostly been pasture ornaments since. So, I'm treating them as basically just halter broken. It's been about 6 years since I started one from the ground up. I thought I would start a fun thread as we start this new adventure.
Whats your favorite colt starting advice? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | You should have only bought one of them unless you have a way to keep them separate. They will need to be "weaned" off of each other and moving them to a new place will make them more dependent on each other. Or send one to another place and keep one at your farm to work with for several months. Separating them is the first step, once they settle then you can really start training. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
 
| hotpaints - 2018-08-11 5:54 AM
You should have only bought one of them unless you have a way to keep them separate. They will need to be "weaned" off of each other and moving them to a new place will make them more dependent on each other. Or send one to another place and keep one at your farm to work with for several months. Separating them is the first step, once they settle then you can really start training.
To me, whether or not this is the case is totally dependent on the horse. We have 4 geldings who all live together. 1 buddies really bad, in fact he became attached at the hip to a friends calf horse after riding in the trailer together for the first time - it’s obnoxious. 2 of them will be a touch anxious if you take someone away from the trailer, for example, but calm down quick and are fine. The last one doesn’t care, he’d rather be left behind, it’s less work and he doesn’t have to share a hay bag with anyone. He’s my spirit animal. All of them ride and work away from one another just fine. Not saying they won’t be a bit buddied, but they may also be just fine.
My first steps would be to gain and demand respect on the ground, in the round pen preferably. If they are buddied that will help a lot, learning to trust and respect you.
Take it day by day and know when to step off. If I find myself on a colt and I’m in a poor mood or just getting short with him, I step off. Ending a ride early is better than having a poor ride because of my own shortcomings that day. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Clinton Anderson methods work well. I don’t agree with everything but most of the things he uses are very good. I used those things way before Clinton Anderson became popular but that is the best advice about methods. |
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Location: South Dakota | I would recommend sending them to a good colt starter to do at least the first 30 days, since these are 4 yr olds and a whole lot harder to start than a 2 yr old. Not questioning your colt starting skills, but if I was in your shoes, that would be my route, to make life easier, and safer. |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| I don't agree with the older being more difficult. On the contrary, many times they have matured mentally. Since they have been handled and started it shouldn't be too hard to get them going again. I like to do a lot of ground work, flagging, desensitizing, softening from the ground. Do so much of that type of stuff, once you get on they pretty much have the idea of what to do. |
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 Peecans
| Who knows maybe they had a rock solid foundation put on them, just out growing and being a young horse dosent spoil or wreck them. 4 is a nice age, still very impressionable but more mature and developed and ready to just get to it.
The best advice I have is colts and schedules don't mix. Go to the next step when they are ready not when you want them to be or need them to be. Just take your time and enjoy them.
P.S. congrats on your new girls!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| Awesome replies! Thank yall!
I'm not too worried about buddy sourness. We have plenty of thinking-trees around here if it becomes an issue. They seem to be pretty independent ladies anyway, but thank you for your concern!
They haven't been completely untouched, they had ground work and a few rides off and on since they were two. Never any kind of real handle or anything put on them, mostly just sat on and walked around, but that's totally fine with me. I would rather them have just been left alone and learn a foundation of respect from me.
I'm excited about them being a little more mature than a two year old. I may eat my words later, but I feel like they have had just the right amount of work put into them that I will not have to spend time and effort undoing someone else's mistakes.
Keep the tips coming! Not necessarily about this exact situation, but just what you wish someone had told you, or that you wish you could tell anyone else bringing a baby along! I love gleaning wisdom from others with like-experiences! |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| della - 2018-08-11 8:01 PM
Who knows maybe they had a rock solid foundation put on them, just out growing and being a young horse dosent spoil or wreck them. 4 is a nice age, still very impressionable but more mature and developed and ready to just get to it.
The best advice I have is colts and schedules don't mix. Go to the next step when they are ready not when you want them to be or need them to be. Just take your time and enjoy them.
P.S. congrats on your new girls!!
I totally agree and great advice, thank you so much! |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| Meep.Meep - 2018-08-11 6:19 PM
I don't agree with the older being more difficult. On the contrary, many times they have matured mentally. Since they have been handled and started it shouldn't be too hard to get them going again. I like to do a lot of ground work, flagging, desensitizing, softening from the ground. Do so much of that type of stuff, once you get on they pretty much have the idea of what to do.
That's been my plan so far! Thanks so much! |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| OhMax - 2018-08-11 9:49 AM
hotpaints - 2018-08-11 5:54 AM
You should have only bought one of them unless you have a way to keep them separate. They will need to be "weaned" off of each other and moving them to a new place will make them more dependent on each other. Or send one to another place and keep one at your farm to work with for several months. Separating them is the first step, once they settle then you can really start training.
To me, whether or not this is the case is totally dependent on the horse. We have 4 geldings who all live together. 1 buddies really bad, in fact he became attached at the hip to a friends calf horse after riding in the trailer together for the first time - it’s obnoxious. 2 of them will be a touch anxious if you take someone away from the trailer, for example, but calm down quick and are fine. The last one doesn’t care, he’d rather be left behind, it’s less work and he doesn’t have to share a hay bag with anyone. He’s my spirit animal. All of them ride and work away from one another just fine. Not saying they won’t be a bit buddied, but they may also be just fine.
My first steps would be to gain and demand respect on the ground, in the round pen preferably. If they are buddied that will help a lot, learning to trust and respect you.
Take it day by day and know when to step off. If I find myself on a colt and I’m in a poor mood or just getting short with him, I step off. Ending a ride early is better than having a poor ride because of my own shortcomings that day.
I love that. Learning to "just step off" is important for so many situations.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 277
| horseshorseshorses - 2018-08-12 9:19 AM
OhMax - 2018-08-11 9:49 AM
hotpaints - 2018-08-11 5:54 AM
You should have only bought one of them unless you have a way to keep them separate. They will need to be "weaned" off of each other and moving them to a new place will make them more dependent on each other. Or send one to another place and keep one at your farm to work with for several months. Separating them is the first step, once they settle then you can really start training.
To me, whether or not this is the case is totally dependent on the horse. We have 4 geldings who all live together. 1 buddies really bad, in fact he became attached at the hip to a friends calf horse after riding in the trailer together for the first time - it’s obnoxious. 2 of them will be a touch anxious if you take someone away from the trailer, for example, but calm down quick and are fine. The last one doesn’t care, he’d rather be left behind, it’s less work and he doesn’t have to share a hay bag with anyone. He’s my spirit animal. All of them ride and work away from one another just fine. Not saying they won’t be a bit buddied, but they may also be just fine.
My first steps would be to gain and demand respect on the ground, in the round pen preferably. If they are buddied that will help a lot, learning to trust and respect you.
Take it day by day and know when to step off. If I find myself on a colt and I’m in a poor mood or just getting short with him, I step off. Ending a ride early is better than having a poor ride because of my own shortcomings that day.
I love that. Learning to "just step off" is important for so many situations.
I agree with this advice also!! One thing I have learned starting colts is if you aren't getting it on their backs, it's okay to get off and get it from the ground and then get back on and ask again. Rather then getting in a battle with them I like to get out of the saddle, ask them on the ground the way they already know how to do it, get back on and ask again. So many times it's like a lightbulb goes off in their brain when they piece the two things together. |
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Veteran
Posts: 286
| Wear a helmet  |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | always end the session on a good note. if you quit when they are doing wrong that is what they remember and will continue to do the next day. |
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 Scooters Savior
Location: "Si Fi" Ville | A lot of this you probably know but I’m gonna throw all my faves out there.
I have an almost bulletproof stall with solid heavy walls that has a recessed ring I can tie on, not much they can do.
I keep mine up in stalls some for a bit and hang plastic feed sacks from the rafters where the just past brushing their back. I start off with one. Then I add and add over a day.
I teach them to lunge on a line and work in the round pen. While doing so I will go around them with the rope, basically wrapping them up and make them turn and get them used to having the rope and pressure around their back legs.
I also teach them to park next to the fence in the round pen for feed. As long as they will let me sit up above them I’ll feed them a little at a time. I eventually teach them to park their body next to the fence for feed then I’ll move to letting me rest a foot on their back, eventually working to where they will stand so I can slip
A leg over.
I starting putting a pad on and off and also start putting a survingle on and letting them where that whentied and in the stall.
When they get comfortable with that I move to putting a saddle on and off and on and off and again and again. Till they don’t bat an eye, then I start cinching and uncinching till they are cool with that
When I get them where they are standing in the stall comfortably with saddle tied, I turn them loose in their stall saddled.
Always be cool.
Then I start saddling and unsaddling in the round pen with a lunge line. On and off as many times as it takes till you can throw it up there like they have been doing it all their life.
At this point I may lay over the saddle some and slide body around all over them, legs sliding across the butt too.
Then I also start bitting them up with a d ring and easily moving head a bit at a time flexing. And getting them to come around with the slightest pull and release.
When I have gotten them completely at ease with saddle and bit I pick the lightest driving lines I have, tie my stirrups together under the saddle with nothing hanging to get a foot in but loose enough they move a little, I hook driving lines up and slowly drive them in the round pen. I do this awhile and get them soft and light using very little pressure. I teach them to break down to a stop. Turn right and left. Then I move to turning them into the fence to get them on their rear. This also helps me set up for a step back without the fight or danger of flipping one trying to teach them to back.
Meanwhile at points I’m kinda slipping on and off the saddle. I will lay over saddle and get them to bring the nose around. I generally give them a treat for that.
My next goal, is to get them lunging in the big pen with saddle. I will put small logs and tires in their path to keep them thinking and also to dissuade bucking as they have to look for obstacles and move around them or jump them. Usually at this point if they will jump the little logs without bucking when they do,I feel pretty good about them. I also will take the rubber butt end of my buggy whip and to teach them to move the front end off pressure to move that shoulder over, then same for rear. I’ll usually use a cue to get them to start and at some point I can basically point and move towards it and they will move it. I also have the same voice commands and sounds. Easy means to slow up and relax the pace on the lunge line. Whoa means whoa. Cluck means speed up one gear. Kiss kiss means get on up to a lope.
That’s most of what I can think of at the moment. Each horse is different sometimes I have to do things differently but these are my basics.
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Scooters Savior
Location: "Si Fi" Ville | Oh and I run my driving lines thru my stirrups |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | I think the most important thing a horseman can do: know when you are in over your head. especially as we age... I have lots of knowledge, but not the body to confidently start a colt.
if they seem easy and each day they are getting better and not digressing then great. but when it gets rough and some colts are just tough ones, know when to get help before bad habits develop.
Honestly the first 30 days can make or break a young horse, I like to use the very best horseman for those critical days. |
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | Have patience and try not rush! I love the following saying because it is so true when it comes to horses...
Act like you have 10 minutes and it will take all day.
Act like you have all day and it will take 10 minutes. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | I bought an older mare in a similar situation. I can't remember if she was 4 or 5 when I got her. She "supposedly" had been rode. Ya...I didn't believe it. I started her from the ground up. I think the most important things are to be patient, persistent, and never let them have the upper hand. They find out they can get away with something and you'll lose them. My grandpa always said an older horse like that will be spoiled because they have had a lazy start to life. Somewhat true. I think its also important to never step on one until you feel like your ready. Don't let someone say "oh he/she is ready to be rode, get on." I think its important to get that gut feeling your self or you'll walk into a bad situation. Confidence is important because horses can feel that. No one feels great about getting on a horse that first time, but you still gotta have that gut feeling. Oh and a round pen is worth a million dollars!!! It is a million times harder to get a horse to focus on you in a big open area. Make a make-shift one if you have to!
Best advice of all...if you feel like your stuck in place where you don't know what to do or how to fix it. Hand the horse to someone else and have them help you! Sometimes you have to play good cop, bad cop!
Edited by TheDutchMan01 2018-08-13 9:22 AM
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 Veteran
Posts: 194
Location: Texas | Be consistent in everything... training, mood, ect.... Remember one day you will feel like you can take them to the NFR then the very next day it will seem like they are no good for nothing but in the end everything will be ok... you will have good days and bad, don't let the bad define the horse |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | Ask---don't tell. Plus patience. |
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Favorite colt starting advice!