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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
 
Location: Loma Linda, CA | I am working on 3 and I am just having a blast!
It makes me want to sell my older, problem mare just cause I enjoy the babies so much!
They have no bad habits - and won't because I don't let horses get away with crap.
2 are supposed to be re-sales, but I am falling in love with one and trying to figure out how to keep her lol!
Anyways, I digress...
Any other colt starters love colt starting? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | I used to but now that I'm an "older" rider and have to ride by myself, I wanted to start sending ours out for those first rides.
Now, I have a 3yo with a career ending injury sustained while at the trainers last year. I thought it was a fluke and sent him another horse this year, a 2yo. This 2yo is not completely ruined but has mental and physical scars plus he is still not broke. Then I have another 2yo to get started. UGH. I have been doing all the ground work/round pen work just wish I had some help with those first rides in and out of the roundpen and arena.
Sure wish you lived in Virginia. Seems there are no good colt starters in our state. Plus I'm reluctant to send one out again.
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I don't care to put the first rides on one. I do, however, LOVE taking one with 30-60 days, finishing their basics and patterning them on barrels. That's where my strongest skill set is at--keeping a finished horse tuned is harder for me. I can do it, but it requires a different mindset. Which is why I usually go take a lesson to tune on us both.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| I like them, not necessarily to resell, but I like teaching mine from the beginning. The reason I got my first baby was because my old guy was "finished" as much as he was going to ever be, and had reached his full potential. There was nothing left I could teach him. It's 6 years later, and I'm finally feeling like that baby is "done" and I'm feeling the itch for another.
On the days that I really start looking for a new baby, I remind myself how incredibly frustrating it was to get on a horse that couldn't walk a straight line! That usually cures me a for a day or two. LOL. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | No I do not |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| OutlawsLastDance - 2015-09-09 8:28 AM I like them, not necessarily to resell, but I like teaching mine from the beginning. The reason I got my first baby was because my old guy was "finished" as much as he was going to ever be, and had reached his full potential. There was nothing left I could teach him. It's 6 years later, and I'm finally feeling like that baby is "done" and I'm feeling the itch for another. On the days that I really start looking for a new baby, I remind myself how incredibly frustrating it was to get on a horse that couldn't walk a straight line! That usually cures me a for a day or two. LOL.
^^ This is me right now!!! LMAO. Seriously, I think the baby we're breeding for next year is going to someone else for the first 45-60 days. I've ridden enough babies to last me a lifetime and I just have no desire to start another one, even if the DH wants me to. :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | I'm loving it :) I have a 4.5yo gelding that I had 60 days put on as a 2yo, and when I look back I'm very happy with how he is going! I know that he's disadvantaged by my lack of knowledge and time, but I do my best in spite of this, and have loved the continual learning and trialing that has come with teaching him. I love how he doesn't have certain pet peeves that other older horses possess.
However, I do wish he would stop being a 4.5yo sometimes...although I'm quite confident with riding out small hops and bucks now! |
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | I love starting babies I've bred and raised! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | yes! I love love love them!! I have been started mine from a mare I bred and he is just fantastic! super smart and easy to work with. I am supposed to sell him but I think I'm going to sell one of my other ones instead and keep him. |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | I am a lot better at starting a colt than I am at finishing them---that is for sure. LOL. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I started colts with Ray Hunt for years, even some of his. This was a passion for a long time, but these days I find that there is so much talent available to give a horse a good start that I prefer to let someone who has more time to be consistent from day to day get them started. I do the ground work, and then pass them along for a few months under saddle. My schedule just does not allow me the time to be consistent enough with a colt to give them the best deal. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| winwillows - 2015-09-09 12:11 PM
I started colts with Ray Hunt for years, even some of his. This was a passion for a long time, but these days I find that there is so much talent available to give a horse a good start that I prefer to let someone who has more time to be consistent from day to day get them started. I do the ground work, and then pass them along for a few months under saddle. My schedule just does not allow me the time to be consistent enough with a colt to give them the best deal.
Wow that would have been quite the experience working with him!
I have a few weanlings now that I will start as 2YO, as by then I should have the time needed to devote to them. If not, looks like I'll have to quit my day job and make time for them. Hahaha |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I love that there are people out there who love starting babies because I'm scared to death of doing it! Mostly I'm paranoid that I'd just ruin them. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | It's one of my favorite things to do. It's so rewarding to see them progress. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | winwillows - 2015-09-09 12:11 PM
I started colts with Ray Hunt for years, even some of his. This was a passion for a long time, but these days I find that there is so much talent available to give a horse a good start that I prefer to let someone who has more time to be consistent from day to day get them started. I do the ground work, and then pass them along for a few months under saddle. My schedule just does not allow me the time to be consistent enough with a colt to give them the best deal.
I would love to hear your stories of the times you spent with him. What knowledge!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I got to break my first colt last year, he was a blast. I like to start mine from the ground up regardless of age. All my best horses I put all the training on, I just am too dang picky to let anyone else do it. I was all the fancy buttons, and all of my commands understood, and who better to teach them then the person who is expecting it to happen? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Loma Linda, CA | Lol, wow!
A lot of mixed responses!
I don't know I'm finding that I really love the babies! I have 3 right now and one of my friends was like - either you lucked out with 3 amazing fillies or you're just doing a good job! Lol!
I absolutely love it.
I wouldn't necessarily say I'm an expert or anything cause I'm kinda making stuff up as I go and just having fun with it.
I'm not on a time-line or someone else's deadline and I think that's what is making it so fun!
2 of these guys were supposed to be re-sales, but I'm pretty sure we are keeping 1 cause we have just fallen in love lol!
Here are the videos I have thus far! I love hearing some feed-back from those who have done this longer!
:)
1 video I tried a different approach as you will see ;) And initially I thought we lost our split reins... ha, found them yesterday :P
This is my futurity fillies 3rd ride. I didn't get her most recent one filmed yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFQk9X9bS5g
The one we are re-selling, this is her 1st ride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPwgN0z5wAk
And the one we fell in love with, this was her 2nd ride yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQdXPsAwFF4
As for me, Fury my filly, I've had her a year, the other 2 we've had for a month. Missy was kinda ground trained, but not really lol. She just knew the basics.
I was going to send my filly out, but everyone wants so much money so I decided to give it a go and then ended up with 2 more to go figure things out with.
I don't know how so many people get injured babies... We don't push ours and we don't ride them forever and they do fantastic. I remember seeing a news report about a reining trainer who killed a gunner filly and she had scars under her chin and they said it was to give her headset?
What happened to just teaching lateral flexion and teaching them the old fashioned way how to lower their heads or collect. o.O
I really enjoy the baby aspects of them being a fresh slate. Next week I plan on taking them out of the round pen and into the arena so maybe I'll end up with frustration there lol.
I have some really great mentors that I send my videos to and they give me feedback or I can go to with questions if I had a frustrating day.
I'm hoping to give these kids all the bells and whistles lol! And I totally get where some are coming from about wanting to train them yourself. They do seem to respond better with the rider who trained them overall :P
Edited by Phxbarrel 2015-09-09 8:10 PM
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | I'd much rather start then finish one out. I have one right now I won't sell for all the tea in China, but the next horse I buy will be a 2yo and then it is getting sold after 60-90 days. I despise the seasoning process. I've ridden a lot of colts but I didn't like getting on them after about 90 days. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Loma Linda, CA | bccanchaser16 - 2015-09-09 8:09 PM
I'd much rather start then finish one out. I have one right now I won't sell for all the tea in China, but the next horse I buy will be a 2yo and then it is getting sold after 60-90 days. I despise the seasoning process. I've ridden a lot of colts but I didn't like getting on them after about 90 days.
How come you don't like finishing them out or riding after 90 days? Just curious :) |
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 Regular
Posts: 76
Location: North Carolina | I LOVE starting horses! Love, love, love it! I can never stand the wait until they're 2-3 to start, it can never come fast enough. I'm not afraid of first rides because I bring em along well enough on the ground that the chances of them bucking or losing their cool goes way down. There's always a chance but that's with broke horses as well. You never completely know lol |
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