3.5 year old, how much is too much?

[Aphrodite]

Hello everyone, I need a few suggestions. I have a 3.5 year old horse, that in the past 3 months I have been lunging, long reining and took for walks, and have loosed jumped twice over small fences.

I’ve recently sat on him, had got on him 4 times so far, first time just walking round for 5mins, second time walked round for 15mins and the last few times walked and trotted for 15/20mins max. Has had a 4 week break after that, as I’m unsure if it’s too soon to actually keep hopping on him etc…

he is quite stocky and does not look foal-ish, and people in my barn said that it’s now time that he gets into the routine of some light work otherwise he’ll become lazy and would think that the “sit around and do nothing” is his lifestyle and will be harder to train in the future.

I don’t want to push him at a young age but is it ok to ride him x3 a week? twice arena and once on a nice hack out (never tried it so far but seems not bothered when taken out on the lead).

I don’t like to lunge youngsters too much and although I do it as I run out of ideas of what to do with him to have a bit of a stretch, I try to avoid it as I know circles can put pressure on joints.

Where I am he has a small-ish sandy paddock 20x20 where he can walk around, but can’t have a good stretch and when I let him loose in the arena, he doesnt run around he just walks round. So he needs some physical work from my end to keep him loose and supple.

[allons-y]

What breed is he? I would avoid lunging for many reasons. I think for work ethic you could safely do the following: (Do daily or 3x a week if that’s all you can manage)
Bring in, tie and groom. Leave him to stand for 20 mins.
Take out and do something interesting, trail walk, long line, lead on obstacles, climb on and walk around for 15 -20 minutes. The goal is good marching walk, relaxed head and neck, learning seat and legs cues. Verbal whoa to seat whoa. Stand quietly on loose rein for several minutes. Teach TOH and TOF from ground and then saddle. Only dismount after he stands quiet, even for one minute.
Back to barn, tie and untack. Treat if you choose, Leave tied for 15 or so.
He will learn patience while tied, and slowly learn seat and leg. No pressure. Continue the walking and trotting as you are. Don’t get in a rush, ‘make haste slowly’. Train him to line up to your mounting block. You have a lot of valuable lessons to teach him that don’t require exertion. Trailer loading and unloading too.

You are instilling work in his routine, but not taxing mind or body. Most horses like routine. This will be plenty for you and him to not be bored, and to make progress gently. I am not a fast trainer, I figure a year is a good start. Not a fan of the 30 day wonder training method, YMMV.

[ladyj79]

You could ride him seven days a week and hack out every day. Go easy, do a lot of walking, and he’ll be all the better for it. I think it’s better to sit on him as much as possible and go slow.

[soloudinhere]

My 3.5yo is “working” every day but ridden or ponied 4 days a week. She’s fine and likes to work.

[Guilherme]

Every day can push the envelope; I used to have a 5 out 7 schedule.

It was usually in for grooming and saddle or ground work as appropriate. If ground work then seldom more than 25-30 min., mostly at the walk. If saddle work then we’d start with 5 min. on the longe to help the youngster realize that is was work time (not play time nor eating time nor lollygagging time nor time to “talk” to their buddies in the pasture). That few minutes was once or twice around at each gait with some reversals, stops, backing, etc. Then ride for 25 min. or so if in the arena. If we were going out it might be longer but usually with lots of walking, with short periods at the gait or canter.

This is another place where being able to “read” your horse is valuable. If the horse has lots of energy and is being cooperative then you can do a bit more. If they begin to show signs of fatigue then look for a “high point” and quit.

There is no “school” answer to this question beyond “read your horse.”

G.

ETA: I made two significant mistakes, among other minor ones, early on. I sort of kept to a time limit and pattern and the horse learned how much time was left by the sequence of the pattern. When the horse thought we were done they’d want to quit and it took some additional training to undo the pattern I’d created. The second was to make training sessions constant motion. I learned that building a number of 1-3 min. breaks during the lesson, at random times, helped to prevent building unfortunate patterns in the horse. The breaks will add minutes to the training or work session but since the horse is quiet it’s not costing them any energy. Dismounting at one or more of the breaks also teaches the horse that a dismount is not necessarily the end of the session. G.

[2DogsFarm]

:yes: What @Guilherme says: Read your horse.
Depending on horse’s level of maturity - physical & mental - that determines how much you can/should do.

My mini was just-turned-3 when I got him back from being broke to drive @2-1/2.
He did the County Fair 3mos later - just 3 arena classes & some driving on the grounds.
Then 2mos later, a drive with my Club - ~5mi, about 50/50 walk/trot - he pooped out about 2/3 of the way out, with a friend who had been someone’s passenger getting out to handwalk him w/me in the cart, but “miraculously” recovered when he spied the trailers.
Did another drive before Winter & he lasted longer - mostly the whole 5mi @ trot. Nothing all Winter - I am a Weatherwuss - then a couple Spring drives, County Fair again & later that Fall an ADS-rated show, again 3 arena classes.
Winter off, then this Spring a couple drives with friends, the National Drive Spring Fling, fun shows & Fair & upped the level to doing an ADS-rated CT and just last month the National Drive again < where he does ~5-6mi on trails plus a Cones Derby for each of 3-4 days.

I let him tell me when he’s had E-nuff.
At one of the fun shows - held in a too-deeply-footed indoor - I pulled him from a class when I could hear his breathing getting labored.
Yesterday we drove with the club - 6+mi on roads & fields - and he kept up with the Draft horses in front of us the whole way.
A steady Road Trot was his gait of choice (I let him dictate) & he got a tad sweaty (already has a yaklike coat), but recovered just fine.
He will be 5 next May,
YMMV.

[anon6003733]

Sounds like you’ve done fine so far OP. At this point you could certainly pick up the tempo wrt how often he’s ridden now.

Focus on straight and forward at first, so if you have access to hacking trails etc that’s perfect. As has been mentioned, mostly nice, loose walks, then change it up here and there to keep it interesting for him.

I really like G’s suggestion of 5 mins on the lunge first, we do that as well. It helps to set the mood for the little fun work session that’s coming.

Straightness is so important when they’re young. It’s harder to instill later (or try to fix) if they have been doing too much ring work. Get him so he enjoys pacing out straight, enthusiastic and interested, followed by a little ring work at the end.

Everything short and sweet and wrapping up on a good note!

[Red_Barn]

I’ve always disliked the idea of instilling a “work ethic” in horses, so I myself wouldn’t take much stock in the opinions of your moralizing barn mates.

If you don’t make the experience painful, frightening, or agonizingly dull, there’s really no reason your horse should grow “lazy” during a break. The whole point of early training, I think, is to make the horse happy in learning new things, and to show him that time with you is well spent. If you play your cards right, he should be looking forward to training sessions, not trying to avoid them.

I agree with those who recommend lots of slow, relaxed work, especially long walks outside the arena. If weather allows, I myself do two days on and one day off, with little mini-sessions - say a few minutes of in-hand work - tossed in whenever it seems appropriate.

I think it’s important to learn to read your horse’s mood and reactions, and to be sensitive to teachable moments as they arise. Try to balance the instilling of new skills with exercises he already knows and enjoys, so you don’t overwhelm him, either physically or mentally. I also include lots of treats and scratches on the neck myself, but of course that’s your call.

Good luck!

[Aphrodite]

@allons-y

What breed is he? I would avoid lunging for many reasons. I think for work ethic you could safely do the following: (Do daily or 3x a week if that’s all you can manage)

He’s a Holsteiner, I can manage more but I’m trying to take him slow, with lots of breaks in between

He seems to like it better when I ride him rather than lunge, he’s a calm stallion, even when fresh it is very well contained freshness - if that makes sense.

I like all the ideas everyone suggesting! I will start taking him more out on long trail rides but unfortunately some parts of the area where I’m in the terrain can get rocky if I go too far out. I only have like 20mins with good ground, and then it’s on and off all the way through.

[Red_Barn]

It sounds like you two are getting on really well. That’s awesome.

I’ll just add one thing: I don’t think you need to go on super long trail rides to get the benefits of relaxed hacking out. Even an easy walk around the property, before and/or after a few arena exercises, is great.

I still walk or trot in and out of the arena, with some nice brisk work out and about, several times in the course of a ride. I’ve always done this, and still do it even though my guys are comfy old citizens at this point. It fends off staleness and keeps them forward, attentive and enjoying their work - aaaaaaand it’s fun for me, too.

[Aphrodite]

@Red Barn - Thank you! yes he is such a sweet heart and I think we’ve bonded quite well! Thanks for the tip, I will go round the area and make sure he is happy and forward, although today was the first time I hacked him out with my sister walking with me, he seemed like he was taking his time having a look around the area and not as forward as I wanted him to be, but once he gets used to it I am sure he will start moving more forward as he’ll know the area.

[anon6003733]

Oh 20 minutes of good terrain is more than enough, and more than a lot of folks have access to so good for you! By the time you’ve circled back for home you will have banked a nice half hour of stretching his horizons out in the real world.

Let him looky loo…the forward will come as he gains confidence in himself and his surroundings. Right now he’s saying,
“Where am I and what am I doing here… and also what is THAT?”

Kind of like walking with a toddler, all very normal

[Aphrodite]

@ohmyheck - Yes that’s how it felt like, walking with a toddler! Thank you all for all the great feedback! He is the first horse I backed and I tend to overthink everything with him :lol:

So it’s always nice to ask around!

[shiloh]

Better you should over think and be cautious than throw caution to the wind and push him too hard. He is a warmblood and they mature slowly. My one trainer had a rule that if they were three they could work three days a week, four meant four days a week, up to five when they were expected to be in full work. Also you have to adjust for their brains - some horses learn very quickly and others need to take it slow and absorb it more slowly. You sound like you are doing okay, but just one question? Why is he still a stallion?

[Where_sMyWhite]

I will confess I was a bit surprised to read a few replies in that he is still intact based on the questions you are asking. What experience do you have handling a stallion? Many stallions can be good citizens as other posters have motioned. Most of those posters are also experienced in handling a stallion to help them learn how to be a good citizen.

[joiedevie99]

20-30 minutes 3x a week is a great schedule for that age/maturity level.

[Aphrodite]

@Shilo and @Where’sMyWhite , I’ve been riding for 18 years and quite experienced, I have had many green horses but all at the age of 5 years, first time bringing on a youngster like this one, and I have also had stallions in the past with no issues.

I have a thing for stallions and their personalities when working with them on the ground, they bond more or seem to show it more and they are more interested in the work or exercise that you do. I feel that there’s more interaction when working with a stallion than a gelding (never owned a gelding, either mares or stallies).

However for now as long as he is well behaved, and not showing signs of aggression or that he can be dangerous to others I will keep him this way, but should it change I will definitely geld him. As so far he is quite well behaved, can neigh when he sees mares passing by but is very well mannered when he is handled and had no trouble.

[Downthefence]

I guess I’m kind of an odd duck out here, my 3.5 year old has been in training since she was 2, and shown in futurities. She had a few months off these past months, but I’ve started riding her 5 days a week. We do w/t/c for warm up (like 5 minutes total) then we work on spins occasionally , work onstops, and work some cattle. Some days i just hop on and trot around…
it depends on your horse though, my mare goes CRAZY if she isn’t worked. Your kiddo may need you to go slower

[Nezzy]

i think you are right on track. you are not on his back for long periods, and ending on a good note.

[CHT]

Given how small a turn out he has, I would probably ride him more often than if he had a larger space to roam. Doesn’t need to be hard work/training, but at least getting him out to build his bone density and overall body development. Even walking should be good.