We live in the Mid Atlantic and I have a friend who wants to have her 3 year old broke. I always train my own so I have no idea how much it would cost her. He hasn’t had anything but normal handling. So he would need everything up to walk trot canter work. She’s not a very strong rider herself.
My daughter here at Otteridge Farm makes her living breaking babies from scratch. She usually has them a minimum of 90 days and has them W, T, C nicely by that time frame. We are located between Roanoke & Lynchburg so the cost is much less than other places in Virginia.
**edited to add, we do exactly as the owner has requested. We encourage and invite visits and send tons of photos and updates. Our Otteridge Farm LLC facebook page also shows updates. Check us out! 
Prices:
Field Board with Training $600/month*
Full Board with Training $800/month
We specialize in starting young horses. Located just south and west of Richmond, VA. We have a great guy who is well known in VA start them, then, if the client likes, our show rider takes over to put refinements on them. We have indoor and outdoor rings, so weather is never an issue.
My trainer is located outside of Philadelphia and does an amazing job starting young horses. I have sent six to her over the last several years, and every one has turned out to be a great mount under saddle in a variety of sporthorse disciplines, as well as getting experience hacking out on trails. She is currently preparing my stallion for the North American Pony Stallion Testing and is doing a wonderful job, especially given how far he has come in such a short amount of time.
I can’t say enough great things about her and her assistant trainer, who is a fabulous rider. Her training fee is very reasonable as well at $750.00 per month.
She asked how much.
500-2000 a month depending on the quality and cred of the trainer.
Bobby Meyerhoff in Culpeper charges $1600 per month to start a young one and to carry on preparing the kid for performance. He’s had three of mine and done a fabulous job. I think that Stacy Pattison at Pat Limage’s Bae Prid Farm in Gainesville still charges $1200 a month but we want to preserve Stacy so don’t send her a big-time bucker/or one who likes to go up, up, up. Also, Lauren Dearlove in Purcellville does a super job starting youngsters, though I don’t know what she charges currently.
Diane Halpin/Laurel Leaf Hanoverians/Facebook
All I know is you can spend (waste) a lot of money and not have a horse that is really started and going under saddle with people that come well recommended. No matter the reputation or costs, make sure you visit often and make sure you both have an agreement and common and reasonable vision as to where a horse should be on a time line (30-60-90 days) and that there are valid reasons if they miss those marks (immature horse, tough, screwball, etc.).
Omare, we have started a LOT of babies, and you can set out all the timelines you want, and the horse will have completely different ideas. The client needs to have a goal of training, and the length of time it will take to get there depends on the horse. We get them in where they need so much ground work on general respect, being handled, walking politely, before they even think about starting under saddle, that it adds at least a month. And these are horses that have been described as well handled. So, getting a good trainer to commit to a timeline before getting the horse started is not fair.
[QUOTE=omare;7191623]
All I know is you can spend (waste) a lot of money and not have a horse that is really started and going under saddle with people that come well recommended. No matter the reputation or costs, make sure you visit often and make sure you both have an agreement and common and reasonable vision as to where a horse should be on a time line (30-60-90 days) and that there are valid reasons if they miss those marks (immature horse, tough, screwball, etc.).[/QUOTE]
This. IMHO there are many more training places that miss the mark than return to you a horse well started w/t/c and sane. Get references, more than one, and from others besides the trainer. Cost is one marker, but most definitely not the only one. Find out who actually starts the horses, and what they do. Visit often.
Thanks for everyone one’s responses so far. OK let say they have the horses there for a month, how many days a week would the horse be worked with. When people say “30 days” is that 30 days out of a month or 6 weeks or what. I know it will be different with different people but what would you expect?
I don’t know how anyone can get a sane, quiet horse (from the very beginning) after only 30 days. It’s an injustice to the horse, IMO.
[QUOTE=Snowfox;7191736]
Thanks for everyone one’s responses so far. OK let say they have the horses there for a month, how many days a week would the horse be worked with. When people say “30 days” is that 30 days out of a month or 6 weeks or what. I know it will be different with different people but what would you expect?[/QUOTE]
Usually “30 days” means a calendar month. The horse is usually handled 5 days/week. To start a youngster, the trainer has to spend time evaluating the horse on the longe or in a round pen and see how much ground etiquette it knows. Then the trainer might progress to putting a saddle on, then to standing by a mounting block, then putting weight in the saddle, then mounting, then having the horse move with a rider on top, then getting the horse to build a little muscle and learn basic steering, go and whoa aids. For a level-headed, well-traveled, “easy” horse, this might progress quickly and significant progress can be made in 30 days. For a hot-headed, insecure, reactive horse, it might take many days to settle in…then many days to simply get used to a saddle on the back…etc., and 30 days may only get the horse as far as comfortably accepting weight on the back. So it really all depends on the horse. That said, ditto what others have said. Your friend should visit often and determine that the horse is being adequately educated and is moving along at a decent clip. Of course, some young horse trainers simply take smaller steps/larger steps than others and your friend would do well to ask to talk with clients as references, and at least find a trainer whose horse-starting philosophy matches hers.
our young horses were started by a trainer who told us he is not doing it in less then 3 months in order to do it right. He said each horse is different, but he doesnt know that in the beginning and he doesnt like to be under pressure. So this is his package… (600 per month, everything except vet and farrier included)
After 3 months we got horses back who would do walk trot canter inside and outside the ring and had great basics in everything… For us it made perfectly sense. So I would talk to the possible trainer about his concept… Its not always the money
[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;7191747]
I don’t know how anyone can get a sane, quiet horse (from the very beginning) after only 30 days. It’s an injustice to the horse, IMO.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think 30 days is enough either, I was just checking what people meant by that. I would think 5 days a week, 3 month minimal would be the basics.
Personally when I start my own horses, I don’t even teach the canter until they had close to half a year under saddle.
[QUOTE=Snowfox;7191736]
Thanks for everyone one’s responses so far. OK let say they have the horses there for a month, how many days a week would the horse be worked with. When people say “30 days” is that 30 days out of a month or 6 weeks or what. I know it will be different with different people but what would you expect?[/QUOTE]
Again, these are questions you need to ask the trainer. Usually this means the horse is “worked” 5 days a week, but not all trainers RIDE them 5 days a week. Some incorporate lunging, trail riding & free jumping in there to keep the horses from getting sour.
And DO visit often and ask others about their experiences with the horses. I just had a TERRIBLE experience with a young horse trainer this summer…sent the mare out for 90 days and not only did the trainer miss a bunch of days and not keep track so he could make them up, but he didn’t even get ON the horse till Day 60!!
I got a whopping 15 rides o/o the guy…in 90 days!! I was furious!! And it had nothing to do with the mare herself…she was a cupcake. So DO do your homework and visit often…
Many times, visiting isn’t an option if you don’t live near the trainer. We almost never have people local to us send horses. Most of our clients are out of state. So, you get references.
Depends completely on the horse and how much correct ground work has been done. I don’t think 30 days is typically enough. I had one that just came back after more than 60 but not quite 90. One of the best young horse starters–problem horse people around here in PA (cost was 1200 a month).
She was semi feral (more feral than tame!!!) when I sent her. She is a tough tough mare. She was a freebie I had just acquired and knew she would be more work than I wanted to do. We couldn’t even catch her–trainer came and helped us get a hold of her and get her on the trailer.
She came home better about being caught, loading easily on the trailer (self loading), knowing how to tie. WTC (canter was still green but not bad), hacking out alone and in company, crossing water, and jumping little logs. No longer feral and at a place where we could start to put more finishing touches on her. For me that was exactly what I wanted.
Since your friend is not a strong rider, it may take several months of training for the horse to be ready to come home. Then, she may want to send the horse back again for several months when he is a 4 year old and a 5 year old.
I am a timid, uncoordinated, older rider. When I bought a barely broken 4 year old Irish Draught 6 years ago, I trailered him to an excellent trainer once or twice a week for months. Then, I trail rode him in between his lessons. If the horse is extremely quiet, this is another option.
The important part is to get the training done, and done by someone good. If it isn’t done soon, the horse will be a difficult 5 or 6 year old, and your friend may never get him trained.
Snowfox, I would suggest your friend expect to send the horse away for a few months. In my case, I sent each horse out for the summer to get started, some at age three, one I waited until she was four. They were gone for usually three to four months, give or take, and all were solidly started under saddle walk trot, with experience cantering (but still green at the canter). Even the one who was only under saddle for six weeks had a solid walk trot and won at a large double-judged breed show under both judges. I then gave them winter and spring off, and they returned to training the following summer.
The amount of time needed will all depend on the horse. A good trainer is going to develope a program specific to each horse’s needs. I am very wary of trainers who say they will have a solid w-t-c on a horse in 30 days. I wouldn’t want my horse to have a cookie-cutter program. I’d prefer one that was open to changing the recipe for each horse as needed. (I must be hungry. Forgive the food analogy.
I don’t quite understand why this seems so complicated. Everyone likes to say, “well it depends on the horse”. Well no, it doesn’t. Unless the horse is a problem child, all horses should w/t/c with ease after 90 days. After 60 I would put most riders on. 4-5 days a week is standard. After 20 days the horse should be able to warm up in a round pen, and then walk straight into a ring and walk/trot. Most can canter at this point too.
All this crap about sometimes I lunge, and sometimes I roundpen tells me they don’t know what they are doing.
Here is my schedule with ALL HORSES.
Day 1: Roundpen for saddle, bridle, and mounting. Walk possible
Day 2: Roundpen for saddle, bridle, and mounting walk mandatory.
Day 3: Roundpen for saddle and bridle, mount and walk/trot
Day off:
Day 4: Roundpen 5 min after saddle and bridle, walk/trot both directions and stopping
Day 5: Saddle horse in barn, walk to roundpen for 5, walk/ trot/ canter
Day 6: Rest
Every horse does it, never a problem… moving them all along. After two weeks I am in the ring on the rail. By 3rd week I am doing diagonals and cantering in both directions. After 30 days a horse better be w/t/c/, after 60 any trainer can take them, ANY.
We need to up our level of training in this country, and stop this annoying crap about how “My horse is different”. No, they aren’t. They are a horse, and they all are driven by the same instinctual motivations. The individuality may play a part in how fast they progress after they are started, but they all get in line when handled properly. I have started QH’s, TB’s, Hannoverians, Mule’s, and Holsteiners. They ALL LEARN THE SAME WAY. Sure, some learn faster then others, but in my experience they all get it in a reasonable time. Heck, I even started a 1 eyed TB a number of years ago in VA, even he followed the program.
I guess what I am saying in my rant is, expect more. Too many are saying they know what they are doing, yet they can’t even mount your horse in the 1st week. Raise the bar and expect more. Starting horses is easy, making them a GP jumper or Dressage horse is a whole different arena.
Tim
