We also scared a judge back in his trailer at a schooling show 
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Hang on, youāre telling me this isnāt normal???
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They donāt do that when mine shows up. Jokeās on them, he went over the boards and through a decorative flower arrangement, which he dragged several feet strewing potting soil through the excellent footing, before coming to a stop.
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Mine would probably dump me and then go eat the decorative flower arrangement.
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You guys are cracking me up! Oh, Horses!
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i started a young buckskin with my dressage coach. Worked him for about three months of weekly lessons then took him on a weekly hack (he was only 4). When my friend, (beginning rider) came to ride him (in a lesson with my coach) she could hardly get him forward. We gave her a crop, coach tried to get her to use her calves/legs to motivate him, but he was completely un-invigorated. He is not that way with me, heās not jiggy, but heās not sluggish either. Just a nice, compliant horse. This single experience is all i have with a young horse ratcheting-down with a new (and newbie) rider. Again, i was until that time, his only rider, so he was uncomfortable and i guess āconcernedā to have someone completely different aboard.
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For sure. This horse was still pretty quiet with the trainer but more so with me for sure.
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he sounds like a very responsible, careful horse. Just might be that heās the kind that wants to get it all right. He could be a perfectionist ā¦and thatās not a bad thing for a lot of disciplines.
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You should also know that just because heās quiet and sensible at 2 months into training does not mean he wonāt turn into a gallavanting idiot in the future.
In my experience, most young horses that are properly started are pretty sensible the first few months under saddle. Itās once they get used to balancing rider and get strong enough & confident enough to not have to focus on the weight on their back ā¦ thatās when your really know what they are REALLY like. You hear so many stories of āhe was great at the trainerās, he was there 90 days and never put a foot wrong and now all he does is airs above ground and spookingā ā¦ yeah, thatās because he finally has the balance and confidence to show his real personality.
I donāt like to make a call on how sensible a youngster is until theyāre on month 6 or so of work. At that point, you know whether they really are mellow or if they were just too unsure to object to anything.
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Thereās that, a just-started horse can be careful because theyāre learning how to walk and chew gum. But i think calm-horse-gone-wild is more an issue when a horse transfers into the hands of a non-trainer. Some people arenāt quite ready for a green horse.
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This is true, but so far Iāve been pretty spot on with my ability to access temperament with the greenies. And this trainer like I said before seems to be pretty good at assessing horses and many of her horses go on to be great amateur mounts. I know sheās had a rare few that were more professional type rides but according to her she has known that from the get-go.
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I do agree that you see the āgreat at the trainers now wild later onā thing happen though. I see this mostly with people that are just far from ready for a green horse and that also donāt keep in lessons themselves. 4 and 5 year old horses get opinions and you have to be confident enough to work through it, not everyone has the stomach or discipline for it.
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Iāve seen it on a number of young horses with well respected trainers and knowledgeable young horse owners ā¦ angels for the first few months then silly young horse antics and hissy fits appear.
My point was not āthey go crazy when away from the trainer and/or in the hands of newbiesā but ācalm early on under saddle is very common ā¦ doesnāt mean itāll lastā. They get their balance & some confidence about the whole āriding thingā and then you know what you actually have.
If you are comfortable dealing with normal young horse drama and you like him, well, lifeās short - buy the pony. But if the prospect of him poinging around minus steering, brakes, and common sense is a deal breaker for you, then you should wait a little longer before making the call.
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For sure. Iāve been lucky to not have any real extreme behavior from any of my young horses, mostly just some opinions. Never anything that I felt would land me in the hospital, as long as it was addressed anyways.
Itās funny though, ask 5 different trainers and you will get 5 different opinions! Ha ha ha. I was told by someone that in their time starting babies, if they are really quiet/dull when started, they tend to stay that way through life (I think she was making a case that I would not be happy with this youngster later on)
The trainer who has him, claims she can get a pretty good read on them pretty early on.
And then Iāve heard and seen what you describe. Especially with Warmbloods.
I do think most 3/early 4 year old tend to be extra agreeable and then they get older/stronger and like to test out their opinions a bit!
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Any horse can be taught to go forward from a touch, that is according to the training not the horse.
The horse has to have confidence in the rider to go forward.
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Absolutely any horse can be taught to be more āon the aidsā and responsive to the leg. But horses do have personalities and some tend to run a bit on the cooler side and some on the hotter side. Most riders tend to have a preference too. If itās a constant discussion every single ride, that would not be my ideal ride.
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Well now the owners (not the trainer) are saying that to try this greenies a second or additional time it will cost me $90 a ride.
Ouch. I totally got trained to discourage tire kickers and charging a fee. But that seems steep! The trainer is trying to see if they will give me a discount since Iāve bought a horse from the trainer beforeā¦
Heās already priced really high (because of the market.) I do like him so maybe I will pay it. But Iām also supposed to go see another horse on Saturday and the lady has been saying again and again that she likes people to come as often as they want so she makes sure itās a good fit. No charge.
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I think Iād be cooler with the fee if it was a more schooled horse. Itās just a lot on such a green horse.
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The fee is not based on the horse - itās based on the owners time, and to discourage wasting it.
I agree that itās steep.
