Trials and Tribulations of training the 4 year old!!!

[Stitch_In_Time]

[QUOTE=fallenupright;8775876]
^ poles, poles, more poles. When ground poles get boring, make them raised ground poles. Raised alternate ends is fun, too.

I’m visiting my chiropractor this week after an incident involving a tarp and my young guy on Friday (the sudden flying sideways and me running after him so he didn’t get loose has put out a rib, it likes to go out after a back injury a few years ago, doesn’t take much).

He’s really not the bravest pony. Speaking of that…

How does one make a brave jumper? He’s has lovely gaits and balance and is adorable over fences. But he’s spooky about fill and while I’ve finally gotten some “real” jumps and fill at home, every “new” jump at a show (even if its literally identical to something he’s jumped before) is still spooky for him and he’s definitely inclined to stop and look, not just leap. Is it just a matter of more jumping til he’s confident?

I’m used to bold mares who save my ass, he’s definitely an adjustment…[/QUOTE]

I do plan to start poles with her, our next ride will either involve poles, or a trail ride depending on the weather.

As far as making a brave jumper: With my old mare we would pull out some new “scary” thing each lesson. We would school over the fence with just normal rails and then add the “scary” thing. We used a folded up rug or saddle pad. Once she got comfortable with it in one location we would move it elsewhere on the jump. She was the worst when it was on the ground under the jump, I got some really impressive jumping efforts out of her that way! By the time I retired her from jumping she would jump anything that I pointed her at, you just have to build their confidence slowly.

[Samotis]

It’s funny because I have two full brothers. They couldn’t have been more different!

The oldest is 8 and he is 100 percent jumper. Not hot, but brave as all get out and jumps high and anything you point him at. (including standards. Ask me how I,know.

His brother, my 4 year old jumps much rounder and his front end is over his eyeballs. He takes a lot of repetition to become consistent where his brother was the same from day one.

But I am so excited to finally have bred a hunter! Even if I decide to sell him, he is a special one and I have no doubt in my mind he will be doing the big Derby classes. I am going to try an upload a couple jumps from our rides today so you guys can see him.

He is unbelievable over the jumps. So much so I can’t seem to stay on. ;(

[Samotis]

http://youtu.be/fCrXDSUnQ7s

God I love this horse! His rhythm is amazing.

[PNWjumper]

[QUOTE=Samotis;8776142]
http://youtu.be/fCrXDSUnQ7s

God I love this horse! His rhythm is amazing.[/QUOTE]

Really really lovely!

[IPEsq]

Some horses just need some time in the ring before a show to have a stop and sniff. It can be a lifelong thing with some of them. Others may still like to get in the ring after a while but will get over the need to stop and sniff with enough miles.

I just put a stick on my just turned 6 year old. His sales ad from when he was 4 said he was 16.2. This morning, he measured 17.1. :eek:

[Stitch_In_Time]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;8776220]
Some horses just need some time in the ring before a show to have a stop and sniff. It can be a lifelong thing with some of them. Others may still like to get in the ring after a while but will get over the need to stop and sniff with enough miles.

I just put a stick on my just turned 6 year old. His sales ad from when he was 4 said he was 16.2. This morning, he measured 17.1. :eek:[/QUOTE]

I’m hoping mine doesn’t get too big, I’m only 5’2" I’ll have to use an extension ladder to get on! Her dam and sire were both around 16.1, but her grandsire was 17.2 :eek:

[IPEsq]

[QUOTE=Stitch In Time;8776246]
I’m hoping mine doesn’t get too big, I’m only 5’2" I’ll have to use an extension ladder to get on! Her dam and sire were both around 16.1, but her grandsire was 17.2 :eek:[/QUOTE]

I am close to 5’8 and look fine on a big, long horse, but he really needs to stop growing already! My boarding barn really needs to invest in some 3-step mounting blocks instead of all the tiny 2-step ones. It’s kind of sad that I don’t take him on as many bareback strolls as I’d like because I just can’t get up there without someone to boost me!

[Equitational]

I got bucked off my 4 year old for the first time, just a week before my wedding! Luckily its wasn’t a bad fall, taking her off grain with molasses and doing some ground work before I get on!

[Stitch_In_Time]

I headed out for my first trail ride with the baby giraffe last night. She was really quiet and well behaved and I was quite happy with her, until we got to the water that is…

She planted her feet on the bank and refused to get closer than about a foot from the edge of the water. Even with the other horse in the water she still wouldn’t go in. I got off and managed to get 2 feet in the water, she had her nose in the water playing with it, but her feet were planted she wasn’t going any farther!

Luckily this isn’t a water crossing, just a nice flat wading area in a creek. After she stood quietly in the water for a bit I got back on and we headed back to the barn. I’ll have to take her back on another day when I have more time and get her all the way in. Thankfully she doesn’t seem scared of the water, just plain stubborn!

[IPEsq]

The babies sure can highlight your every mistake can’t they? For some reason, I thought the way to fix a right lead canter exercise going horribly wrong was to get in my half seat which really was-- lean forward and over the right shoulder. Horse wasn’t too amused at this and did some bolting to the right. Followed by some crow hopping when the rest of my aids tried insisting on straightness. And then I sat down and we started 1-tempi changes :eek: (I didn’t know we could do those!). When I finally put some weight in my left stirrup, steady progress was made. OMG. Poor guy. lol.

[Xanthoria]

Yeah this week we went from tears over TOF in a lesson to doing them off a seatbone aid yesterday like it was no big deal.

The highs! The lows! My guy is like a hormonal 14 yr old boy: eats like he’s starving, lazy as all get out, spur and whip are merely a suggestion, but throw a cute mare in the pasture and he’s galloping around like a track star on steroids…

[starsandsun]

My 4 year old is and has been perfect … I am LUCKY. But, he is very well bred (Rohdiamant stallion, Fidertanz/Harvard/Grundstein II mare), handled from birth, and desensitized to everything starting at 6 months. We did long walks around the farm, learned about indoors, trailered out, and crossed streams and played in the pond. When he was ready to get backed, he could not have cared less. He’s also super brave … hacks around the farm on the buckle and isn’t bothered by deer exploding out of the bushes. The professional I have bringing him along has trained young horses that win at national championships, and she’s great with him. He’s been equally kind when I’m in the stirrups, and I look forward to a really great partnership with him. However, I do know he’s only 4 and I expect some push back at some point!

[SouthernYankee]

I’m a lucky () one to have a 3 and 4 year old in my string now. Most days I love the babies. Some days I would rather ride the 13 and 14 year olds…

I’ve only had the 4yo a couple of months but he’s pretty much perfect and has taken everything in stride that I’ve thrown at him. Although he’s a little lazy… but he’s an excellent mover so he doesn’t seem so bad. His one quirk is he’s buddy sour at home. Take him to a new place with new horses and he’s bold and could care less about anything. I have big plans as a foxhunter for him. And he’s grey so that adds about 10 cute points. He’s currently 16.1 and looks like a leggy teenager, I’m hoping he’s not going to get much more height and he will start filling in.

The 3yo is a homebred and I love her to pieces. It’s nice not having to fix someone else’s issues. She’s had a break the past few months as I’m focused on the boy above but I hopped on her in the field one day last week and she was perfect, it had also been 8 weeks since she had been worked. She’s growing kind of strange and I’m not sure I’d buy her if I came across a sale add, but her brain makes up for her physical short comings. She’s 15.3 and supposed to top out around there, It wouldn’t surprise me if she did stop growing and it wouldn’t surprise me if she grew another 4". I can’t wait to get her out and about more next year.

[HJdaydream]

Joining the fun!

Hello everyone! I’d like to introduce myself, and my boy, and join in on the fun here:D

I’m pretty new to COTH, mostly a lurker! At the beginning of June I purchased my first horse “as an adult”, and I couldn’t be more excited:lol:. He is a whopping 18 h American bred Hanoverian, who just turned 5. Due to his massive size, he hasn’t been under saddle very long though- so I treat him more like a 4 yr old experience wise. This is my first time training a “baby”, and I am so so excited.My trainer and I have jumped him a whopping total of 4 times now- and he’s being so good! We’ll see if he has any baby moments in the future (I’m sure he will!) I love reading everyone else’s stories, so funny and yet inspiring :lol:

[starsandsun]

IPEsq, thanks for the mention of change in saddle fit! I’ve already had to change out the head plate on one of mine, and although I was just about to order a new County, have now decided to wait a year to see how his body changes.

[Dutchmare433]

I love my three year old, he’s such a peach. I rode for the first time after about a month off because of broken bone in his face. Couldn’t have asked for anything better. Long-lined him for 5 minutes, just in case (not needed), then hopped on and rode lots of walk/trot/walk/halt transitions. He was perfect and is still in that puppy dog, desperate to please stage. I love it, I just have to be sure not to be too greedy.

It was an especially nice ride after riding a client’s mare the day before, who I love to ride, but man was she a handful, 13 y/o TB, not such an excuse for baby behavior. A perfect example of why horses need boundaries and a work ethic from day one. I’d put my leg/spur on gently to ask for haunches in, she plant her feet then go walking (somewhat leisurely) backwards (once halfway around the entire ring), before taking a step fwd and going into a lovely HI. A nice reminder of why I like to start them myself!

[Due_s_Mom]

After having 2 months off due to some hand surgery on my part and the heat, I FINALLY got to get mine out again… Did a couple of days of preliminary lungeline work where we had 1 awful day and 3 good ones. Tacked her up and put her on the lunge and she hopped up and down a bit but stood like a champ at the mounting block!
She benefited greatly from some dental work and was a lot better about the bit esp in her turns. So now we walk and trot and try to build some muscle.

[Xanthoria]

Yesterday we had a real 4 yr old day. Went on a trail ride with a friend and on the way up, baby horse got a little sweaty. Along the ridge, he dried out and felt rather itchy. So he did what he’d normally do out in the pasture: dropped down and rolled. :rolleyes:

I rolled to safety but he went all the way over on his dressage saddle and scratched it up. He did roll is some low bushes and I think the tree is OK but it got pretty scratched. He got up, saddle off on his side, a bell boot destroyed, and a hind hoof boot hanging off.

I had my friend hold him, put everything straight after checking the saddle tree, got back on and finished the ride. BACK TO WORK, HORSE. NOTHING TO SEE HERE!

Later on he was tied at a rail eating some hay while he dried after a bath and the pretty mares were kicking up their heels in pasture. This was mind blowing so he broke free and ran up and down the ranch road until I could capture him.

MUCH EXCITE. SO DRAMA. VERY BABY. :no::lol::eek::o

[Dutchmare433]

I was having such problems getting the canter leads, it was getting frustrating–though at least I had my journal to go over to remind me that we had problems with trot etc before.

Well, wouldn’t you know, one day I just sat up straight and sat down in the saddle, he hasn’t picked up the wrong lead since. Duh…

And in the last few days, I finally decided to stop waiting for someone to be available to come with me and took him out hacking in the fields by himself. He was a rock star, he happily walked around on a loose rein and trotted around, ears forward, happy as a clam. Soon I’ll snag that buddy and make use of the trail system about a 1/3 of a mile from the barn.

There’s a clinic mid September, we’ll go to that and he’ll get the rest of the fall/winter off to grow.

[equest]

[QUOTE=Xanthoria;8781905]

The highs! The lows! My guy is like a hormonal 14 yr old boy: eats like he’s starving, lazy as all get out, spur and whip are merely a suggestion, but throw a cute mare in the pasture and he’s galloping around like a track star on steroids…[/QUOTE]

This describes my 6 yo OTTB so well. So lazy! And my mistake has been to coddle him too much and as a result he will drag butt with me, but then my trainer can get on and he will snap to attention. My legs get a massive workout and I struggle at times not to pass out while riding him in 90 degree weather. Trainer has not yet authorized spurs at this stage in our training.

The only blessing is that he does wake up for me when it’s jumping time, and he also paid attention when we schooled at a horse show.