has anyone used a cowboy to back their troublesome youngsters? My prospect is turning out to be much more of a handful then I expected and am having trouble finding a cowboy with experience with dressage prospects. I’ve gotten a few names but would love to hear others experiences or thoughts
what is the issue you are having with the horse?
one secret cowboys don’t tell you… most of their horses live out and get much, much more turnout than a show horse does… that can get a lot of spunk out of a younger horse since they often play rough and tire themselves out in the paddock. another thing most cowboys do is cut back on the grain, substitute extra roughage – in round bales… and oats… keeps their condition.
a lot of it comes down to management as well as training, and owners get disappointed when the horse comes back beautiful but slowly devolves back into old behaviors.
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She’s out all day and she only eats a handful of grain. She’s a bucker all the ground work had gone well, she’s even been sacked out but she just needs a warmbody to stay on while she takes them to the rodeo. She even stands quietly at the mounting block there’s just a major explosion as soon as she walks off.
I’ve not done it, but I know of trainers who just automatically send babies off for 30, 60, 90 days, whether they’re “difficult” or not, just because they don’t want to deal the backing themselves. Pretty normal. Just, make sure you find a good cowboy with a great reputation - I’ve known just as many with questionable techniques that they’re really good at hiding.
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Another cowboy trick is to treat “problem horses” for ulcers!
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sounds physical? have you looked at saddle fit and her back? major explosion after walking off from the mounting block is definitely a symptom of discomfort.
i’ve started a few babies from the ground up and if they were good being “sacked” they didn’t have a problem with a rider on their back. it was all about taking it slowly. none of them bucked either.
out all day isn’t enough for most horses. i live in your area and “out all day” usually equals 6-8 hrs in a dry lot. turn out at 8am and brought in at 4 or 5… it’s not a great life for young horses. 24/7 makes a massive difference and is 3x the time as 8hrs.
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I used Cliff Schadt jr and was really impressed. I wrote an article about it for NEDA. Cliff is in Ocala for the winter but will be back in NY in the spring
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You could check into Lockehaven farm in Enfield, NH. I had a trainer who used him to work with her young warmbloods, with great results:
http://www.lockehavenfarm.com/testimonials.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbLK20IPL7Y
Also, you could check out Cathie Hatrick-Anderson in MA… she helped teach my Oldenburg to self-load – amazing woman:
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Update I have had three trainers just no show/back out not including the many listed who just didn’t call back. If anyone knows of anyone in the area she was supposed to be picked up in the morning for boot camp and the trainer backed out less then 12 hours prior to pick up.
Roddy Strang in SE PA is fab with young/problem horses. As stated above your horse will prob live out in a herd. Started on ulcer meds and may loose weight…
You will have a well behaved individual when your horse returns home however. I would highly suggest watching him work with multiple horses, while your horse is there, so you can adopt some of his techniques. He is a very good horsemen.
I find him fascinating to watch work as his techniques are different from what I have used but we end up at the same place. Fabulous to have more tools to add to my toolbox and “play” with until I incorporate them into my own program.
I would and have sent horses to him when I feel I can’t work through an issue or feel over my head with a horse. The trick for me is to watch what he is doing and incorporate that into my program.
I know he’s a bit far for you but he is worth it. Best of luck.
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I’ve got a guy in NC that does what your talking about, but he is quite far from you. Bucking right from the start after mounting would have me double check saddle fit or go back a few steps in training. sounds like something was possibly missed or pain somewhere. Does horse so the buck with a person leading them with a rider or lunge line with rider?
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I sent a 5-year-old Dutch mare to Pat O’dell in Suffield, Ct. I left her with him for 60 days and she came back a new horse. This was about 6 years ago, but I’m pretty sure he still takes a handful of “English” horses into his program.
Get in touch with Liz Austin, I know she has a cowboy she sends her babies to and she summers in Vermont. You can probably find her easily on Facebook. I don’t know if she is on CoTH forums or not.
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Really good idea! PM me if you need help getting in touch wil Liz.
Jeremy Reid was highly recommended to a friend by trainer Nancy Adams for starting horses. http://www.jrhorsemanship.weebly.com/
My horse was started by a Natural Horseman out of Virginia that I would highly recommend. No carrot sticks. This man just has excellent horsemanship and the ability to communicate with horses.
He starts with ground work and transitions to a western saddle. He is on a beautiful 100 acre property with plenty of grass turnout. He is patient, kind, and gentle.
I had the pleasure of seeing the property while visiting my horse in 2013. https://www.simmonssporthorses.net/ My horse still remembers the in hand work he did - shoulder-in, half pass, turn on the haunches and etc… Dressage trainer friends thought my horse had a very good start. Jared will ask you about your riding goals and discipline. It was no big deal for my horse to switch from a western to a dressage saddle.
Good luck.
Second Roddy or Sam Smucker in the same area. Sam took my OTTB and turned him around. He is fabulous, can’t say enough about him. He’s in the same area as Roddy and was his apprentice for many years and has been on his own for probably 10 years. They work together and have the same ethics and abilities. (No carrot sticks with either of these men either, no tricks, just plain good horsemen).
^
THIS X1000
Unless you see what techniques are used, your well-broke horse is likely to revert when she finds out you don’t have the same skills. Best of all Worlds would be to work with the trainer yourself while your horse is in training.
Hope you can find someone close enough for you to audit.
I don’t know of anybody personally, but I will say it isn’t always physical. Sometimes there are horses that are just bratty and need better training. They are mammals just like us, and can have a “tude” just like some people can. That being said, I would highly recommend looking for somebody that does not spin them around in a roundpen. I know too many horses that have had tendon/ligament injuries from being sent to trainers that over-utilize the roundpen.
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Chiming in from H/J land; we’ve used Greyledge in Durham, CT to help with the occasional “problem” horse.
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Mountain Lane Farm in temple NH puts a great foundation under saddle and ground manners too on any horse.
There are also some colt starting clinics that are more just a few days. Some of them that come around are phenomenal.
