When/how do you start your WB babies

[hunt_jumpfl]

I’m curious when most people start more than basic manners/handling training with their babies - especially these huge WB babies. At what age do you introduce them to lunging or ground driving? At what age do you first sit on them? How do you decide when they are ready for each step?

I have a huge coming 2 year old filly (July baby) who has just been out growing up. She had great handling basics as a foal and we are working on reinforcing those basics. Unfortunately she seems to be hitting her tough teenager time and she wants to be boss - she is a very alpha mare that seems to think she is a stud colt. I was planning on waiting until summer or fall of next year to send her to a trainer but I’m wondering if she may need to go for more ground training before then (unfortunately I am injured so I’m limited in the type of handling I can do currently). I’m curious what people are doing with their yearlings, 2 year olds, and 3 year olds. In the past I’ve helped start babies or gotten freshly started babies anywhere from the age of 2 with the quarter horses and Thoroughbreds to the age of 4 with a couple of big WBs.

[soloudinhere]

My just-turned-2yo is still in basic handling training, but she will be introduced to a saddle and bridle starting in around June and start in long lines maybe around August.

​​​​​​she will be backed and lightly started her 3yo summer, turned out for the winter, and start “big kid” work her 4yo year.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

@soloudinhere

My just-turned-2yo is still in basic handling training, but she will be introduced to a saddle and bridle starting in around June and start in long lines maybe around August.

​​​​​​she will be backed and lightly started her 3yo summer, turned out for the winter, and start “big kid” work her 4yo year.

This.
Be willing to make some allowances for the physical and mental abilities of each horse. If I had a monster-huge WB I would be inclined to wait a bit longer.

[hunt_jumpfl]

@soloudinhere

​​she will be backed and lightly started her 3yo summer, turned out for the winter, and start “big kid” work her 4yo year.

This has been my thinking with my filly as well (maybe fall of her 3yo year since she is a big summer baby though). Good to hear what others are doing to get there.

[OBdB]

you can not generalize each horse is different !

My horses don’t have real handling until they are 2, but evidently, they live next to me and I see them, talk to them, handle them every day of their (and my) lifes.

I start ‘work’ at age two (2), as preparation for the 2Y shows here in France. Work for them means, being in shape, being easy to handle. Concretely, my 2y-old colt will be shown at the end of may. I started work last week. 2 x per week, 5mn on each hand, jumping once a month without exceeding 50cm first, later on up to 70/80. The free jump in the shows will be about 100 (100 x 80 for the oxer).
But after the shows, he will return to simply being a horse until the start of the 3y-old shows. They are broken in at spring of their 3 years.
Afterwards again, depending on maturity, he will return to pasture to develop slowly.

i do not like to really work my horses until 5 years. and than, for the real big ones, only light work. The later you use them intensively, the longer they stay healthy and useable.

[Personal_Champ]

Far from expert, but with my coming 3 year old, he got handled daily and had to stand for farrier and vet.

Summer of his 2 year old year, I started teaching the concept of lungeing (2-3 days a week, 10 minutes a session). Fall of his 2 year old year I backed him (sat on him twice, third time I walked a 20 meter circle both ways), then he went out for the winter.

This spring (as a 3 year old) I’m teaching him to long line, and this summer I’ll lightly start him (w/t only). He will go back out for the winter and go into “normal” work next year as a 4 year old.

[Broadreach]

I find that broadening the basis of their handling rather than moving linearly ahead is the key to a well started baby. If a weanling is walking quietly in hand, move on to other in hand activities, over tarps, into the trailer, walk/trot in hand. You will learn if that baby remembers what he did before after a few days, if he is rank when you try in three days, you will learn that this baby needs more consistent work. Some need ten minutes every day, while others “remember” and only need 15 minutes once a week. Leaving them to grow out often means you have an unruly teenager who now has size on their side and it makes forward progress harder. Our yearlings self load, walk, trot, halt safely on lead, permit saddling and bridling, stand for clippers and bathing. By two we want them to be backed, but only at a walk, learn about a mounting block, learn turning on the forehand in hand, long line work and w/t/c verbal commands in a round pen. I try to limit lunge/round pen work to fifteen minute sessions and don’t want it to be stressful (no running). Three, w/t/c under saddle, trail riding, ponying off another horse, field trips off the farm. Serious work at four.

[OBdB]

@Broadreach

I find that broadening the basis of their handling rather than moving linearly ahead is the key to a well started baby. If a weanling is walking quietly in hand, move on to other in hand activities, over tarps, into the trailer, walk/trot in hand. You will learn if that baby remembers what he did before after a few days, if he is rank when you try in three days, you will learn that this baby needs more consistent work. Some need ten minutes every day, while others “remember” and only need 15 minutes once a week. Leaving them to grow out often means you have an unruly teenager who now has size on their side and it makes forward progress harder. Our yearlings self load, walk, trot, halt safely on lead, permit saddling and bridling, stand for clippers and bathing. By two we want them to be backed, but only at a walk, learn about a mounting block, learn turning on the forehand in hand, long line work and w/t/c verbal commands in a round pen. I try to limit lunge/round pen work to fifteen minute sessions and don’t want it to be stressful (no running). Three, w/t/c under saddle, trail riding, ponying off another horse, field trips off the farm. Serious work at four.

but what you describe is ‘serious’ work already … (in my eyes).

I agree with the handling at an early age as long as it is basic obedience like walking in hand ‘civilly’ or trailering.

[VirginiaBred]

Please don’t longe a youngster!! Growth plates on youngsters don’t close until they are much older and longeing puts stress on the legs and joints (think about it, you go in a circle continuously). Longeing is for OLDER horses; long lining is for babies. Why? Because they go in a straight line and learn to stop, turn, back and go forward. Great way to teach voice commands and manners at the same time.

http://www.theequineindependent.com/…raining-early/

[Tory]

I have a late July 2015 filly. She has been handled daily since she was born. Since she lives at my farm it is easy to do very very short sessions of handling.

At first it was the basics with leading, picking up feet and being okay with touching all over. Then progressing to grooming, boots on legs, and shipping boots. She was “playing” with my trailer when she was three months old since I had it in the pasture.

Ever since she was born my “working” with her has been a lot like playing. Sort of what you would do with toddlers. She is learning, but having fun doing new things. I pay very close attention to her attitude, attention span and am always looking for any signs of stress, confusion or frustration.

Since she is at home, I can make sure that I am able to work with her at times that are best for her. She likes early mornings (after a nap), after she comes in from the pasture she likes to get a bite to eat and take another nap, so I wait until after that.

​​​​​​She has worn a saddle and went for a hand walk with it on a handful of times. Never once had she minded having the girth tightened.

I won’t get on her for another 2 years. But between now and then there is a whole lot that can be done to make her future job as an eventer successful and less stressful. You just have to listen to your horse and be willing to make adjustments as needed.

With the babies you can’t always have an agenda for the day, week or month.

[MysticOakRanch]

All our youngsters got handling daily for their first year of like then at least 3 times a week after that. As babies, they learn to lead, load, bathe, pick up feet, clip. At 2, they learn to tie (usually easy since they have the leading and handling down, and we do some yield to pressure work leading up to it) - I don’t tie them before that, it is too easy to damage a young horse’s neck. They also get some basic groundwork, learning to step sideways, exposure to some scary things (tarps, etc), during that time.

But I would NEVER lunge an under 3 youngster! Or back them. That is something we don’t even think about until at least Summer of their 3 year old year (so roughly 3.5 years old). For some, we wait until Spring of the 4 year old year. And then it is controlled, gentle lunging. They also learn to wear tack then, and are usually lightly backed somewhere around then. LIGHTLY backed means they learn basics, walk, trot, canter with light contact. No jumping, nothing fancy, no lateral work, usually 3 sessions weekly of about 20 minutes. At four years old, they start to work a bit more seriously - they learn to work on contact, they start to learn leg yield, they start to look like riding horses.

With a really cocky big baby, I would consider putting them out with broodmares - nothing teaches humility like an experienced broodie. And perhaps look into some ground work to engage their mind. NOT lunging, but perhaps ground driving, or teaching them some basics like stepping sideways, stepping back when asked, things to keep them focused on the handler. And they probably need to be handled at least every other day!

[Pennywell_Bay]

My huge and still growing we handled daily, taught her manners (standing for farrier, grooming, clipping, leading etc) since she was born. Unfortunately she had an injury as a foal (degloved her back hind in a freak pasture accident). So we waited until she was 4 to start doing anything with her- (later than some). She’s 5 and we are just starting to ride her.

She isn’t a sale prospect anymore, as her hind leg (though sound) will have a flaw. So she’s going to be a home horse (mine live at home) and perhaps my kid will ride her when she is out of ponies. Did I mention she is dumb. As in a rock can outsmart her. She has had every injury known to man. Put her in a different stall for five minutes? She got her leg through the gate. Change her bucket? Oh- that’ll rip her eyelid practically off. Let me roll as close to the fence as possible so I get stuck and you have to save me dumb. Writing it out- maybe my kid won’t be getting on her. But she is sweet, huge, gorgeous but oh so dumb (sorry for the derail).

My point was we did a lot much later than most and she is turning out fine. I did have the luxury of time and keeping them at home.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Mystic Oak, how do you haul them? Do you have trailer box stalls? I teach them to tie (initially with me holding the rope, then high and under supervision) after they understand yielding to pressure, because I have a straight load and if I need to go to the vet or something, I don’t want their first tie session to be on the trailer. I have also shown yearlings in hand and hauled in my trailer. A good buddy is key, but I’m just curious about how you address that.

[MysticOakRanch]

@TrotTrotPumpkn

Mystic Oak, how do you haul them? Do you have trailer box stalls? I teach them to tie (initially with me holding the rope, then high and under supervision) after they understand yielding to pressure, because I have a straight load and if I need to go to the vet or something, I don’t want their first tie session to be on the trailer. I have also shown yearlings in hand and hauled in my trailer. A good buddy is key, but I’m just curious about how you address that.

I tie back the dividers and haul them “box stall” style. I have a slant load, so that is an easy and safe option.

[hunt_jumpfl]

Thanks for the great comments. It’s always good to hear from others what they do, when, and how they decide it’s time. I’m in no hurry with her, she is to be my keeper…but I think the turn her out approach has let her get a too unruly this year. She’s been the independent type from birth but is also very friendly. We definitely need to regain her respect and get her wanting to please us at this point. I’m starting to go back to reinforcing her basic handling. I am limited by an injured back at the moment so I decided to start with her in the paddock and working with her on clicker and target training which is allowing me to work on having her want to come to me but also work on respecting my space instead of pushing through me. I’m target training to the end of a crop so coming to me means to the space I would expect when leading, not past it. She still leads fine but gets pushy and unruly especially in the barn so she will start coming in at night for a while again.

As someone else brought up I’m a bit concerned by the fact that she doesn’t tie and the potential to need to trailer in an emergency so those are at the top of the list once we’ve gotten the personal space issues under control. It was definitely interesting to hear when people tend to introduce tack. She is good about blanketing (other than thinking blankets are toys to be destroyed), but at already over 16 hands introducing tack next year might be an interesting challenge so we may put that onto the list for later this year if my back is healed.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

We always started my youngsters in the spring of their 3 year old year. Lunging 15-20 minutes, once a week. After 4-10 lunge sessions, mount and w/t, same thing, once a week, about 10-15 minutes longeing, 5-10 minutes under saddle. After about 3-5 rides, begin stepping into the canter, and pretty much done lunging. Still working once or possibly twice a week, 20-30 minutes each.

[PNWjumper]

All of my babies are of the large WB sort.

For the most part mine are pretty darn feral and living with my mare herd until right around the time they turn 3. They’re obviously handled a bit during that time as they have to get trimmed and stand nicely for the vet (sometimes nice is a relative term ;)), but beyond those short interactions there’s not a lot of time spent with them because I’m too busy with the other horses. My alpha mare does a good job instilling a sense of respect - which is a big part of why they live in the herd!

My generic plan (which can vary pretty greatly by horse) is to put 60-90 days on them in the spring of their 3yo year. I put them on the lunge line 2 or 3 times (once to get them used to it, once or twice wearing tack) with the objective of getting them familiar with voice commands. And then up I go. I typically start them over jumps in the first week or two of riding with the sole mission of “forward and straight.” My goal is to have a horse that walks, trots, canters, steers somewhat decently, and is comfortable jumping under saddle. I try to ride 3-4 days a week with several 1-3 week breaks throughout (partly because it’s good for their brains, partly because I’m gone for horseshows with the grown up horses for weeks at a time). At the end of the nice weather (so early - late fall) I toss them back out into the field and don’t touch them again until they’re coming-4yo. At that point I pull them out and get them going in the Jan/Feb/Mar timeframe to get them ready for the .90m - 1.0m jumpers in the spring and then follow through the local young jumper and/or YJC classes.

I’ve had good success with this plan, and my last youngster to come through my program is now doing the 1.30m YJC 7yo classes.

I love the idea of doing groundwork with them in the 2yo year, but “sounds good” and “happens” are two different things :lol:

[alexandra]

Start longing when they are 3 but if a very gangly and immature looking one - later. If as 2yo very good looking to go to mare show basic handling with bridle.