It’s incredibly rewarding, especially when you have been hands on since they are babies. The whole process give a you an enhanced relationship. I’ll be starting my youngest lightly under saddle in the next few months, but he is already a solid citizen, lunges, long lines and wears tack with absolutely no issue at a little over 2 yrs old. I’ve had to re-start 2, and although I knew they had various levels of saddle work, that was more daunting than the baby. Nice and slow and easy! Plus lot of positive reinforcement! Never plan to be a “trainer” or a pro, but will never send a horse out for training. Clinics are great as is having a trainer come to you or ship to them for lessons once you reach that point where its beneficial for both you and the horse! I’ve also backed a very abused rescue pony and a feral pony myself. Again, slow and easy, and always have someone there to help:-)
I started my pony myself. I got her as a two-year-old and did lots of stuff with her up to her actual backing: ground work, hand walking (first without tack, then with tack), ponying, trail walks, ground driving, etc. With the exception of ground driving lessons, I did all the work myself. When I got on her for the first time we were alone. The moment just felt right. I put my foot in the stirrup, put my weight down and did that a couple times and she was bored. So I slowly swung a leg over and sat there for a little while and then got off. It was so fun! Next time I walked in one circle around the arena. No biggie. And we just built from there.
My mustang was used as a pack horse before I got him; so while technically he carried things on his back, he really didn’t know anything. Boy I did some stupid stuff with a barely-broke mustang when I first got him. He’s taught me more than any other horse, though, and if I could work with and teach him, then I feel like I could do anything!
I’d like to try a couple more, maybe, but it would have to be the right horse (or pony) at the right time - I’m getting wiser as I get older but my body doesn’t always cooperate as it should!
I do find I really love the process of getting a horse to work with me doing all the things I like to do . . . dressage, jumping, trails. I’m not interested in the advanced “show” aspects of it, but going from zero to competence is really satisfying and fun for me.
I’ve always started my horses myself, for decades, although I expect that I’m now at the point in life at which I’ve most likely started my last one. It’s quite enjoyable to bring one along, and I like knowing that the horse doesn’t have any hidden buttons.
I’ve only bred or bought horses of sterling character, no matter where they’ve been on the sensitivity scale, so starting them has never really been that big of a deal – how I see it is that we ask our horses to do all kinds of things from the get-go, so starting is a natural progression of the handling that’s part of everyday life.
I take my time, of course, and break everything down into very small steps, but, for example, tacking up a horse is not all that different from grooming them, climbing on top is not so far from hugging or leaning on them, etc. – every increment builds on what’s already been experienced. I believe that backing a horse should not be cause for a freak-out.
I have started several for other people, and both of my current horses I have had since they were days old.
I enjoyed my first foal, but when he got to three years old and was under saddle I thought I wouldn’t do the baby thing again. Until I was facing losing my then older horse. I started to rethink, even considering buying a mare and breeding the next one. But my younger horse was born on the farm where I boarded my two and he was so much of what I wanted that I bought him.
I did the owning thing “right” according to conventional wisdom. I bought a made horse as my first, a wtc broke 3yr old as my second, and then went to the foal. That foal has turned into my ideal horse.
My starting and training methods have a few quirks that come from past experiences. I work alone, though during the initial mounting days I do ask someone to stand by to scrape me off the ground if necessary.
My first foal was easy. The second has been challenging in many ways and really made me be creative in his training. He’s finally come into his own in the last year and a half and is doing very well.
I don’t know if I will go the foal route again. It’s likely to be a few years yet and I may not bounce well enough to risk it. But I do enjoy putting the foundation on the way I want it and like knowing their entire history.
keep going, buddies all the best all
Yup - never had the luxury of the ‘made’ horse. When they are babies they are mauled and messed with, tied, led, loaded, tacked, feet done from the very first filing of the little toe nails. Getting on was just a progression. We have pets and kids and they got used to all of that, too. My current horse has the benefit of a real trainer because she is now more educated in the dressage area than I am.
I’ve done my own and now have a 3 yr old that I bred that I plan on starting myself. I did with her dam who was easy peasy to get going US. I have also sent a couple out for the initial get on stage (roughly 20 rides or so) then get on them myself. I did this with my main riding horse who had some reactive moves i.e. could leap like a bronc horse!
Me - I have a 3 year old that I backed 3 times last fall, and will be putting 30 days on him this fall before turning him out for the winter. He will go into actual work next spring as a 4 year old.
I have his mom, bred her when I was out of the saddle for brain and back surgery. I foaled him out and have been working with him on my own, so have nobody but myself to blame for any holes in his education, lol!
As an adult with a full time job I have started (from the ground up) 4 that I owned. I have started 2 that I leased, that had been sat on less than 5 times. One I own had been “sat on” a bunch, but would not move under saddle. I took him back to basics and restarted him.
While I have had lessons with all of them, there is only one I needed help with. She developed some behavior problems (bucking and rearing) that needed a “ride every day” regimen. But because of the behavior problems, I would only ride her when my husband was home. So I sent her off for a couple of months where she was ridden every day. She still has her good days and her bad days.
When I was a teenager, I started a Connemara Pony for his breeder.
Me 
I bred, raised and started my own horse as a adult ammy working a full-time, non-horse related office job. He’s such a good tempered guy and have totally enjoyed everything about the process. He went to his first show at 6 weeks and had an in-hand career before I (lightly) started him at the end of his two year old year. I did take him to a colt starting clinic to help me with the starting process but I rode him myself. As others have mentioned, I ride on my own so I needed eyes on the ground. It was a great experience for both of us.
My very first horse, when I was in high school, I got as a long yearling. APHA filly, showed in halter before I got her. I started her/trained her myself (at about 2.5 years old).
My personal horses have been OTTBs since, that I always retrain myself, but I acquired a mustang pony mare a few months ago who was not even halter broke and she’s my little project. I’m assuming she was abused at some point down the line. Girl is 7, was picked up 5 years ago at 2 years old by BLM. But still not even halter broke when I got her. 
She’s doing really well; walk trot canter on the lunge, still somewhat jumpy with people but getting better about farrier, etc. It’ll probably be next summer at least before I actually start breaking her to ride, but it’ll be me doing it.
I love nothing more than working with babies and greenies.
I have a full-time job that is not horse related, but also a small boarding barn.
Thank you for all your posts and stories!!! I agree with everybody that it is an amazing experience. Right now I am walking while sitting on my 3 year old and today I introduced a short whip while riding.
Something which is amazing for me with this specific horse is how much she is trusting us. She is not an easy character if she gets mad she is able to attack people while biting and kicking but because she had this horrible fungus last year she needed a lot of handling and treatments. And sometimes during that time she found out that I tried to help her and since then it’s amazing she really tries to never hurt me. Yes there are still things she doesn’t like to do ( deworming) but it’s very nice to work with her because she would never kick or bite you… And since we started her she just trusts us that we are not going to hurt her and because of that nothing bothers her. She loves to be with us and so everything we do is fine with her. its a huge responsibility for us to preserve her trust but it’s fun!!!
It is a huge responsibility, both to preserve the horse’s nature and to ensure that he or she becomes a good equine citizen.
I had a vet tell me while we were trying to tube my horse who had his head in the rafters that my “horses are always so sensible about things.” I take my training seriously, but I also train the behaviour I want my horse to exhibit rather than just trying to deal with the stuff I don’t want. When you have a baby horse, you have to pay attention to everything and TRAIN everything because it doesn’t just happen.
My younger horse has a serious sensitivity to his saddle placement, but when I get it right it is like night and day. He’s all in and asking what we’re doing today, ready and eager to please. I could have sent him to a cowboy to teach him that he must not buck no matter what, but I couldn’t risk losing that eager attitude. I got good enough to read him in the first steps off the mounting block and people watching thought he was just pulling my chain because they couldn’t see anything. But that attitude switch was so dramatic. We have it figured out now, and he’s come so far. I don’t for a moment regret not sending him out to the cowboy. Even though he’s progressed more slowly.
I started mine as well. This is the first time that I’ve started one and kept them as my primary riding horse. I started two prior with some help to be kids riding ponies. I truly enjoyed starting my own and it’s tough for me to imagine sending my next one away even if those first several “drunken” rides are scary and unpredictable.
I’ve never had a difficult horse, character-wise, to start - various personalities or degrees of sensitivity or view of the world, sure, but not what I’d personally call difficult - but I agree that trust is everything. I’ve often told my husband that our greenies have always had the attitude that, oh well, this is just another thing that he and I want to do, so it’s okay with them.
I started my current mount, a 13.3h 4 yo pony. My boyfriend held the lead when we first walked and the first trot. She’s a very solid trail horse, goes w/t/c, understands leg yields and lateral stuff, and goes over little xrails, but our left lead canter is a bag of shit 
It’ll come in time, and I’m sure I’ll hit lots of roadblocks, but she’s been a treat.
I start one from time to time - maybe every 3-5 years. When I was college age, I professionally started them, so gained a lot of experience. I started all of the young horses at a small-scale breeding project (4-5 per year), with a dressage and eventing focus. Now, I just do my own, from the 12 hand pony to the warmblood mare. I really enjoy doing it, and I think it’s something I’m pretty good at. I’ll never go back to doing it professionally, though.
All my life I had never had a done horse. I rode all the green beans, off the auction truck types because they were free. I gained a lot of experience doing this.
Paloma- In 2010, I bought a coming 3y/o DWBX mare who was a handful to handle but quickly learned who was boss mare. I started her on my own, lunging for the first 6 weeks, adding tack as we went, making everything a great experience. She was easy as pie to back, born broke I say. I just sold her last fall and she was training second level dressage, competed 3’ hunters and trained up to 3’ cross, shown 2’6 cross. She was amazing, reliable and pretty fancy but just wasn’t forward enough to make the courses in hunters, which is what I do. Eventing is fun but scary!
I still speak to her new owner who rides dressage and love her to bits!
Solo- In December 2016, I brought home my childhood dream horse, you know the one you always wanted to ‘BE’ when you and friends were playing ‘horse’. A coming 3y/o red dun AQHA with white stockings and a huge blaze. He was intact but gelded before coming home though you would have never known he was a colt, seriously! He was also more seasoned than Pal, he was shown on the line most his life, breeders thinking he would replace their stallion but he wanted nothing of mares. He likes pink, that is all I can say. Not to mention he was too light and too big a mover for western.
He had been lunged with tack, knew w/t/j/c/l and whoa VERY well. He ground tied and was a total cool cucumber.
Solo turned out to be the very sensitive type. I continued by introducing english tack and bridle, I did lots of jumping up and down around him, tons of ground work and ‘sacking’ as some call it. He is the no spook until he SPOOKS type. However, his spook is my from being afraid of other ‘horses’ because he is the VERY last on the totem.
Anyhow, we struggled with this for awhile, everything has been slower, education wise, although he picks up on things quicker and is much more willing than Paloma.
He had much of the winter off and now I am back 3x week for roughly 30mins each, low impact stuff. He is going to turn out to a bit smaller than I originally thought I wanted, may hit 16h is we are lucky, but he is starting to show his AQHA HUS side and proving to be a fancy hunter (flat anyhow), but is very capable of picking himself up and deep with his hocks.
At the moment, he has a great w/t … lovely canter when it is balanced but we don’t push that yet, is showing to be very sensitive with the forward buttons and lateral buttons.
I loved Pal but this guy… he is it for me. Face snuggles are much better than nasty mare stare :lol:
