Who would you send your young warmblood to be started ? Located in Midwest and just starting to look for spring. Would like a good foundation.
How far away are you willing to send the horse? How long do you want to send them out for? What do you want the training to accomplish? Backing and w/t under saddle? WTC and getting experience doing a little hacking out? WTC, plus an outing or two off property to a clinic or show? Any jumping?
FWIW, I sent one young warmblood out to a great eventing program here in Virginia early in her 4 year old year. She had been backed and had time under saddle, but I wanted her essentially ârestartedâ as we had some issues. The program I sent her to is excellent in terms of a correct dressage foundation, and getting horses started over fences. My warmblood is multi-purpose bred, with both dressage and jumping lines⊠Iâm glad I sent her where I did, even though they typically work with horses with a lot more blood than my mare has. I think she really benefitted mentally from having a variety of work while young, and also doing some hacking out in groups, and eventually solo. The âoutside of the arenaâ time was a major reason I sought out an eventing oriented program to send my horse to. I can appreciate not everyone wants to pay to have a young horse in training, and have a professional just hacking out on them occasionally. Personally, it was important to me for my horseâs mental well being, and my horse really thrived in the program. Given the variety of work they did with her, and different situations they introduced her to, I got excellent feedback about her strengths and challenges in terms of her natural gaits under saddle, aptitude for careers in different disciplines, her personality in general (she can be pretty looky about new experiences, but not stupid, spooky, or unwilling⊠hacking out and trying different little jumps regularly was good for her brain). The whole experience was very helpful in terms of deciding how suitable my horse was for my long term goals as a rider, and how best to market her if I decided to sell her. I decided to keep her 
I am local to this program, and I was able to check in on my horse regularly. The whole experience was very very positive for both my horse and I. I wouldnât hesitate to send another young horse to this program in the future for 4 to 6 months if I was no longer local. But itâs a unique program, run by wonderful people, who have a really really long track record, and the trust I have in them was earned.
I will say, based on other earlier negative experiences, make sure whoever you choose has an established track record starting young horses, and good references. Check the references they provide. I had to send my horse to the great program I described to be ârestartedâ for a reason⊠Lesson learned. If you are only needing backing, plus walk and trot, probably stay local so you can check on your horse frequently, and observe them doing training rides.
2 Likes
I had a similar experience like Virginia Horse Mom. Not wanting my horse to be started in a "sand boxâ, I took him to an Eventer who started him under saddle and soon was hacking him out, first with another horse and later by himself. My young guy got to go to a different farm a few times and even to a small show (in Hand). It was a super experience for him and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The Trainer is in Ohio, if you are interested.
A guy in OK took my really skittish colt and through groundwork, made him a solid partner in training. He backed the colt in a halter like it was a walk in the park (no buck, no stress). Trail rode him all over in a halter. Colt is in a snaffle now but has no resentment toward the bit (or anything else). He is the first to greet me in the pasture and seems excited to learn. It would be hard for me to use anybody else.
Never a western rider. Just from the horses I have seen started and ruined that way.
I start mine in house and while the ultimate goal is to do dressage they spend a lot of time outside hacking and jumping. Iâm able to take outside clients as well. I can accept just about everything (mares, geldings and stallions). Give me a Pm.
Ditto what others have saidâmake sure the person is well vetted and check on your horse frequently-you can spend a lot of money having your horse stand in a field and not be touchedâwhich in retrospect sounds like may be the least âbadâ experience compared to others bad trainer experiences!
3 Likes
I agree with the others. I back/start/train my own because of a âbadâ experience I had long ago and taking on the results of othersâ bad experiences. Do your homework - interview other clients, observe horses at various stages of training by the person, and see how willing they are to just let you âdropâ in whenever. Another recommendation is to find out who also rides and grooms for them because they will be âtrainingâ your horse as well whether anyone realizes it or not. I would be less concerned about the discipline as long as they teach manners, exposure to most reasonable things, focuses on three pure gaits and helps support/grow their confidence.
1 Like
What a silly response. All western riders are no more alike than all âEnglishâ riders. People who are (and arenât!) good at starting babies exist in all disciplines. The OP didnât specify exactly what they were looking for, but if you want a solid start, a horse that will go forward (and hack out) quietly and accept new things willingly, many of the âcolt starterâ Western types fit that bill perfectly. With ANY trainer, doing your due diligence before sending a horse off blindly is important.
12 Likes
Just want to second this post. The majority of my young horses have been started by western trainers and I have to say Iâve seen some of the best results stemming from their programs. I have horses that are backyard types to ones showing at Indoors and Pony Finals that have been started by knowledgable cowboy/western riders that have fabulous ground manners, beyond broke on the flat and will hack out anywhere. Give a good western trainer 30-60 days and you can have a fabulous horse started- sometimes at a more affordable price than those that hang up the âHunter/Jumperâ or âDressageâ shingle on their training programs.
That being said Iâve had great results from english trainers as well, especially eventing types as I find they expose the horses to a bit more âcommotionâ than some will ever see. As stated above numerous times, do your homework and definitely contact previous clients to see what programs best fit your bill!
4 Likes
I have a fellow in the greater Kansas City area I highly recommend. I have know him since I was a little kid (a this point, thatâs over 20 years), grew up riding a horse trained by him, and had a few lessons from him on said horse when I was still young. My mare is a coming 7 year old WB mareâI got her as a 3 year old that had not been broke to lead or pick up her feet. DH and I worked on her ground manners, and I got her used to wearing a saddle and bridle, and backed her the first couple times. I sent her to a very good dressage trainer last year, who she managed to throw, and when I test rode her, near the end of her 30 days, she was going very wellâŠuntil she tossed me a fractured one of my vertebrae. She was pregnant with her first colt at this point, training had to go on hold due to my medical bills.
So she is now with a âwestern riderââwho knows exactly how big a 20 meter circle is, and the differences in how he prefers to lunge, vs what I prefer. She is coming along very well, albeit, slowly (but thatâs just her). He has been wonderfulâshe is soft and quiet, better behaved on the ground. She was having some stiffness issues on one side, he recommended having her looked at by a Chiro, rather than trying to force the issue, she improved quiet a bit after her first treatment. Iâm really looking forward to enjoying the results of how methodical his work with her has been.
Some âwesternâ trainers have forgotten more about training a horse that I will ever know. As have some âEnglishâ trainers. Being a true horseman/horsewoman with a skill for starting horses is not discipline specific.
3 Likes
I sent my big, young Dutch gelding to Kip Fladland in IA. He had the perfect foundation and was there 2 months then went on to a dressage trainer for more education. Kip is FEI trainer Missy Fladlandâs husband and is experienced with warmbloods. After having previous bad experienced with bad trainers or ones who only ride in a circle in an indoor I went with the best.
Since then, I have met an eventer who I would be happy with if I were to do t his again, but still not enough exposure to riding outside, etc like Kip can do.
2 Likes
Thatâs a ridiculous statement .
1 Like
Sent my WB to a calf roping trainer/rodeo guy. He is also sent Futurity horses from all over. He had worked in a big jumper barn when he was getting started, so he knew his âotherâ horses. Got a solid 60 days on my dumb dumb, and would use him again.
1 Like
I take on a very small number of young/training horses in the southeast, and I would be happy to forward along my resume and references, as well as discuss my training style. With a background and focus primarily in eventing, I attempt to differentiate myself as a young-horse trainer by getting my young horses out of the ring and add in concentrated work on the ground.
Good luck!
Travis Tieman at KKT Performance Horses in Peotone, IL (40 minutes southwest of chicago) has started countless horses of all breeds and types, including warmbloods. I have personally seen the results and the horses are started in a very gentle, straightforward manner that resulted in confident, solid citizens. If I had a youngster to start, I would go to him in a heartbeat.
Care to share contact information?
My Eventing trainer in Maryland is fabulous with starting young horses and her rates canât be beat.She has a waiting list pretty much all the time but it doesnât usually take more than 3-4 months to get a spot.
There have been several threads on this topic. Found it interest reading the different things people want, expect in a given time period. More than anything it seemed most people were quite generous with their money. Low expectations within a given time frame.
IMO and lots of experience working with youngsters. If I sent one to someone this video is what I would expect in pretty short order. I do not lunge, long-line etc, or use a round pen. This was one of mine about 2 weeks after starting the process. This horse is not the exception, heâs the norm in my book.
https://www.facebook.com/GumTreeStablesLLC/videos/951398738251486/
I PMed you his information
