Young Horses Need A Leader, Not A Friend

Once the youngster is longeing in tack, a pair of loosely fitted sidereins should be used to get him used to the feel of the bit moving in his mouth.

People seem to either not make time to handle their young horses at all or go too far with the admirable "let-them-be-horses" philosophy. Yes, young horses absolutely should live outside, as naturally as possible, as they grow physically and socially. But it's so vital to teach them, while they're young and small, to interact with and to respect humans, because it has a direct effect on everything they do later in life.

And too often people approach horses with a belief that "he'll be good for me or perform because I'm his friend." Well, certainly our horses must trust us and have confidence in us, and we must always be honest to them in our training. But they're bigger and stronger than we are, which means we must be their "pack leader," just as with dogs, a status largely achieved by the correct use of our voices, body language and artificial aids for either reward or reprimand whenever necessary.

Clear Communication
Most often when a horse refuses to jump or to perform an exercise, it's because he's confused. It could be because it's a jump or an exercise he's never seen before and for which you may not have prepared him, but more commonly it's because the rider is giving the horse either incorrect or uncertain aids, usually because of fear or uncertainty. And the horse can sense this and can sometimes even panic because of it.

Expect Compliance
Training, especially with horses age four or younger, starts in the barn and when you lead them to the field or back to the barn. And it's never too early to teach foals to lead alongside their mothers. To introduce foals to leading, attach a long lead to their halter and pass it behind their hindquarters, bringing it back to your right hand under their chin. Using this method, you can pull them along from behind instead of pulling on their heads, and they usually catch on in a few days.

Simply expect (or insist) that the horse (at any age) follow you, stop and stand, and that they let you put a halter on and off without fuss. Approach and handle them with confidence and purpose, not with fear or wishy-washiness. Walk up to them and put their halter on. If they protest by shaking their heads up and down, attempting to pull away, or biting, make a habit of putting their halters on them every day, even several times a day, until they stop protesting.

Next, insist that youngsters stand quietly for grooming, trimming and medication. Always insist-with reprimands as mild as possible but as sharp or strong as necessary-that they respond to your commands to do things like move over or pick up a foot.

Later, these "commands" will become your aids, to make transitions, to move forward with regular rhythm, to lengthen and shorten stride, to speed up and slow down, to jump or negotiate obstacles, or to stand quietly. If they don't respect, and understand, your aids on the ground, they probably aren't going to respect them when you're riding.

The Young Horse
So you don't have a foal, but you do have a young horse, let's say a three-year-old. You bought him as a yearling or two-year-old because you liked his type and because you couldn't afford an older horse who already knew the basics of the job you have planned for him.

And now you're wondering how to get him ready for riding. Unless you've broken youngsters a time or two or have a trainer you can work directly with, consider sending him to a trainer, preferably someone who has a background and interest in training young horses, especially for your discipline.

This may not be possible, though, depending on where you live and on your budget. If you send your youngster to a trainer, you should be prepared to spend $600 to $1,000 per month in board, training and associated costs, like trimming/shoeing and veterinarian, probably for two to six months, depending on the horse and on your experience. And the cost and duration will increase considerably if you want the trainer to introduce your horse to competition in your sport.

Yes, this is a sizeable chunk of change for almost anyone to spend. But it's not because horse trainers are trying to soak you. The costs of maintaining a training stable are high and getting higher-they have to pay rent or mortgage, they have employees they have to pay; and they have to pay for the necessities of feed, hay, bedding, manure spreading or removal, and pasture and fencing maintenance.