How are people getting on with youngsters?

[gemmy18]

Just a wee thread to see how people's youngsters are coming on! Our 3 year old called Red is getting on quite well but we havent done as muhc wiht him recently cause of the weather and had family up. We just backed him this summer and i was the first to ride him! We have walked and done a tiny bit of trotting. How is everyone else gettin on?

[sallyandruby]

proberbly same as you !!! but mine is 4 will be 5 this year me thinks !!! backed her last summer.

[gemmy18]

cool! have u managed to get your first saddle yet? We tried ones with trees but found it hard to get one to fit him and the saddler wasnt there to watch me ride him in them, so we have ordered a treeless one.

[sallyandruby]

yer she got hers when she was 3. its a treeless barefoot cheyenne !! what treeless have you ordered ??

[gemmy18]

yeh we ordered that too!

[cubic]

My rising 4yo is going sweetly, walk/trot/a bit of canter and hacking out well, she's really gaining in confidence. She's going to have a couple of months practically doing nothing until I've done my uni exams, then I'll pick her up again in the summer.

[sallyandruby]

ruby refuses to do trot out on walk !! but does a nce little trot when shes on a long line. she pins her ears back though, still thinks she doesnt have to do it. sometimes she has enough and bu*gers off bucking, squealing and farting LOL, thats when you think glad im not on her !!

[naria]

Little Un is rising 3 & still incredibly easy to do. I longreined him for a few weeks in the autumn wearing full tack just doing walk & trot in straight lines & circles in the school & a couple of times up the lane & round the yard & barns in walk. I'll start redoing this in the spring but in the meantime he's just coming in every night, getting handled & leant all over.

As a nanny to Jim he's proved wonderful - the arrangement does seem rather back to front (Jim's rising 9!) but Little Un's unflappable attitude has proved invaluable when Jim's got himself wound up. He was definately worth every penny!

[Azrael]

Mia is 3 1/2 and has been backed about 2-3 months. She's been wearing a saddle and going for walks since she was 2 1/2 and was well used to being used as an equine climbing frame and foot rest so sitting on properly for the first time was pretty easy. She understands walk and stand and has trotted a few times when she's wanted to rather than me asking her yet. She figured out how to balance with a passanger up there very quickly. Has hacked out nicely, apart from one incident of planting next to a sh*tland and trying to adopt it, and absolutely refusing to move from there She's only being ridden once every week or two at the moment, leaving proper work until she's at least 4.

[Gee Gee]

it's lovely to hear everyones progress.

Nochero has only just about to turn 15 months but we are spending out time learning to walk around and through different objects and tight spaces at the moment. his fav is going round a maze type thing laid out in poles, It's lovely to see him thinking about what he needs to do. absolutly nothing fazes him ! Am hoping to get him out showing this year as he loves to show off with an audiance.

Great to hear what everyone is up to !

[sjade]

My rising 4 year old stallion Raphael is now turned away, and will restart come March time ready to show in the summer. He knows all the basics now, just needs fine tuning come Spring
My rising 3yr olds are fat and doing nothing!! But due to cutting down one will be loaned and bred, one backed in the summer.
My rising 2yr old is super, she's a real angel and ready to show again in the summer, her suspected fracture seems to be healed perfectly and she is sound ;D
My 2006 babies are both now weaned and leading, I plan to start training to stand in March time ready for late spring shows

[aceofspades]

Mine is 4 and he is working in a basic outline in walk trot and now canter yey.If youve read my other threads weve had a bit of problems in canter which are now sorted and he seems to realy be enjoying his work,Im just looking forward to him being ready for his first showing season

[azura]

We bought Peek-a-boo, beginning of november, un touched. My daughter rode her for the 1st time on boxing day and she was as good as gold. Saskia was more confident that me, but at 6 i think you are. boo is just turning 4.

[gemmy18]

It's ace to hear how everyone is getting on! Has anyone got any advice for getting the bridle on because Red was throwing his head about last time we tacked him up. Sometimes he is fine and just takes it other times he makes a fuss hes still getting used to it all. But i wasnt sure if i should tell him off and persevere to get it on, but i didnt want to end up ramming the bit in his mouth, or to just leave it and try another time. I just left getting the bridle on for another day and just took him a walk with his saddle on.

[Jenna]

Kira is rising 3 now (gosh, isn't that grand?). She's all fat and woolly and doing precisely nothing at the mo.

She's worn a bridle and a roller (haven't got her a saddle yet as she's still changing shape) and she enjoys going for walks, investigating the haylage stacks, greating other horses, chewing on the hedgerows and ignoring the cars (bless her). Once the weather improves, I'll start her on the long lines and do the same things as we've already done in hand.

Re the bridle issue, when first starting, I tend to unbuckle one side of the bit so it hangs down on one side, I put the bridle on like a headcollar, and then put the bit in afterwards.

Indi, my other horse, will be 5 this year, but I'm going to include him here anyway! He's been ridden before, but not by me, so I'm going to start him as if he was a youngster - I've given him the winter off (had him since October) and I'll start long lining him around the same time I do Kira, because I know he can do that!

Gosh, roll on the spring! Lots to do!