Like Mom, like baby
It’s every horse person’s dream to create their mount from the ground up. To successfully breed, raise, train and compete a horse of your own is truly an amazing accomplishment. However, it is exceedingly hard, and very rarely achieved. From a statistical point of view, the odds are daunting, yet the reward seems so phenomenal that many of us cannot but help to try our hands at creating some little monsters of our own. I always fantasize about the babies that my mares could have, the offspring that I could grow into world beating athletes, and the pride that I would feel seeing something that I taught from it’s first breath achieve greatness.
So, to satisfy my craving for foals, I help handle and break young ones for an old mentor of mine every year, and each year I learn new tricks. He raises thoroughbreds on his farm in Virginia, specifically for racing, but odds are that they will need more skills later in life, so I try to prepare them accordingly. Especially for homebred thoroughbreds, the transition from living in a field untouched to being broke at the racetrack can be a confusing and sometimes traumatizing experience. The ultimate goal of my basic training is for them learn to learn, which will carry them further in life than any one skill. Just the same as any human child, a young horse with a willing mind has much more potential than one with a defensive or fearful approach to life.
Babies should be handled every day in some capacity from the moment they hit the ground. Horses, unlike puppies or other babies we encounter, are not naturally inclined to cuddling and trust. Even leaving a baby on its own for the first few days can really set you back in your training. They are, after all, flight animals, and their instincts are to be suspicious. Today, for the first time I got to touch a young filly who I’ll be working with, and she was born on Saturday and already she is a bit timid about interaction. While they are still attached to their mothers, it is important to let them understand that daily activities such as grooming, walking, and entering the stall or paddock are normal. For the first six months, I like to let them be horses, let them learn social interactions from their peers, but also introduce them to their relationship with humans.
Curiosity!
With weanlings, it is important to make a special effort to teach them to lead like young ladies and gentlemen. Beware of adorable antics that could become dangerous once they aren’t so small! All of their future jobs will involve ground manners, and they must learn confidence and discipline early. They should walk in and out of different locations like wash racks, stalls, trailers. Teach them to be accepting and not fearful of new places and sounds. It is good to show them how to stand at attention and be confined for a small period of time. You can save yourself a lot of trouble down the road if you teach them that it’s normal for you to lean on them, rub your hands all over their bodies, touch their legs, lift and handle their feet, and generally hang all over them. A comfortable baby is a cooperative baby.
If you aren’t training horses for the track, you can let that stage simmer for a while. However, my young thoroughbreds go to start training at two or even before that, so I start the next stage when they are yearlings. Free round-penning is a really good way to allow them to experience things like tack without the constraints and torque of lunging. Lunging at this stage can cause sore muscles and bone problems on a young form. By nature, horses like to gallop and by imposing a little discipline on that natural activity, you can start to train them to focus on you when you aren’t immediately in their personal space. I like them to gallop about and frolic, but also to be able to come to the center and be caught and touched and handled, and follow me with their eyes as they settle into a routine.
The next stage is tack. Beginning with a headstall and a bit (no reins) is a good idea. Choose a nice soft bit that they can mouth and fiddle with. I have a bit that is a loose ring with some doo-dads attached to the center so they learn to fiddle with the bit and let it soften their acceptance. It gives them something to focus on, something to think about playing with instead of straight defensive actions. Leave the bit on for an hour or so in the stall, increasing the amount day by day until the horse drinks and eats normally over it. Be sure to baby proof the stall! There cannot be anything that he/she could hang themselves up on and create a bad memory. Eventually it will become second nature to the horse.
Now they can graduate to a surcingle or a bareback pad. I have a really old, soft pony bareback pad that has weathered many years and many babies. At this point, they should be comfortable with you touching all over their backs, and placing towels or light saddle pads on them at the halt. Attach the surcingle or bareback pad lightly, but not so loosely that it can flip around underneath the horse. Use a fuzzy on the girth area so that it doesn’t feel so tight. Next, turn him out! I like to start the first few days in the round pen, just so I can make sure they don’t go completely bananas. After that, I will turn them out with the bareback pad firmly attached for a few hours every day. When the student accepts this, he/she can begin working with a saddle. A light jumping saddle shouldn’t really present that much of an issue at this point, and I only use this in the round pen. I don’t want my saddle to be crushed under a rolling baby! I start without stirrups for a few weeks, and slowly add the stirrups after that. I have some really lightweight stirrups that I like to begin with before throwing the really heavy metal ones on there.
Some trainers tend to be too aggressive and demand too much, too soon. It is vital to remember that young horses have very short attention spans, and your daily physical activities should be no more than 15-30 minutes. Remember that they do not become fully developed for riding until their third year! It is a very logical and easy process, if you have patience and do not force him/her physically or mentally. All horses progress at different rates, and you simply have to feel what yours is telling you in terms of new material.
My next trick is the best one I have, so pay close attention. I call this one, “Mr. Bluejeans”, and it has saved me a lot of mouthfuls of dirt in my day! Take an old pair of sturdy, hole-free jeans and tie or sew each leg at the bottom tightly closed. Fill them with sand. When the legs are full, tie it up at the waist and ta-da — your new 80 pound rider for your baby horse! Once Mr. Bluejeans is mounted, you can easily secure him by tying his legs to the stirrup flaps. Sometimes I tie him at the thigh as well as the calf. Then, off he goes! Let your baby gallop about with Mr. Bluejeans for a few weeks, and you’ll be one step closer to mounting the horse yourself.
Starting to ride young horses is a whole other kit-and-caboodle, so I’ll leave that for another post one day, but these tips for preparing your baby are essential. Mostly, your dedication to patience and your feel for what your horse is telling you will lead the way. As long as you firmly teach respect, you can proceed to create a confident, willing partner who will be able to fulfill his or her full potential in whatever sport you choose. There is really nothing more satisfying than seeing the comprehension dawn on a young horse and watch them progress through their education.
