Stop wasting time – Tips for training yearlings and two-year-olds
I used to be one of those people who thought the racing industry folks were insensitive and cruel. How could they start horses under saddle at just 18 months old?! How could they race them at two?! Don’t they know horses don’t mature skeletally until at least four or five-years-old? Of course, they know, they’re just greedy! I thought.
I had started a couple horses under saddle myself. The first was a young POA pony who turned out well despite my fumbling attempts as a 16-year-old, but then he was basically born broke. And lazy. But he loved to jump (LOVED IT, I tell you), so much that at times when I couldn’t get him to canter, I’d hop a cross-rail just to help through the transition. He was a cool dude, definitely a pony attitude but an excellent project for a motivated, eager, teenage Pony Clubber.
My next few breaking projects were older warmbloods – one four, one three. The four-year-old was wide-eyed with wonder at everything, with as much mental maturity as a puppy. He neighed at everything… horses, ponies, cows, birds, trees, rocks…. “HI MY NAME’S ‘PICKLES!’ CAN I BE YOUR FRIEND?!” Along with his innocence, he had a strong desire to please, and a great deal of athleticism, so he moved along pretty quickly. A 3-year-old WBxTB filly proved to be quite the challenge – very opinionated, with a strong attitude of entitlement and zero natural work ethic. Oh well, I thought, they can’t all be easy, right?
And then I entered the Thoroughbred world. After working the Keeneland sales, a couple of RNA’s (reserve bid not attained) went back to the farm with the idea of selling them as 2-year-olds. That would involve breaking them. I cringed at the thought, but it was my new job so I buckled down and got to work.
To my surprise, it was incredibly easy. Now, before you think these are “babies” (like I used to), these yearlings are fit and strong long before they ever see a saddle. Months of sales prep had them looking like fit little athletes, and they already had the concept of obedience. They were introduced to tack in the round pen, then bellied up and lunged with a rider aboard (me). Within seven rides, one colt was walk/trot/cantering around a two-acre paddock and doing flying lead changes. Seriously…it was not the difficult, forced work with overwhelmed babies as I had originally expected.
Nor was it physically terrible, either. Most of the riding was done at a trot, in progressively larger fields, building up the distance each week. After 30 days, they were trotting for 15-20 minutes. I picked up each canter lead, did a loopy circle each way, and that was it. There was no galloping at that stage, and no working in an arena or endless small circles to risk joint injury. It was mostly straight lines and understanding “Go Forward” without question.
Being smaller (probably 800-900lbs and about 15 hands) the fall yearlings were easy for a rider to influence. Shifting your weight caused a dramatic change in their balance, so you could help them turn or keep them straight. Similarly, your balance affected them greatly when going up or down small hills. You could make their lives a lot harder when they occasionally acted naughty, and it wasn’t impossible to convince them that you were “bigger” than they were. But mostly, they wanted to work with you, and using your weight made it simple to teach them what you wanted.
I began to realize that these young horses were happy to do their job and developing that classic Thoroughbred work ethic that is so prized. They were like eager little kindergartners, wanting to make Miss Teacher proud of them each day. Young horses, not unlike young children, are programmed to absorb lots of information at that age. It’s perhaps the best time to introduce them to their future life, and set them up for later success.
Would I recommend to start every horse at that age? Definitely not. Many horses aren’t ready for that kind of program at 18 months old. Many may not be ready until age three. But I do recommend incorporating some structured lessons for yearlings and two-year-olds, to develop a good work ethic and obedience.
- Do lots of preparation before starting under saddle. An unstarted horse is out of shape and tires quickly, leading to possible injury. Develop some early condition with a program of handwalking or ponying, and teach them to ground drive. Progress up to 20-30 minutes, five days per week, for a good 30-60 days before breaking.
- Once started under saddle, don’t just assume the horse is ready for “real” dressage or jump work. Take time to build more foundation with lots of hacking, long trotting and riding in the open. Months of this would be ideal, then give the horse some time off.
- I’m not a fan of lunging a lot before age three. Too many circles for my taste, risking unsoundness. Use a roundpen or the lunge line sparingly, enough to get basic control, and then get out to a bigger area. At three, they can start to do some more circle work and introduce side reins if you like.
- Use good sense and judgment, and treat every horse as an individual. Some need more time than others; some are naturally independent and do well alone, others should have a buddy horse around for support.
- Contrary to what some people say, sitting on a two-year-old and following a thoughtful plan of progression will not cripple them for life. But there is a difference between hacking out in the open on light contact, and cranking him into a frame and circling in a 20x40m arena.
Here’s a really neat video from Darryl Leigh, who breaks and starts race horses in Australia. Owners send him top prospects, by sires like Bernardini, More Than Ready, Street Sense, and Medaglia D’Oro. When the colts and fillies have a basic handle, they work out on the trails, hacking through water and cantering over small logs. I wish all OTTBs were started this way, what a pool of event horses we would have!
Off-season horsey shenanigans – VIDEO Break
In most parts of the world, competition season is over for 2018. But that doesn’t mean you cannot still have some serious fun riding. …
Tuesday’s Top 10 – Stupidest Christmas presents for equestrians
WARNING: Only read if you have a sense of humour Check in every Tuesday for our Top 10 list that could feature just about anyone or anything …
Another 9 pet peeves only equestrians will understand
Dictionary pet peeve noun INFORMAL something that a particular person finds especially annoying. Equestrians are very different from non-horsey people. The things that bug …
The smartest way to feed during the winter – VIDEO Break
Winter is well underway in many parts of the world and equestrians are freezing their butts off. Anytime spent outside is near torture. To …
Riding on the right side of your brain: The six steps to master this skill
Consistent lessons and coaching definitely can improve your riding. But when you head into the show ring or out on cross-country, you are on …
Does your horse know any tricks? – VIDEO Break
These young ladies have done a superb job training their pony some awesome tricks. Can your horse do even a single trick? Let us …
Simple but game-changing grooming tip: The secret to whitest leg markings
Your average equestrian spends more time grooming horses than riding them. Over the years we all learn new, exciting and revolutionary grooming tips and …
Kids and horses – VIDEO Break
Kids and horses can make for quite the entertaining combination. If you grew up around horses this video will probably jog a few of …
The ultimate event horse – VIDEO Break
Most venters know all too well the struggle it can be to ice a horse’s legs. Not many of our equine friends want to …
4 Steps to get your horsey photos off your phone and into your house/tack room
Cameras on cell phones have revolutionized the way we take photos. Once upon a time, we were limited to 36 shots on our film …
Further proof horses see ghosts – VIDEO Break
Your horse can be trotting around a perfectly quiet indoor arena as cool as a cucumber and then BAM it spooks hard. Did it …
Tuesday’s Top 10 – Animals we should be riding instead of horses
WARNING: Only read if you have a sense of humour Check in every Tuesday for our Top 10 list that could feature just about anyone or anything …
Seven tips to survive riding in ridiculously cold weather
Winter riding is unavoidable for most equestrians. With work and school, few riders have the ability to flee south for the harsh winter months. …
Carriage horse turned rodeo star – VIDEO Break
Riding a somewhat out of control bronco can be a nightmare. But trying to drive a horse that busy performing aerial acrobatics without flying …
Getting ready for Monday like… – VIDEO Break
Monday’s are hard. Why can’t weekends be longer? Why do equestrians never seem to get days off? Do we even have weekends?
Simple but game-changing grooming tip: Two important pieces of tack you can clean in your dishwasher
Your average equestrian spends more time grooming horses than riding them. Over the years we all learn new, exciting and revolutionary grooming tips and …
Free jumping gone wild – VIDEO Break
We’ve all seen impressive videos of horses free jumping over some sizeable jumps. Usually, horses are sent down a sort of chute of jumps …
Cat vs. horse – VIDEO Break
Are cats evil or do they just have a twisted sense of humour? via GIPHY
Goals every eventer should set for 2020
The 2019 competition season has come to a close for most eventers in the world. Although the off-season has just begun, it is already …
When the Loch Ness Monster shows up to your dressage – VIDEO Break
Or maybe you are just riding a horse that is a tad dramatic and a bit of diva when it comes to puddles… …
Dressage cow in action – VIDEO Break
Don’t you wish your horse had dressage moves like this…
Tuesday’s Top 10 – Things equestrians better be extra thankful for
WARNING: Only read if you have a sense of humour Check in every Tuesday for our Top 10 list that could feature just about anyone or anything …
Scrubbing buckets made easy – VIDEO Break
All you need is an electric drill and a toilet brush… #BarnHack View this post on Instagram Combine a toilet brush and …
13 Laundry hacks to make every equestrian’s life easier
Laundry sucks and there is plenty of it if you are a horse person. Horse slobber and hair on your clothes, filthy horse blankets, …
House horse – VIDEO Break
Who needs a barn when you have a perfectly nice house your horse can live in… View this post on Instagram What …
What was the original Eventing Olympic format? Rewind to 1912
I was reading an informative USEA article about the new FEI star system, which included some historical background on the sport, when I realized …
Who needs jump standards – VIDEO Break
Sometimes equestrians just need to get creative to catch some airtime… View this post on Instagram Cool training clip By: @calliecoles Don’t …
13 Pet peeves every equestrian will understand
Dictionary pet peeve noun INFORMAL something that a particular person finds especially annoying. Equestrians are very different from non-horsey people. The things that bug …