Yup, jlzania, I quite agree. Totally different worlds. And at that, we’re much more conservative at starting a horse than we’ve found to be the case with Texas cowboys.
But I don’t want you to think we’re putting a ton of pressure on him either. He was physically a very big colt, but Cowboy won’t ever chase or turn a steer on him until he’s probably pushing four years old. He’s found that if you go slowly (relatively, I guess), they stay sound in mind and body. It’s easy to push one too fast and ruin it both mentally and physically. This colt (Bubba) doesn’t do anything more than a gentle lope around the arena, with a lot of flexibility exercises and things like working gates.
We have four- and five-year olds that are learning to rope, but we go slowly with them too. They only work at home, and only a few runs at a time. We take them to ropings for the environment, but I just ride them around while Cowboy ropes on the more experienced horses.
Thanks! (But you didn’t say whether or not you’d adopt me!)
My skills are a bit rusty since recovering from the injury I got two years ago from a fall from my favorite bratty thoroughbred, but I’m dying to get back in the saddle.
Here’s another question - what about a four year old who’s only been greenbroke? Shouldn’t a horse be greenbroke sooner than that? (I saw this horse on a website for sale, and I was curious because he seemed to have a sweet temperament…).
My friend Wendy’s parents had an Arabian stallion who had only been greenbroke (at age 5) and then sort of just left as a pasture ornament until he was 18. At 18, they gave him to Wendy, she had him gelded and started riding him. It’s been two years now and he is one of the most sweet mannered, even tempered horses. My 6 year old rides him. I’m sure it depends on the the particular horses temperment, but really I think it’s never too late to teach an old horse new tricks.
You may be the (God-sent) answer to a connundrum plaguing me recently no pressure…
I know less than nothing about horses, riding, etc. In fact, I know so little the little I know is probably wrong (Note: we need a :notworthy: smily) . And my 12 year old god-daugher, whom I love dearly, is completely horse mad, and just had her birth day. She is so horse-crazy that she passed out flyers for a whole year to pay for a 2 week riding camp (her folks are not rich). I am desperately trying to find a good BD gift for her. Not some horse related cute jewelry again. So is there a piece of riding equipment (tack?) that a young female rider would benefit from owning her own? (Eg. a new skydiver can jump a long time with rental rigs, but your own jumpsuit, fitted to your body and your fall rate, makes a big difference).
A riding helmet? saddle? Boots? Bridle? Harness component? Bright red sport-jacket? I think she said she likes western riding better, but she’s just starting out. I’d like to keep it under $200. Any advice on how to chose a good one?
There are three things that must be kept in the forefront of the mind of anybody who has anything to do with horses. First, any horse is bigger than you are. Second, any horse is stronger than you are. Third, you are smarter than any horse that ever was. You only have one advantage – your brain works better than a horse’s brain. You can’t bull it, you can’t strong arm it. All you can do is trick it into doing what you want by using the horse’s impulses and instincts.
I say this as the owner and rider of a seventeen hand Percheron -Thoroughbred crossbred gelding that is without doubt or argument the most obtuse, pig-headed and willful animal put on God’s green earth. He is a delight. The sensation of all that strength resting in your finger tips, of the raw power held between your calves is unsurpassed. There is nothing like the surge of energy when you shift you weight or touch him with a heel. The brief feeling of weightlessness when he drops his head or shift his weight from one hip to the other will take your breath away. That aside, he can be an aggravation. He can, and has, put an inattentive rider ten feet in the air in a heartbeat.
Trupa - My vote for a present would be a helmet, because it’s such a good habit to get into, and because I think it’s sort of icky to put my head into a helmet that umpteen people have worn before me. But what you might do is consider letting her choose her present from the State Line Tack website. They offer gift cards, but those are only redeemable in their stores.
Good to know. He seemed like a very sweet-tempered horse, so it surprised me that he was only greenbroke. I wish I had the money to buy him - he’s a thoroughbred and I have a weird passion for gelded thoroughbreds, especially if they have slight attitude problems.
I’m thoroughly enjoying this thread. I can’t afford my lessons right now, so I’ll get my horse fix reading this.
I vote for the helmet, too. We have a saying at our barn, “If you think your hair is more important than your brain…it probably is.” No one rides without a helmet.
For less than $200, at Stateline, you could get her the helmet ($30), some paddock boots ($45, she doesn’t need Ariats), maybe some riding gloves ($15) and a pair of tights ($30). She would be totally outfitted and looking adorable!
Now for my question. I saw a divergence of when to train a young horse, but aren’t thoroughbreds trained early? I thought the racers in the Kentucky Derby, for instance, were 2-year-olds.
Of course, jockeys don’t weigh much.
As a youngster I trained horses (quarter & appaloosa), and I always got on them when they were about two. But then I didn’t weigh much in those days either.
Zabali_Clawbane - A hand is four inches. You measure to the withers. My horse is 16.1 hh, which means he’s 5’ 5" at the point where the shoulder meets the neck. In comparison, I’m 5’ 1", so Irish is taller than I am. I use a chair or mounting block to get on.
Because horses are tall, dark (or light, according to your preferences), and handsome. Because they’ll give you the ride of your life, but never get you pregnant. Because they don’t try to convince you that it’s you, not the grain bucket in your hand, that they’re nickering for. And because if it doesn’t work out, you can sell them.
I’ve known a number of horses who were smarter than their owners.
As to a job as a groom: Sure, people offer such jobs. But – ah, there’s always a but, eh? – employers for such positions are usually looking for folks with horse experience. At least, if you’re looking to get paid. It’s not uncommon for young equestrians to go to work for an established trainer and/or competitor in their chosen field, earning small money for long hard hours, in exchange for (often) room and board, the keep of their horse (if they have one), the chance to ride horses owned or being trained by their mentor/employer, and the opportunity to learn – both through lessons and through observing their employer in action. You could call it an apprenticeship.
That said, you can also get work in a barn as a beginner, if you’re willing to trade free labor for instruction in horse care and handling, and lessons now and then. Keep in mind, though, that a person new to horses is much more of a drag on operations than an asset at first, no matter how willing and industrious. And you have definitely got to be willing to get hot, sweaty, and dirty. There’s an old saying: “The cleaner the horse, the dirtier the groom.”
What a disappointment! I’m lucky that my instructor comes to my barn, which has an indoor, so we can work together even when the weather’s nasty. This morning’s lesson was tough, though – the humidity made it hard to breathe, and Sue really makes you work! But she’s a wonderful teacher.
avabeth, it’s not that unusual to see a four-year-old who’s merely greenbroke. Could be any number of reasons for that, such as lack of time or money to put into training, lack of skills to do it oneself, too many other horses to work with, and so on. I’d much rather see a greenbroke four-year-old who hasn’t been spoiled by rushed or poor training, or primed for future soundness problems by too much work too early, than a two-year-old who’s being worked as if s/he were fully mature.
Cicada2003, don’t get me started on racing two-year-olds! :mad: I personally think it’s an abomination, but there’s too much money at stake in the racing world as it is currently established to ever see it abolished. I’m also not too thrilled about two-year-old futurities for stock horses in reining and cutting. Those disciplines put a hell of a lot of stress on the joints even in fully mature horses. What they can do to legs that are still developing… Ack. But there again, the prize money for the futurities is huge.
It’s more than jsut the winnings form compeittion fueling teh push to use two-year-olds. It’s also the money to be made from stud fees. Compete a horse at two and three, make a big name for him, then get those stud fees rolling in.
Well, I sure did use up my daily allowance of typos in that last paragraph, huh? Anyway…
trupa, I echo others’ suggestion of a helmet, even if the girl wants to ride Western. Safety first! People have been hurt and even killed falling off a horse at the walk. When the U.S. Pony Club organization made helmets mandatory, injury rates dropped dramatically. I never ride without one. Modern helmets are light, airy, and quite comfortable.
Besides State Line, another online site to check out horse goods at is Libertyville Saddle Shop. Their prices are competitive, and they have tons of horse stuff. Oh, and giving her a gift certificate for riding time at her favorite barn would be a BIG hit, I can guarantee.
Spavined Gelding, how cool you have such an appreciation for your guy! I like 'em mild-mannered and easygoing, myself, and am fortunate that both my boys are that way. In fact, I often say my TB has a QH mind. But he sure does have the TB engine and sensitivity when I ask for it.
Getting a Premarin foal, you’re likely to get one that’s been handled enough to be unafraid of humans, and used to obeying them. It will also have learned from its dam to accept humans. Depending on the source, it may also have been started on its groundwork, making your life easier. Some Premarin farmers will breed anything to anything, and the foals show it, but the smarter ones will breed for foals that are of good enough quality to be salable as using horses.
A BLM horse is another kettle of fish (or wheelbarrow of manure, if you prefer). You’re getting a wild animal, basically, unless it’s been through a gentling and basic training program, such as the one offered in Colorado. Even a “broke” mustang is apt to have different attitudes and reactions than a horse that’s been raised among humans. I’m not dissing BLM mustangs. They can be wonderful horses. Heck, they can even excel at dressage. There are people breeding Kiger mustangs, which show physical and DNA evidence of being relatively pure descendants of the original Spanish horses, and are in fact very well suited for such work. Not to mention, gorgeous! But even their biggest fans will tell you that mustangs are not for everyone.
