Starting The Young Horse 4
By Jason Webb
Last month I described how I begin the starting process with an unbroken horse.
Day 4
After about three days, I usually feel they are ready to mount. This is after I know I have control of the horse on the ground and that through the mouthing process he understands how to turn left and right, to stop and backup.
Depending on the horse, I may use a lead pony at this stage. A lead pony is ridden alongside the horse by another rider. Not only does this give the horse confidence, but it gets the horse used to having a person above his eye line. It is also helpful as it gets the horse used to being led off another horse.
I always do my first couple of rides in the round-pen. Generally, the horse's first instinct when you mount a horse is to 'fight (buck, kick out) or flight (bolt)', both of which are significantly reduced when working in a round-pen. It allows me to let the horse travel forward without me having to put pressure on his mouth and prevents the horse from being able to 'rodeo' with much force! Also, if he decides he wants to bolt, he will soon realise that he can't get anywhere!
Before mounting the horse, I will recap on what I have done the previous day and make sure the horse is comfortable with the saddle and bridle. I will get the lead pony at the head of the horse and ask the rider to cover the horse's left eye with his hand whilst holding the cheekpieces of the bridle. I will then mount the horse as quietly as possible. A point to note here is that I have noticed that a lot of riders do not mount their horses correctly. It should be done in one smooth movement, starting at the shoulder rather than the ribs and with no bouncing on the ground!
Once I have mounted I will encourage the horse forward round the outside of the round-pen. The lead pony will be next to me but not hindering my forward movement. At this stage, I have to be ready for any reaction - bolting or bucking, or even refusing to go forward. I will do some changes of direction, similar to when I was mouthing them on the ground and I will try to get a brief canter on each lead. In all I will be on the horse for about 5 to 10 minutes. At the end of the ride I will back the horse up.
The first dismount is almost as important as the first time you mount a horse. I get my lead pony and rider to emulate what they did when I was mounting and I will dismount as quietly as possible. After the first ride I will just mount and dismount from each side of the horse a couple of times before taking the horse in.
Day 5
Everything you do at this stage of a horse's training has an impact and I want to achieve a level of acceptance in everything I do with him. Therefore it is not just the ridden work I am focusing on when starting a horse, but things such as hosing him down after being worked and standing quietly whilst being groomed and tacked up.
On Day 5, I will go through the same process as Day 4. If the horse is quiet I would go ahead without a lead pony.
Day 6
If the horse is settled and accepting of me, I will let them 'float out' into the arena. Ours is 30m x 50m and a good size for training horses. I use as little rein contact as possible and all I am looking for at this stage is forward motion. If the horse wants to canter, then I let him do so. I will guide him with my reins and maybe do a couple of changes of direction as I would do in the round-pen before stopping him and dismounting.
If the horse reacts in a way that he hasn't shown yet, then revert to using a lead pony again and get the horse leading around the arena without a rider first.
Day 7
If all has gone well, this will be a well earned rest day for horse and rider! At the end of his first week, the horse has had a steep learning curve but if it is done in a systematic and repetitive way, then he should accept what is being taught.
For more information, contact Jason Webb on 01580 211662 or visit www.australianstockhorses.co.uk
