I know several of the endurance riding associations won't let people compete on horses until the horse is 7 or so. Which sounds good to me. Horses are healthier and live longer if they are started later and started slower. None of the silliness about riding 2 year olds (or even yearlings!)

~Mary

I recall reading about the Lipizzaner stallions at the Spanish riding school. They live into their 40's, but don't have riders on their backs until late in life, after years of groundwork (8?). I firmly believe the strong foundation provides less stress in life, and thus longer lifespans.

Maybe my Rosie example wasn’t the best one for this post. By slow and steady, what I really would want to emphasis is the steady. And by steady, I mean not starting task B until the underlying foundation for task B has already been taught and proofed. In many cases, it’s often possible to move on to the next task and “get the job done.” But I find often if I wait to move on, then when I do I can actually get the job done well the first time we try it.

I recently introduced Sebastian to the saddle. He stood at liberty in the round pen and let me put the saddle on, fiddle with the girth, tighten it up, then clip on a lead rope to his halter and take him for a walk. Besides for all the extra clicks to tell him he was doing great, you would have thought he had worn a saddle plenty of times before. If the horse is uncomfortable when I introduce something new, then I’m moving too fast and haven’t built the right foundation.

I think the pace can be fast or slow, as long as its the horse’s pace, and not our own.

Mary

I agree with your “shout” assertions in your prior blog post noting “breaking” in record time may cause long-term challenges (although do admire those able to pull it off), but do not feel the “tortoise” approach works for all horses, and quite frankly, most trainers don’t have that liberty when clients are paying the bills.

Some horses are eager to to have a job and learn. Others take more time, but too much time can make even the toughest cases bored. Personally, I’m a huge believer (it took me a few decades to learn this) in extremely short session with young horses (I try to limit them to 10-15 minutes – sometimes even five will do if the horse is responsive and puffed up enough to quit), unless, of course, you encounter a problem that needs to be resolved (sometimes this can take hours – particularly with alphas). Ideally you try not to go there, but stuff happens and it is sometimes necessary to finish a request. By keeping lessons short and easy, you can make great strides in record time by asking just a little and letting the horse succeed quickly so they learn to trust and respect you while enjoying your company and guidance.

On a personal note (and I’ll keep client horses out of this and focus on home-bred and/or farm-owned stock), I learned a very interesting lesson this year. Most horses want a job and relish the opportunity to work with a human that understands their penchants and talents. I fenced in twenty-six acres figuring the gang would delight in this “natural” herd environment and the associated freedom. What I found is those culled out for training (some starting under saddle, others focused on higher-level learning) were the happiest and most eager to come running.

One mare in particular would insist on continuing the lesson when I thought it should end because she was so eager to do more, learn more and get it even better (this is a mare being transitioned to a new career after racing).

Another I thought might break some bones (super alpha filly who is athletic as they come and figured out she was bigger and stronger than humans about the moment she dropped with a determination to assert this realization at every opportunity) melted when she was chosen as student, nuzzles the saddle when she sees it and is eager to move quickly to new challenges and opportunities to excel.

So, I think you really need to be able to read the horse and adjust the approach based on the horse is trying to tell you.

These two gals proved me wrong in my best guesses on how they’d behave. Stepping up the pace was a great joy for them and a thrilling learning experience for me.

For what it’s worth.