Owning a Horse!!! FINALLY!!!

[Farm_Girl5]

Hello all riders,
As you may know I was offered to lease Billy the 13.3 pony. I've given up on him as I've decided he's too small for me to ride and once I've gotten him upto the standard I want him it'll be time to give him back and all my work will be for nothing. So.... my best friend (who own 3 horses already recently bought the third) and I have decided to go halves in owning a foal to bring up and break in ourselves. I know you may not think I have enough knowledge to break in a foal even though I don't own my own horse but I'm really looking forward to it and it's going to be 2 years before we start anyway. He's a bay colt named Sim. I haven't seen him yet but my friend has and says he's rated 11 out of 10 for cuteness factor.
We're both going to pay for half of his trucking down and board and stuff and I can't wait to see him!!!
Just had to share! This is my dream come true!!!
Thanks for listening
Kristy

[Sarah]

I am glad that you have found the foal you want, but i hope you realise just how hard work it is going to be to start him.

2 is a very young age to start to back a youngster - horses that are started that young can often end up with many physical and behavioral problems. It is much more common to start a youngster when he is 4,or possibly 3 then turn him away for a season.

For the first 3 or 4 years you still have a lot of work to do on your youngster. You have to get him used to people, strange objects, having his feet picked up and seen to by the farrier and all sorts of things. You will need to spend lots and lots of time with him - we are talking at least 2 hours a day here to get him used to people.

Have you read any of Monty Robert's books? he teaches the most sympathetic way to handle and start youngsters.

Good luck, you have a lot of very hard and potentially unrewarding work ahead of you! If you get anything wrong with your treatment of the foal at this stage you will be paying for it for the rest of the time you have him! Sorry to sound so negative!

bye!

[~alison~*]

Do you live in the U.S.? I was just wondering because it sounds like in the U.K. they usually break horses around 4, but here in the U.S., we break them around 2. I'm very glad to hear that you have finally found a horse of your own (well, practically), and I hope that all of the training will go well. Good Luck!!! alison

[Farm_Girl5]

I said 2 years before we start breaking him in under saddle because he's 8 months now. He has already learnt the basiucs but we're going to put him somewhere with other foals so he can grow up a bit before we start. About saying 2 hours a day he'll be lucky if he can keep me away for 2 hours a day!
LOL
I know what it takes to break in a foal and I'm ready for it.
Thanks
Kristy