How to ruin a young horse in easy stages...?

[ros]

1. Buy a perfectly nice unbroken 3-year old.

2. Break it using good old-fashioned methods: keep it a bit poor, don't shoe it and work it on rough ground so it's a bit footsore, especially when you first back it, and preferably lunge it into the ground each time you get on it for the first week or two - you know the sort of thing. It also helps if you can find a saddle that doesn't fit.

3. Work it good and hard - take it hunting and keep it out for 4 hours. If you can manage to tire it enough and push it hard as well you might even manage to get it to stand up and fall over backwards on you.

4. Keep it with unwormed horses so it gets a dose of colic. Lay it off for a few weeks.

5. When it's feeling a bit better after a lay-off. and it starts getting a little bit bolshy, get someone braver than you to come and beat it up for you. You can also try moving it away from its friends to a new home so that it doesn't know where it is, on the basis that that will make it easier to handle.

6. Hack it out for miles on the roads with no back shoes on; make sure it's good and sweaty and knackered, then take it into a sand school for good measure and make sure it hasn't got a clue what you want it to do.

7. Above all, NEVER praise it for getting anything right. Just make sure you tell it off when it gets it wrong.

Sad, isn't it, that some people still think this is the way to "bring on" a youngster? It's happening before our very eyes and we can't do a thing about it, because the girl who's doing it knows all there is to know about horses and thinks my mate and I are just a couple of old fuddy-duddies who know diddly-squat. We'll probably have the last laugh, but unfortunately it will be at the horse's expense :mad:

[Ryoko]

thats terrible! isnt there anything you can do about this girl! she sounds like she doesnt deserve a horse :mad:

[Yann]

All too common, and horses are so forgiving that they get away with it. The chickens only come home to roost when the original owner is long gone.

[RachelEvent]

It's so sad, and so unbelievably common..

My horse probably had an early education similar to that, and it's left him with some scars (physical and mental) it's been fortunate that because he is not naturally a nervous and questioning horse, that he has been able to trust humans again so quickly.

This biggest problems with these methods, around here, seem to be the number of cobs which are brought up this way. There are many 'specialist' cob dealers, who buy unbroken 2 year olds, 'train' them like this and then sell them as "bombproof, fun, good beginner's ride" and every time, these horses, being so misunderstood, end up misbehaving, and are sold, possibly put down. I have seen it happen with 3 cobs, and am about to see it happen with the new cob on the yard - a frightened 5 year old with owners who haven't yet learnt to canter.

Rachel xx

[chev]

My farrier was telling a very similar story when he came out to trim mine. Only in this case, the "trainer" buys, breaks and sells horses. Farrier was shoeing one of this guy's horses before he came to me - horse is now in a new home, where it's taking a lot of time and patience to sort his problems out.

In his case there was no real preparatory work done at all - he was instead simply saddled and chased round on a lunge till he was knackered, at which point trainer got on and equipped with draw reins rode him into the ground. End result is an unpredictable, nervous horse with no trust in his handlers at all.

Very depressing. The horse is the only real loser when this happens - the "trainer" simply writes them off as a "bad 'un" and starts again with another.

:mad:

[Tootsie4U]

Ignorance... so unfortunate for such an obviously GREAT animal... but I can't judge them. :(

[Kalypso]

it's horrible when I hear of stuff like that! I know you do have to be firm with the horses, and that sometimes requires hitting them (with you hand!) when they kick you or bite you, but that kind of stuff...what's the point of it? I sure wouldn't think of training a dog that way, why a horse? either way, you'd get a poor, cowering, could be dangerous animal!! aarrrrgghhh!!! Sorry for my rant, but it just makes me want to cry when I see animals treated so horribly!!!

[Ryoko]

i could bawl my eyes out for them too kalypso! its terrible...i'm hoping my baby wasnt treated liked that when he was a baby ( i would kill someone who came and treated my baby badly..or any other horse!) ! there should be someone you can call! the police wouldent do anything about it...or the rspca really...but there should be a protection for horses agency where you can call them and they can investigate the actions on this yard and others like it! are there none?!!

[Dressagefreak]

Ros, is there nothing you can do at all about this girl? there must be something! Have you thought of telling the YO, surely she'd listen to him/her. I hate it when people buy a horse and think they know everything and when they finally realise they've ruined it they blame the horse and sell it!!! It makes me so mad!

[chev]

but I can't judge them.

Thing is Tootsie these people never open their minds to question what they're doing, which is something you have done for a long time. However much you feel you failed Bon to begin with you haven't - because you took the time to listen, and adapt - and look at the progress you've made. I'm just as guilty of mis-reading things and not listening with Gelfy. It's not having the sense to listen to others and question what you're doing that does the damage. You have no reason to feel :( .

[Tootsie4U]

Thanks Chev, the first few numbered items hit home. Im no longer that same person, educating myself and asking for a ton of help here on NR and other forums made that change. Im so glad it did. :) Once you see the light, you never go back (and wonder why it took so long to begin with :D) Those days will never be far from my memory. I am just so thankful my horse forgave me. :)

[Ryoko]

aww tootsie :D of course your horse would forgive you! u caught yourself and sorted it all out :) i think with horses and things like breaking them in you should always ask for help you'll learn so much more than thinking you know it all. i didnt trust myself to break brenin myself so we got a proffesional but i went along and helped as much as possible. she was an excellent horsewoman and brenin is excellent! i would never have had the know how to do that! :o

[ros]

It's so comforting to know that there are plenty of people out there who are switched on to the horse's mentality and who really do care :)

Unfortunately, the older I get and the more I see in this world, the more inclined I am to agree with Mark Rashid's "Old Man" whose philosophy is that there's no point trying to tell people anything unless they ask you. Some people really do think they know it all, and just seem to walk around with their eyes shut :rolleyes: .

It's a private yard, the YO being my friend. The girl in question doesn't listen to either of us; all we can do is try to lead by example. She thinks I'm a complete novice and she tells me I spoil Merlin. She actually congratulated me the other day (as if I care :mad: ) when I raised my voice to him for pratting about - she's never heard me tell him off before in the 6 months he's been in the village, which to me means that we have a pretty good understanding, but to her simply indicates that I have no control over him. (Funnily enough she's scared of him - no idea why as he's incredibly biddable...;)

But there you go. She already has two older horse which she's managed to mess up: her old TB gelding has sidebone and she can't be bothered with him any more now that she can't compete him, and her 9-year old has appalling feet, and she buggered him up by jumping him on hard ground when he was already unsound (she put him on Bute because it wouldn't have done to have missed a Riding Club competition - well, she was in the team after all). So really we're just waiting to see how long this one will last. The best he can hope for, I think, is that he scares her witless and she sells him to someone who knows what they're doing.

[shakari]

Ros, I think I could well know who your talking about, pm me to confirm it (living in the same town and tis good to have a good gossip), I beleive it's someone who bought the 3 yr old at about the same time as I bought my youngster and I believe perhaps they hunted in the village about 6 weeks ago????(I took the race horses out not my buby!) Someone who often tells me I'm ruining my buby by taking things slowly.:mad: :mad:

[Cheko]

Sadly, this is how many people still break native ponies in and it's why some of the breeds have a bad name. I've broken 3 natives in now and have never used any of these awful, old fashioned and cruel methods. While there are the horsey old school still around, keep 'em' poor and work 'em' till they drop brigade, things wont change whatever anyone says. It seems engrained in some people (and they're not always older people either). Both my Fell gelding and the Exmoors that I had hated lunging so were loose schooled them for a 20 minutes at most. They had a rest, then they were ridden for 10 mins. It's unforgiveable that ponies/horses are still broken in in this way; it really does ruin them for life. As has been said before, it's first steps - ie - handling, backing etc that make the biggest impression. I've had it said to me ages ago by some 'knowledgeable' wag, 'you've only got an Exmoor, I've got a warmblood'! I know the Exmoor had the brains and the warmblood the brawn but there's no need to treat either of them in the manner described. (I know some folk are gonna disagree with me here)! :eek:

[RingLass]

That's awful, but unsettlingly common :(:(

Oh, and you forgot:

8. When in doubt, use a lunge whip

[Showjumper]

It's ridiculous! :mad: Let's hope that pony dumps her very painfully and unceremoniously and all three horses go to nice homes!

[Waikato Valuta]

I knew a horse that was broken in like this when it was sold to my friend it got very nasty and testy, as she didn't beat him when he did soemthign wrong he realised he could get it over her.

She was bucked of several time but things seemed to be workign out. with lots of training and care.

[wildwomen]

I have never heard such things in my life im shocked and stunned i feel very sad that this is going on she should not be allowed to have horses she should be stopped, bad thing is how do you stop someone who thinks they no it all , i will leave you all feeling very sad :mad: hard situation to be in good luck protect that little horse if you can before someone gets hurt ;)

[Ryoko]

wheres the horse brigade?!?! :mad: i dont know this girl but i already hate her! i could never respect someone who couldn't respect horses (well those who have their own) i'm so disgusted. i'm sure its all a game to her.

[Star Shaped]

I remember a pony that I used to ride in NY called Gracie. From the second she saw you come near she would do anything to get you...bite, kick, pin you against the wall...etc. And once you got on She would not stop bucking until you got off. If you stopped her bucking she moved onto rearing. Yet there was nothing wrong physically. But everyone's answer was 'she's being naughty, hit her with the crop/smack her with your hand (when on the ground). I always wondered what must have happended to make her the way she was but surely punishing her might not have helped when who knows what was going on inside her little horsey mind.

On a more positive note:
When I visited home last July I went to where I used to ride (now under new ownership). The horse I was meant to ride was lame so I had a lesson on a 3 year old. Let me tell you the word bombproof doesn't even come near it. A tractor drove past us, a bird flew nearly into his face, cars driving right by... not problem. Didn't even bat an eyelid. When i commented to the owner he said that he has had the horse since before he was broken and has done every part of training. He then tried to convince me to move back to NY and buy this pony. I don't think I've ever been more tempted.:p

So at least there are some horses being treated with the proper respect and kindness they deserve.

[Kalypso]

[i]

So at least there are some horses being treated with the proper respect and kindness they deserve. [/B]

Well that is positive to hear...thanks for that :)