'Breaking' to harness

[quenzo]

Has anybody out there got any experience/ideas regarding
what age to start getting a fjord horse used to a harness and eventually pulling a light 2 wheeled cart.
I have read loads of stuff all giving different guidelines and I'm confused,
so over to you lot.

[PaulaqhMax]

I broke my Exmoor pony at two and he loved it we did alot of long reining with a tyer before I tried the trap and that was a home made one, I spent most of it running behind the trap but by the time he was three he was pulling me aswell. (Not up hill though.)

Paula

[Wally]

2 is too young, Fjords are slow maturers, they have baby brains until quite late on.

Esse (Fjord mare) is 3 this year and has only been taught to lead in hand and the like. This summer she will be asked to start to work in harness. Even then I don't expect any more than half an hour at a time from her. She will get the winter off, almost, then start again next year with more work and longer peroids of work.

If you work steadliy, by the time she is 4 she can pull a reasonably sized vehicle, Esse's mother is 9 and easily pulls a 4 wheeler with 4 folk on board.

if you get the foundations right you'll have a very reliable driving horse, don't rush the foundations, if you do it will not work as well.

Remember, never teach a Fjord anything which you may live to regret, they learn fast and have LONG memories! ;) ;)

[happy highlande]

Agree with Wally here - natives mature slowly (and I include Fjords here). My filly is rising two and is not ready to do more than in-hand stuff.
I would take a 2yo lots of places to get them confident and experienced.
A three year old could do short sessions - long reining everywhere - again experience is what you are after, and pull a tyre - probably aim to 'put to ' a light cart towards the end of the summer.Then turn wawy for the winter.
Proper work would start when the horse it four - but still taking it easy.

As a guide - my highland couldn't canter (ridden) in the school til he was seven, but master canter at Easter, shoulder-in(trot)in May and counter canter in June!!! So it was worth waiting!!!