How do I train my horse?

[Runky]

Okay so you probably don't know me but I have a horse. And we have started training him so we can ride him. We have introduced him to the saddle and bit. I just don't know how to go on. Could you give me some step by step instructions maybe?

Thanks. (:

[lneill84]

If you are posting this on a forum, you need to get professional help with him. Its very easy to "mess" a horse up in the beginning, and it requires consistent, firm training. Get a good trainer, one with experience breaking and training young horses, and go from there.

[Runky]

Yeah. We are getting one this summer. I just thought I would get some advice so I know I'm not doing something horribly wrong.

[tash]

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[KellyP]

If you're asking that question, no offense but you should not be training a horse. Getting on the back of a horse for the first time is extremely dangerous. Even a horse thats well behaved on the ground can be extremely different once you hop on thier back. Starting a horse, should only be done by professionals or individuals with lots of experience. You will get hurt. Please find a reputable trainer to help you.

[MokeyBird]

Hey hon. Trust me, you will want to get a professional trainer to break your horse to ride. It can be very dangerous. My sweetling is an absolute dream on the ground, she never offers to kick or bite, but she has a nasty little habit of flipping herself over backwards if she thinks she is in a bind. You can put the saddle on her. She accepts the bit wonderfully (salt and vaselline are wonders for getting a horse to accept the bit). She long lines and does beautifully. Could you imagine being on her back when she decided to throw herself?

My dad has been training horses for past fifty years, and I know a fair deal myself. My primary job is groundwork with the young horses until they are ready to go to my sister who breaks them to ride. What I suggest you do is work with him on the ground until you get him to the trainer. That way, if you have done it right (that's is the key) he'll be easier managed and will just be better off. Plus it will reduce the amount the trainer has to teach him if you do it right of course.

Just a few questions for you:

Are you familiar with the long lines(that's what we call 'em at my barn)?

How many times has he had the saddle on?

What have you done with him with the saddle on?

If you are not confortable with two longlines, then I don't suggest you do this with a bridle until you are. If you are though...

With your horse's halter on, put his bridle on over it(you may want to start without a bridle OR saddle at all for the first few times) and run the longlines through the bit ring(if you are using a snaffle which you really should be to start with in my opinion) to the side halter ring. That way if they decide to get themselves tangled up or to try and jerk the rope from you, you are not going to damage their mouth. Plus this helps them learn to guide without a big risk to your horse. This will help him learn to guide better. Start with turning in the circle, until you are comfortable to try going straight. Going straight is a little tricky even now still for me.

Don't risk yourself. If you don't know what you are dong, your uncertainty will feed to the horse and might make him act differently. One traumatic experience will make for some hearty problems that might never be resolved. When you get him to the trainer see if you can learn from him/her.

What type of horse is he? What type of saddle will you be using? I wish you luck and PLEASE don't do anything stupid. If you are uncomfortable with something, it might be better to wait.

[Runky]

I said I was getting a trainer already. And I'm not going to just hop on his back. He would buck me off for sure. I just want to know some basic facts. Like how to get him used to the bit and saddle. And stuff like that. And I'm not the one working with my horse, my grandad is doing it. And he's had horses for his whole life. I just want to make sure he's not doing something wrong. And I would like to be able to tell him different things he could do with the horse. So yeah. (:

[Runky]

Thanks MokeyBird. That helps a lot.

I don't know what long lines are. So yeah. What are they?

He's had his saddle on once and he did well with it. When we put the saddle on we just let him feel how it felt on his back and stuff.

He's had his bridle on once. He didn't like it much though.

He is a quarter horse. And I don't know what type of saddle. It's just one that my grandad had.

Oh and by training him I did mean working with him on the ground. I may be stupid but I wouldn't just get on the horse. That would be silly.

Again, thanks.

[MokeyBird]

No problem. By the way, I wasn't calling you stupid, but you know, even the most intelligent people do stupid things sometimes.

Okay, let me restate one of my questions: is the saddle an english or western? Probably western because of my stereotypical assumption involving quater horses, however much I love them.

Long lines are pretty much that, really long lead ropes. Similar to those used for driving, only not of leather usually. If you want to start working with your horse yourself, here's one thing you could do.


This is what we call "lunge-ing"
If you have one of those really long leads, (with or without a chain, it doesn't really matter) hook it onto the bottom ring of his halter and send him off in a circle around you. Pull him in towards you, but not to you, to change directions. Just shoo him off in the other direction when you you pull him in. To stop, pull him in and say whoa. And now you need to just be clam. Arms down-ish with a feeling of accomplishnment/finality and you can pull him in. Whoa is one of the loveliest commands your horse can learn (except when you are wearing slick pants in a cart with a voice trained pony ;) ) These directions may not be very clear. I haven't lunged in ages. My babies from last year are in the hands of my sister and dad and my babies aren't leading well enough to go outside just yet.

Long lineing is a little more advanced and I can explain that later, to the best of my ability.

[DomBee8]

I wouldn't do anything major just yet, just get him use to the saddle and bridle while you wait to get help from a trainer. Instead of asking us what you should do, why don't you tell us what you are already doing? It would be easier for us to explain what else you should be doing or what you should not be doing.

If your putting a saddle and a bridle on him, I would just make sure they fit him properly. Even if he is only going to have the saddle on for a few minutes, it could be uncomfurtable if it doesn't fit properly and that could cause unpleasent thoughs and problems down the road. My friend had a colt that didn't like haveing a bit in his mouth, so she put him in a loose ring snaffle and turned him into the area. She left him in there with food, water, and the bridle on for about 2 hours. We had to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't chock with the bit in of course, but it taught him to accept the bit and work around it. After that she would put it on him for 20-30 minutes sessions each day, and when it was finally time to ride him bridleing him was a breeze.

[lneill84]

You are going to want to start with a mild bit-Happy Mouths are great, and you can get them apple flavored, etc. Everything that you want to do with him at this point needs to be positive. If you are in a bad mood, just not feeling it, whatever, don't touch him. One bad session can take months to undo. Things need to be simplified-don't try the bridle, saddle, lunging, etc., all in one day. Break it down into mini sessions. Our young guys usually went 2x a day, about 10-20 minutes. The most important thing before breaking him to ride is making sure he has solid ground manners-he needs to be easy to pick up his feet, move around his head, trim, clip, brush, whatever. Lunging is great, if you know what you are doing. Its very easy for a horse to get tangled up and break a leg if you aren't careful and vigilent. He should be voice trained to walk trot canter and woah. Until he is 100% on the lunge, do not get on him

[CarolinaFilly]

I am sure there has been some great advise posted. I haven't read through it all. It is easy to mess a horse up, you might want to look into professional help. Or a friend or someone who knows horses well. Sometimes when horses are trained in the wrong way they learn bad, and its not really there faught. You need to do a lot, LOT of ground work before you even get on. It will pay off in the long run. When on the horse it really shouldn't matter what is in there mouth. They should move off leg cues, voice cues, etc. It would take me all day to explain eveything. Maybe look up training on the internet, that might give you some good leads. Good luck!!

[MokeyBird]

On a cautionary note, when lunging your horse for the first few times don't get too dizzy. That is one of the really uncomfortable things about it. Sometimes it helps to 1)not look at the horse's legs. 2) look at a stationary object for a second. Also don't let the rope get too slack, but at the same time, don't keep the rope taught either. Too loose, the horse might step on it and/or get tangled up, too taught and the horse might get confused with what you are trying to tell him. If your horse is unused to lunging, he might try to pull away for most of the work, causing the rope to become taught, usually at one consistent spot(don't go skiing. not fun.), until he gets used to the routine. Another worry for you is watch the loose end of your rope. You should be turning with your horse and you have that long extra piece on the ground encircling your legs at every turn. Thump! A tripping ye will go. And will probably confuse/scare the dickens out of your horse too.

[Runky]

Heh. I forgot to post here. x)

So anyways. I think I'll just stick to walking him around and stuff. But I can't wait until this summer when we get a trainer. (;

[lneill84]

Having good ground manners is essential, so any groundwork is great. He needs to lead properly, pick up his feet, handle his head, clip, and be able to trot while on a lead rope.

[Runky]

How do you get him to trot? He barely ever trots and when he does it's not with me guiding him.

[animallover741]

you should put him on a lunge line ( if you have one) and cluck to him. talk to him and tell him to trot. It might help if you had a crop so you could give him a little tap to get him going.

[mulvaney]

my standardbred i m training right now is easy going weve had saddle and bridal on and sorta ridden..
start with lunging her getting use to voice commands.. and u can lunge with a saddle on and biddle just make sure u twist reins
put the bridal on about everyday for an hour so it can teeth on it
if she doesnt give u to much trouble and ur good at riding have someone lead u on her witha saddle...or u can go on a lunge line depends how spooky
start to use the riens and turn her in a circle... and things like that...use a lil leg pressuer...
make sure u or wghoever ur workin with is expirenced...u dont wanna get hurt or ur horse
i work with a trainer and my horse is 3 and is really easy going and i am the only one who has ridden her so far but if im doing anything new or something that may make her buck and carry on i make sure i have him with me. so far she hasnt bucked or anything..were waiting ha
u have to be carefull cuz if u do things wrong u can screw the horse up give it bad habbits

[Runky]

'Kay. Thanks you guys. (: