Trisha Wren
Starting Young Horses
The length of time that ‘starting’
will take depends on the individual horse, and the requirements of the
owner. A horse that has had no, or
limited, prior handling will be with me longer than one that is already used to
groundwork and / or saddling. It will
also depend how confident the rider is to take the horse further once backed. My goal is not so much to turn out a
‘finished’ horse, but rather to lay a solid foundation from which you can
progress in whichever direction you wish.
My preference is for horses to be at
least 3 years old before they are backed and ridden. I will take younger horses, but for
preparatory work only.
I call what I do ‘starting’ rather
than ‘breaking’ because I have no intention of breaking your horse’s
spirit. I start horses quietly,
simplifying each stage so that they understand and accept every step. I work hard never to over face or make
your horse do something; instead, I will find another way to help him
understand what I am asking. I don’t
take shortcuts; a young horse that bucks the first time saddled will be the
absolute exception, not the rule. I aim
NEVER to stress or distress your horse; deliberately putting your horse in a
difficult situation (often indicated by sweating) does not foster trust or
learning. I don’t believe in being a
dictator; I’m looking for acceptance rather than submission, using positive
rather than negative reinforcement. My
goals are mutual trust, understanding and softness, helping your horse learn,
and preparing him for his future life.
The process
I go through is usually as follows:
groundwork, leading, boundaries
getting used to ropes, saddle pads, saddles, bridles
liberty work to establish attention
lunging to establish voice cues
ground driving, to teach start, stop, left, right, back
saddling and mounting
walk, halt, back, left and right under saddle
turns on forehand and haunches, trot, transitions
riding out of the round pen / arena
I also take horses for
rehabilitation, e.g. if you are having problems with your horse or are unhappy
with the way it was started elsewhere.
With these horses, as well as addressing the issues presented, I
introduce a higher level of Connected Groundwork, to help them relax, pay
attention, and be more mentally and physically balanced.
Email
me to discuss your requirements.