Education on starting a horse?
So I’ve just fallen in love with yet another gorgeous, uphill, Dressage prospect colt xD I have to stop looking at horse classifieds…
Anyway, I’ve been attempting to plan out my future pertaining to horses. Considering the astronomical price-tags that come with well trained dressage horses, my current hope is to eventually buy a young, untrained Dressage prospect (not now, in four/five or so years when I need a more athletic, advanced horse) – as generally they are significantly cheaper. It’s not that I don’t have the money to take care of the horse, I simply wasn’t born into a life where I could nonchalantly spend $60,000+ on a horse plus more for training and other expenses – $15,000 for a decent prospect is much more comfortable 
My problem, however, is that I’ve never really had the opportunity to learn how to start a young horse and don’t have too much experience with horses under 3 years. I’ve worked with many green horses, furthered the training of a few horses who had been taught the basics, and am a competent (non-beginner) rider, but anything before that I am clueless. I enjoy working with young horses and intend to do so in the future. I suppose my question is, where would you learn (with the help of professionals) to work with young horses and to correctly start a young horse?
I’ve had trainers who worked at breeding farms when they were my age and my level and learned how to start horses there, but is an uneducated (as in with young horses) college student really a person that a barn owner will take a chance on? Most of my problems simply lie with starting a young horse, teaching the very basics like balancing a riders weight and moving off the leg – but I’ve no idea where to go to learn this. So I guess I’m wondering what your experiences are…. Where did you learn and would you recommend it?
Thanks 
Find a trainer you can build a relationship with and eventually work alongside–not necessarily as a paid assistant, but just as a hard worker and willing learner. I’m not sure if you currently own a horse, but if not, take lessons on school horses. Express your wishes to the trainer so that she not only knows to keep an eye out for good, affordable, young prospects, but she can start teaching you the ropes in the direction you want to go. If she doesn’t think you want to learn how to start young horses, she’s probably not going to teach you–it’s not something typically covered in a regular lesson. Just riding once a week for an hour and never spending more time out there probably won’t help you in this regard, but if you build a relationship with your trainer and prove yourself to be willing to work to achieve your goal, she’ll probably start asking you to help around the barn, watch some riding, etc.–whether it’s for your benefit or hers, it doesn’t matter. Assuming this trainer helps train other people’s horses (not just give riding lessons…if that’s the case, find another one), you can learn by just hanging around and watching her work. Ask questions–not so that you get in the way, but when she has time. Watch what she does to start the horse or to work through problems.
When you do eventually find your horse, continue working with that same trainer (if at all possible–that’s the ideal situation). She can then help you start your horse correctly, and since she’s familiar with you and your riding style, it will be easier for all of you.
I did something similar with my own horses. I had been showing my mom’s older QH (totally different discipline, but same concept) in HUS/Eq/HMS and working with a trainer just to polish him up and get him ready for bigger shows–he was already a seasoned veteran of showing. While there, my trainer would often be riding other horses (several World Show quality horses) and I’d watch and learn all that I could. My trainer knew that I was hoping to get a much younger horse with HUS/WP potential (like you, I could afford a horse and caring for a horse and all that, but couldn’t spend a ton of money on a ready-made horse that was as nice as I wanted). When he found a horse he thought was suitable, he called me and we worked out a deal. I kept the horse with him for several months and rode just about every day with him–sometimes watching him ride my horse, sometimes riding my own horse with him helping me, sometimes riding his horses (both young ones and seasoned ones). Since I had built that relationship with him and he knew what I wanted and how I rode, he was more willing (and able) to help me and my horse. I did barn work (including some riding) for him in exchange for free help and board for my horse until I started back to college, when I paid him to continue that training for about six weeks. Even after I brought the horse home and started doing more of it on my own, I went back occasionally (sometimes sending the horse for a tune-up, sometimes riding the horse myself with his help) until this fall when I moved my horse to a different boarding barn under a different trainer (more convenient since I had also moved), who also helps me–I’m not paying for full training, but when he has time and I’m out there riding, he’ll offer suggestions or even give me a full lesson for free, which has made a huge difference in my horse, and he’s always available for me to ask questions or get help.
And in regards to your question about your personal status (uneducated college student), yes! That described me, as well–I had ridden forever, but really had no status in the AQHA world (I had shown a long time, and done some pretty nice shows, but no AQHA stuff) and knew very little about the QH way of doing things, which is totally different. But I proved to the trainer that I was willing to work hard and do what it took to learn, and I had a horse that I could do it on–he wasn’t all that fancy, but he was steady, dependable, and very well trained and with some work we made a good team. We ended up doing really well at some nice QH shows, which proved to my trainer that we had the ability and just needed the help getting there. I could have never bothered working hard and just paid the training fee and had my horse fully trained, but financially I’m not able to do that easily–but he was willing to work alongside me, help me find a horse, help me with that horse in the two years following (until I started boarding at the other place…but he still helps my youngest sister), etc. without a penny being spent, aside from training costs when I was in college and left my horse with him. My confidence and ability has improved dramatically in the last few years after working alongside that trainer while still riding my own horse, because not only did my horse improve because of the trainer’s work, but I’m the one that was learning how to do it as it was done, both by doing it myself (under his supervision) and by watching him to do it–so now, I can apply that to teaching him other new things, or working with other horses, without needing him there.
I’ve learned mainly by breaking young horses with the help of various trainers. When I was 12, my dad bought me an unbroke, semi-wild three year old gelding. I then took him to weekly lessons with the trainer I had at the time. She would teach me what she wanted me to work on with him during the lesson, and I would work on it the rest of the week. Because I hadn’t ever ridden a green horse at that time, I didn’t get to be the first one on, though my horse was only ridden for about five minutes before I got on. Since then, I’ve also bought a two year old and a four year old, neither broke when I go them. I’ve worked with other young horses.
That is a great route if you can do it. By that I mean you need to have the right trainer, the right horse, and enough money, but more importantly you need to have the will to push through it. The young ones take a ton of patience. They don’t learn quite as quickly it seems, and they have super short attention spans.
You could also see if you could get someone to hire you as a student and just tell them your story. You want to work with young horse, but have never had the opportunity to learn how. Some trainers wouldn’t want to mess with you, but there are people out there who know how difficult things are and may be willing to go for it.
References :
Find a trainer you can build a relationship with and eventually work alongside–not necessarily as a paid assistant, but just as a hard worker and willing learner. I’m not sure if you currently own a horse, but if not, take lessons on school horses. Express your wishes to the trainer so that she not only knows to keep an eye out for good, affordable, young prospects, but she can start teaching you the ropes in the direction you want to go. If she doesn’t think you want to learn how to start young horses, she’s probably not going to teach you–it’s not something typically covered in a regular lesson. Just riding once a week for an hour and never spending more time out there probably won’t help you in this regard, but if you build a relationship with your trainer and prove yourself to be willing to work to achieve your goal, she’ll probably start asking you to help around the barn, watch some riding, etc.–whether it’s for your benefit or hers, it doesn’t matter. Assuming this trainer helps train other people’s horses (not just give riding lessons…if that’s the case, find another one), you can learn by just hanging around and watching her work. Ask questions–not so that you get in the way, but when she has time. Watch what she does to start the horse or to work through problems.
When you do eventually find your horse, continue working with that same trainer (if at all possible–that’s the ideal situation). She can then help you start your horse correctly, and since she’s familiar with you and your riding style, it will be easier for all of you.
I did something similar with my own horses. I had been showing my mom’s older QH (totally different discipline, but same concept) in HUS/Eq/HMS and working with a trainer just to polish him up and get him ready for bigger shows–he was already a seasoned veteran of showing. While there, my trainer would often be riding other horses (several World Show quality horses) and I’d watch and learn all that I could. My trainer knew that I was hoping to get a much younger horse with HUS/WP potential (like you, I could afford a horse and caring for a horse and all that, but couldn’t spend a ton of money on a ready-made horse that was as nice as I wanted). When he found a horse he thought was suitable, he called me and we worked out a deal. I kept the horse with him for several months and rode just about every day with him–sometimes watching him ride my horse, sometimes riding my own horse with him helping me, sometimes riding his horses (both young ones and seasoned ones). Since I had built that relationship with him and he knew what I wanted and how I rode, he was more willing (and able) to help me and my horse. I did barn work (including some riding) for him in exchange for free help and board for my horse until I started back to college, when I paid him to continue that training for about six weeks. Even after I brought the horse home and started doing more of it on my own, I went back occasionally (sometimes sending the horse for a tune-up, sometimes riding the horse myself with his help) until this fall when I moved my horse to a different boarding barn under a different trainer (more convenient since I had also moved), who also helps me–I’m not paying for full training, but when he has time and I’m out there riding, he’ll offer suggestions or even give me a full lesson for free, which has made a huge difference in my horse, and he’s always available for me to ask questions or get help.
And in regards to your question about your personal status (uneducated college student), yes! That described me, as well–I had ridden forever, but really had no status in the AQHA world (I had shown a long time, and done some pretty nice shows, but no AQHA stuff) and knew very little about the QH way of doing things, which is totally different. But I proved to the trainer that I was willing to work hard and do what it took to learn, and I had a horse that I could do it on–he wasn’t all that fancy, but he was steady, dependable, and very well trained and with some work we made a good team. We ended up doing really well at some nice QH shows, which proved to my trainer that we had the ability and just needed the help getting there. I could have never bothered working hard and just paid the training fee and had my horse fully trained, but financially I’m not able to do that easily–but he was willing to work alongside me, help me find a horse, help me with that horse in the two years following (until I started boarding at the other place…but he still helps my youngest sister), etc. without a penny being spent, aside from training costs when I was in college and left my horse with him. My confidence and ability has improved dramatically in the last few years after working alongside that trainer while still riding my own horse, because not only did my horse improve because of the trainer’s work, but I’m the one that was learning how to do it as it was done, both by doing it myself (under his supervision) and by watching him to do it–so now, I can apply that to teaching him other new things, or working with other horses, without needing him there.
References :
Nothing you mention has anything to do with starting a green colt. There is so much work to be done to form a good basic foundation before even thinking of a rider or leg cues, those things are very very much down the line. Take a look at Clinton Anderson’s colt starting video. I’m sure there are others, but he has one that is quite good. Most people think "starting or breaking to ride" has something to do with a saddle and rider and it does not. I have started and re-started very difficult and green horses and we transitioned to the saddle without any bucks or arguments or misunderstandings or hurt feelings or broken bones and bruises. Again, my experience is that most traniners/professionals are clueless about the language and communication of the horse. They could care less about respect and trust. All they know is fear and force and pain. Pathetic. If you are serious about a future in this area of horse handling, take the time to learn proper techniques. When your ground work is complete, your work under saddle is almost effortless. The person who taught me learned from Ray Hunt, one of the greatest horsemen who ever lived. There were other natural horsemanship influences as well. It should be all about the horse and his well being. When you achieve a superior level of trust, confidence, feel, timing and balance, your riding will be more advanced than it would be with all the "professionals" efforts combined. Your horse will show more heart and try than they could ever force. Just think about it. Starting colts is not a simple undertaking. You have to be able to stay calm on the end of a lead with 1200 pounds on the other end standing on his hind legs blowing fire from his nostrils. You cannot be flustered or get upset. You have to keep your body language relaxed and help the horse recover at the same time. It is a daunting task. You can never be or show anger or frustration or annoyance. If you do, your horse will not trust you and will shut down. Also, making an emotional decision about a horse is not a good idea. You can fall in love with a horse that is totally wrong for you. Use your head and common sense instead. It could save your life. Again, take a look at the colt starting information (many many times). Wish you the best in your efforts. Please be safe.
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