How do you 'break in' a horse/pony??

[redway]

Hi,
I've had horses all my life (30+years) but I am ashamed to say I have never broken one in.
I currently have two 4yr olds and a 5yr old that need breaking in from the very beginning.
I also have a pony that has been turned away to 'chill' who will need re-breaking.
I have contacted people about doing it for me and they are quoting 2 or 3 weeks to do so.
I think it is time I did the breaking myself.

Please can anyone give me a step by step guide

Thank you in advance

[titch]

I did my first one when just under 30 and had no problem would do it again and she went on to win alot of affilated shows just missing her Rihs open ticket.

[titch]

Give it a go!

[junetimp]

I have broken in (prefer to use the word gentled) my last 3 horses. I now have a 2 year old that will soon be ready to sit on. I like to take my time and get them used to everything saddle, bridle, umbrellas, bikes, traffic etc. gently and a little at a time.

Quiet repetition is the solution, so that they fear nothing and enjoy everything. Keep things pleasurable – eg treacle on the bit so that they reach to pull the bit into their mouth rather than you struggle to push/pull it in.
Reward every little try and effort, be very firm but yet never loose your temper and my biggest asset = using the spoken command.

Have a go, there is nothing more rewarding than riding a horse you have made yourself.

[indygo]

It can be lovely when you've got a horse going well and you know that it's all your own work. If you've not done it before yourself it would be good to have the support of someone you trust who has got the experience who you can ask for help/advice if you're unsure of anything.

Read as much as you can and learn as much as you can so that you're well prepared - then pick one person/source you trust to go back to and stick with that. Everyone has their own ideas! Little and often is a good principle to stick to and just have fun. Enjoy the experience!

[desktop]

Im sorry but I think that if you have to ask how to then I wouldnt attempt it without the supervision and training of a professional, whatever you do now will affect the horse for the rest of its ridden career There is plenty of ground work you could be doing in preperation like long reining, walking out on roads, putting tack on, but would think twice about doing the actual breaking without someone experienced by your side

[rubydoo]

id have to agree with desktop on this one , the basic ground work needs to be acheived before the breaking process can begin.
mouthing is a good place to start allow the horse to play with the bit in its mouth and feel confortable with it bein there.
walking in hand , lunging ,long reining then introducing tack and finally a rider and that before the schooling can begin.
i would say 6wks min , NEVER rush u cant take back any mistakes made make .

could you have an instructor guide you through the process ? that was eveythings done correctly and you will have achieved much of it yourself.

i have broken 2 of my own and schooled one from being 4 , it can be testing at times but rewarding in the end . i have no desire to break anymore lol, ive just sent my daughters sec a away to be done

[horsesmakemehappy]

Agree with desktop and Jaimie as its your first time have some one experienced in breaking helping then you will have learned the knowledge for next time it can be dangerous if inexperienced it is easier when there is two people when the time comes to back the horse also in case you get ditched someone there if any serious injuries it's such a lovely feeling at the end knowing it was your hard work that did that good luck :@)

[liz00]

Another agreeing with desktop - I had a Highland pony broken in by someone that was supposedly experienced in training and breaking youngsters ( they were actually recommended to me ) my pony then was an absolute nightmare for the next 7 years. Wouldnt lunge - i found out that she didnt think a youngster when breaking in needed lunging () and he became a planter ( standing still and refusing and i mean refusing to move) found out later that to get him walking forward she got him to follow another horse and rider. This lady was recommended to me and she also taught children to ride, i did check her out and she appeared ok. Now this pony as I said became a nightmare. I sent him off to be re broken but i think the damage was already done and he was never the same, a fractured spine and later 3 broken ribs for me (separate things) he had to go and so I sold him to someone who still today continues to train him ( 2 years later ). Before I sold him I purchased my project pony with whom everything was to be done properly, he was a 6 month old fjord. He was broken in at 3 by a fantastic gentleman ( whom i had visited and seen him working horses on many many many occasions). My pony is an absolute star and the difference is amazing, now i know sceptics may say that it was probably the difference in temperament in these 2 ponies but i truly believe that if my Highland had been broken properly he would still be with me today, but on the other hand i have the most amazing pony who hacks out alone or in company ( at the age of 4) and listens to the lightest touch of my legs. If you dont know what your doing then dont!!

[redway]

Thank you so much for all your replies...

I don't think I have explained myself properley...I am very experienced with horses, several years working as head groom, up to 11 horses of my own (at the same time) and hoping to open riding school soon when my plans passed - just not broken in before from start to finish - which is why I have said I am ashamed to say!!!

I have always sent my horses away for breaking but have not been too happy with them lately- which may or may not be to do with the breaking in but I have now decided I would like to break them in myself - when I say breaking in I mean the whole process - also I have found a lightweight jockey - which helps!

Example
Start putting bit in mouth (with treacle for several days until horse is comfortable)?
Start lunging in head collar ( get someone to help keep pony out) and get pony to respond to voice aids?
Start putting roller on with bridle?
Start putting a saddle on?
Add side reins loosely?
Start to lunge in side reins?
Let stirrups dangle?
Start long reining - include lanes if safe to do so?
Start leaning some weight on pony ?
When ready sit small jockey on?
Lunge with Jockey?

Is that something like???

I used to break Fresian stallions to drive but they already had a lot of background work done when they came over from Holland and I started them putting bridle and roller on and long reining them.

So if you could just advise me that would be great - I guess I'm just skimping on going and buying a step by step book but I think real advice is best!!

I just want to make so sure I do it all right - had a similar problem to Liz00 with a pony very special to me who came back from professional breaking and was nothing but trouble - only wish I had broken him in! Also had another that came back and was rearing with jockey same week ( all backs, teeth, tack etc are checked)

So please don't say I shouldn't be doing it - I am hoping my 4 year old will be competing in HOYS classes next year and I just want to break him myself having had him from a foal.

[magpie]

We have just broken our almost 4 yr old boy in. I, myself, had never broken anything in, but our good friend who rides out and shows for us has done several times, but not for a long time. We decided we would do him ourselves and we are glad we did as anything he achieves we will have done it all. We have owned him since a weakling so he has been bitted and shown from a yearling. We did some light lunging in the winter of 2011 but then left him again.
With both my sister and I back from university and the longer daylight horse we decided to crack on! He had lunged before but not by himself, my sister went next to him for a few days, just walk and trot, until he got the hang of voice commands, then he was away and doing it by himself. Gradually introduced stirrups on his side - tied to the girth with string - and another few days of that. He didn't seem to mind. My sister lent over him a few times, usually after he had finished lunging. We then long reined in the sanschool for 3 days, proving sensible and responding well to voice commands, took him out around the roads and lanes - although he had been to shows, he had never actually walked off the yard! He was a very good boy and a week after long reining, and as my sister was away, my friend Clare lent over him and sat up. He didn't seem to bothered and had a walk. The next day, I walked him around the sanschool with heron top and the next day he was walking by himself. Since then, he has just been out hacking with one of our "nanny" horses. He has since trotted with someone on him and leads out hacking (as he has very long legs Nd no one can keep up!) we went past about 50 cyclists today - children on a school trip- and he didn't turn an eyelash! We will not be going back into the school until he has learnt to go forward in walk, trot and canter. He also did his first solo trot yesterday as one of the nannies had a loose shoe Nd walked along a parallel track. He was very brave as he had to go forward in walk and trot by himself. Don't forget that standing and halting is one of the most important commands too! We are very pleased with his progress.

[GinaGeo]

I started my first one last year, with help from my instructor at each milestone. All went well, the horse, was easy peasy to do which helped!

Started off with lots of groundwork, leading in-hand, desensitizing to plastic bags, flowers, traffic cones, poles all on a long lead rope attached to a pressure halter. I also taught the voice commands, here. Walk, trot and stand.

Once he trusted me and followed me everywhere calmly and sensibly I added the bridle and bit under the halter, although nothing was attached to the "mouthing" bit. This let him get used to having the bit in hs mouth. Once he was happy with this, he had the roller on too. After a couple of days of that, he had some loose side reins attached in the stable, once he was happy with the contact I started leading him out in the same set up. Leading from the halter, but with loose side reins attached to the bit.

With the loose side reins still attached I introduced the long lines in the stable, 18'x 12' box. That way if they panic, when the line's are first flicked round their bum, they can't go anywhere or hurt themselves. After a couple of times at this, we started off in the school facing a corner. He was fine, I had someone walking just behind me to assist if need be, but out of his way so he was "up front by himself". Reinforced the general voice aids in the school, before venturing out on hacks, to see the world.

I also did some ride and lead off my older horse at this point, and taught him "canter" this way.

Over time, I swapped the roller for a saddle, with the stirrups tied down, and eventually untied the stirrups fully, to densenitive him to flappy things round his sides.

Started to lunge on two lines for brief spells at this point too. I don't like to lunge youngsters, I worry about their joints on a small circle. I find it much easier to lunge on two lines to start with as they can't turn in towards you and you have much more control.

I began to lie over his back after each session and it became normal for me to be up there. I began putting weight in the saddle and stirrups, before putting my leg over and slowly sitting up.

I first "rode" him with my instructor present, with her and mum on the ground with him and me on board talking to him constantly. We started off on a small circle in walk, before I was let go. He understood all of the basic aids from the long lines and the voice aids from his early groundwork so was very easy in that respect. We got him out hacking asap, and only schooled once a week max.

Turned him away after 6 weeks under saddle for three months over Winter and re-started him over Easter, repeated the above, but in a shorter time scale. He's picked it up very quickly and has recently started popping small jumps, upto about 2ft9. He's done one Walk and Trot dressage test, which he won with a good score and one 55cm clear round SJ course. We're now aiming towards an unaffiliated Prelim dressage test in a couple of weeks.

I've had regular lessons on him throughout and we're working on him taking the contact down into a relaxed frame with lots of emphasis on the forward motion. We've done a little very basic lateral work which he's picked up very quickly.

He's a fab little horse who I'm rather excited about. He's mum's happy hacker and my pocket rocket competition horse. I hope to event him in the future, but will do some BD with him first. I wouldn't hesitate to start one again myself, in fact, I wouldn't buy one ready done again. But I would use all the proffesional help available to me again. There's never any harm in a set of eyes on the ground.

[elmere]

I brake my own horses but I always have my uncle on hand incase I come across any problems, I would never think of doing them myself without experience by someones side first. If you want to do them at home then Id suggest getting an instructor in to work with you at every step, each horse is different and there are no set steps, you have to work with them as an individual.

[Deleted]

I have broken mine in since I was 16, pm me if you want a step by step procedure, but I do agree you want someone experienced, it is after all your animals life and the way it goes, you are dealing with.

[bethanyy]

I would definitely say go for it, it's so rewarding to break your own but I would definitely recommend having some assistance while you break. The groundwork I'm sure you will be fine to do yourself, but you do need a second or even third pair of hands to hold/lead the baby with you on it and give you a gentle leg up if you need it. At the end of the day everybody needs to learn and start somewhere, so as long as you have good support from an experienced breaker then why should you not do it yourself?

Everytime I have broken a youngster I have had my mum or an instructor there to assist me, mainly in case it launches me just be aware of that too! People constantly underestimate the strength of these animals and their unpredictability, especially as babies! One day you can sit on them and have a potter around and they can be as good as gold, and the next can be the complete opposite! I've learned my lesson with that with the last baby I broke, absolute dream one day and the next completely freaked and launched me off for no reason!!

Good luck, I hope everything works out for you xx

[redway]

Thanks again for your replies.

Hopefully soon I will be putting some photos on here of my pony doing some groundwork!!
(if I can work out how to add photos!)