02/02/2022
Jonge paarden zijn als kinderen. Heb geduld en geef ze een goede jeugd want deze komt nooit meer terug 🥀
In mijn zoektocht naar een derde paard ben ik inmiddels al weer het nodige leed tegen gekomen 😔
Waarschijnlijk daarom ga ik weer voor een jong paard om maar zeker te weten dat aan alle behoeften tegemoet kan worden gekomen 🐎
Young horses and 'the breakers'😐
Ulcers, brachiocephalicus tears, sacroiliac ligament tears, hamstring tears, swollen knee joints, extremely twitchy wither, hoof imbalances and a depressed horse are all the things I saw in a 2 year old yesterday 😞
Why⚠️ - because the owner sent her to someone's she trusted, someone she had worked with, someone with a good reputation in the discipline she has chosen.. 🐴 and I have seen many young horses exactly the same from reputable trainers.
But he pushed the process in 4 weeks and advised the owner she was not soft and was a difficult horse. She arrived back home with bit marks, swellings where the spurs go and generally very sore. 😞
It is our responsibility as owners, trainers, breakers to ask the question of 'why' ❓
Why is a 2 year old resistant or difficult ❓- 🔹️is it because they don't understand our cues - then we need to take more notice, listen and teach more steps politely,🔹️ is it because they physically cannot do what we are asking? - then they need a bodywork assessment and treatment before and after and perhaps during the process. 🔹️ Is it because they are in pain/discomfort from our tack or from ulcers?
It is just not ok,🚫 it takes one incident to cause permanent damage- I have treated many horses where one pull back has resulted in injuries from the poll to the tail that have caused ongoing issues.
That first introduction to beibg tied up, the first introduction to a saddle, the first introduction to a rider, the first introduction to a walk, trot, canter under saddle should be a positive interaction to set the horse up neurologically, mentally, physically for life!! 🐎
This all hits closer to home because I have a 2year old sitting in the paddock that I plan to start myself - do I have any experience with this
- No❗ however I am a very powerful observer who asks a lot of questions and does my best to listen.✔ I educate myself to help her, I recognise pain and discomfort,✔ I have a support group I can call on but if their advice does not make sense to me or is not working I will seek more knowledge. ✔Will I make mistakes - absolutely!❌ It is a big responsibility that I take very seriously and if she "misbehaves" the only person to blame is myself - what have I missed? Where am I not listening? ✅
Horses are honest, they are a product of their experiences so we just need to set up their experiences in the best way we can and teach them how to respond to situations in a calm manner for our own safety and theirs ❤
What can you do for your young horse? 🦄
1️⃣ Ground work - all the cues they will need in the saddle should be first taught on the ground recognising difficulties and addressing them before. So Ellie May struggles to step her R shoulder across - Why? She does not make a relaxed upward transition to trot - why? These need to be addressed before thinking about a saddle.
2️⃣ Body work as a foal and before any starting process especially if you are sending them away.
- Nuchal.lig damage, pelvic asymmetry, rib restrictions are just some of Ellie-May's issues from her paddock accidents.
3️⃣ Are their feet balanced? This will give you a good indication of balance in the body and hence balance in the mind as a balanced body is a balanced mind. I love the words from my trimmer - 'all feet are balanced' which took about 6 months for Ellie-May after I got her. Including bodywork and ground work
4️⃣ Treat them for gut ulcers if you are sending them away. Ulcers can begin within a few hours of stress let alone going to a new environment, with strange people, diet changes and expectations they make not understand. A prevention such as Equigesta pre Digestive EQ, kelato gastro aid.
5️⃣ Take their time not your time. Allow then the time they need. Listen to their challenges by observing their behaviour and give lots of breaks. It may be a 6 month process or a year. Ellie May has started her prep - I throw my arms over her back while I am walking her, i have sat gently on her while she was laying down I am teaching her how to listen to the headcollar and cavesson, how to bend, how to step each leg, how to respond to lighter and lighter signals every day!
6️⃣ The first few rides should be no more than 5 minutes for their mind but also for the health of their back and then we should be getting off every 5 minutes to allow recovery of the back fascia and blood vessels which is also a great mental break as they get used to being ridden more.
7️⃣ Most of all trust yourself, know your abilities. If you have fear get some help. Trust your gut. Do not be forced by anyone to do something that does not feel right as you are the one who is going to have to deal with the long term consequences.
8️⃣ Listen to your horse and do not label them as rude, difficult, naughty etc. Ask why? Is it a product of inconsistently? A product of pain? A product of not knowing?
Remember it is never the horses fault- they are a product of their environment, their experiences, our breeding etc. .🐴
Let's set our horses up for success through our own education and take more responsibility for them.🦄 Teaching from a place of calm and relaxation rather than fear and expectations. 🌱
From the owner in response to this post
"It’s about time welfare takes priority! It has definitely impacted me in an unimaginable way and changed the way I view horse starting, I think I was a product of the industry thinking that horses had to be started as 2 year olds to “get ahead” and be broken in by so called professionals. And the fact that I gave him that horse, with no expectations on time. I didn’t care if it took a year. But I wanted it done slowly and right. And for him to then do it all within a month breaks my heart. I have learnt the hard way that this is not the right path. I want to thank you so much for coming to see my horse yesterday, it meant the absolute world to me and her and to have someone confirm what I already knew, that she wasn’t a “bad” or “naughty” horse but in pain, brought me to tears!
I only wish I could turn back time but I’m so glad shes on the right path to feeling better."
