Starting a Green Horse

Taking a horse, by the hoof, on his journey to becoming a solid citizen under the saddle is a big responsibility and undertaking for any rider. Decisions made throughout those initial few weeks have the potential to impact your horses attitude to being ridden for many years to come, if not for the whole of his life.

This collection of lessons will take you step by step on the journey of starting your horse, from the initial handling and groundwork, through to riding him away, under the saddle.

Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 1

The realisation that you have the power to determine a horses future is enough to send many riders running in the opposite direction. This is how I see starting or backing a green or young horse. Decisions made now will impact so many things in the future for him… When done correctly, you will be responsible for starting a horse on his career under the saddle in a way that he can flourish and reach his full potential – regardless of what that is.

In this group of lessons, Part 1, we take a look at how to start your green horse off on the path to being ridden in a way he can understand and gain confidence in. This is taking things from the beginning – rushing is not an option – remember with horses, slow and steady wins the race…

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Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 2

When we are starting a horse, it is important to consider how each new experience will shape his future feelings towards working under a saddle.

In this group of lessons, Part 2, we will begin introducing your horse to different pieces of tack and equipment, in as relaxed a way as possible. We will also continue working this week on reinforcing the basic training we began last week, with regards to your aids from the ground. Our goal to is to create a system which we can easily transfer across to the saddle when the time comes.

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Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 3

Consistency is one of the most important factors to your success when working with horses, and starting them under the saddle is no different. Focusing on the basics of relaxation and balance in all you do will ensure your horse is confident and happy in his training, both now and later.

In this group of lessons, Part 3, your horse will really begin to look like a ‘riding horse’. You will introduce the saddle and side reins; both building up to actually having a rider on his back next week.

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Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 4

Getting on your horses back for the first time is a moment many riders dream about. However, when it is your horses first time to also have a rider on his back, there are quite a few considerations and factors to keep in mind. We want this to be a relaxed and ‘good’ experience for your horse and so, again, making sure he is ready for this potentially life changing event is vitally important.

In this group of lessons, Part 4, you will eventually get to experience the view from your horses back. We will take this slow and steady, so your horse can work things out for himself both mentally and physically. It is easy to forget that your horse, regardless of how balanced he is on is own, will have to learn how to move in a balanced way with you on his back.

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Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 5

After working consistently with your horse for the past five weeks, you can finally begin to turn your attention to ‘riding away’.  This simply means taking the training wheels off and beginning to hand over the controls to the rider (on his back) rather than the person on the ground (the person lunging).  This transition is an important one and both the rider and the person on the ground must be in agreement on how they will proceed from this point forward.

In this group of lessons, Part 5, you will begin to direct your horse from the saddle, rather than from the ground.  The rider will start the week as a ‘passenger’, however we will end this week with just horse and rider working together from here on out.

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Starting a Green / Young Horse – Part 6

Now that your horse is backed, it sometimes feels a little overwhelming knowing what to do next in his training. Many riders worry that they will ‘ruin’ their horse by doing the wrong thing, however doing nothing often has a more negative long term affect on your horse.

In this group of lessons, Part 6, we are discussing where you can go from here. From the first piece of real work such as transitions, to dealing with ‘temper tantrums’ that might show up, the fact of the matter is that you need a plan moving forward. What that plan is will depend on you and your horse…

Happy Riding

Join Daily Strides Premium today and download the whole series – step by step instructions in the form of daily audio programs you can listen to while working with your horse.

This full series of audio programs will take you step by step, day by day, on the journey of starting your horse, from the initial handling and groundwork, through to riding him away, under the saddle.

With 5 audio tracks each week, literally giving you a full program to backing your horse, this will give you the confidence to approach this subject in a way that will set both you and your horse up for success.

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Starting a Young or Green Horse Series | Strides for Success