Franklin Levinson's
Horse Help Center
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Training a 17 mo. old colt
Hi Franklin:
We have a 17 mo old appaloosa gelding. We have owned him since he is 6 mos. He is very
sweet and willing to learn. We already have him halter broke and his manners are pretty
good for a baby. My daughter has sat on him without a saddle and recently put a saddle
on him and trotted him a little. I feel he is too young for this much work and that she
should do ground work and round pen work with him first. I am afraid she can hurt his
legs by riding him too soon. Please help me to help her to understand the process for
training a colt.
Sincerely, Terre
Hi Terre,
I agree with you completely. A 17 month old horse is much too young for anything other
than regular, short periods of ground schooling. One hour or so a day is fine for light
handling, some lungeing, a lot of 'sacking out' (which is getting the horse exposed to
potentially scary things like tarps, slickers, noises, plastic bags, things waving and
flapping around it, ropes around it's legs and just about anything else you can think
of. Do you understand this process as it is very important and so very neglected much
of the time. It is fun and easy to do and will give you a better understanding of the
nature and psychology of horses. Your daughter, perhaps, needs to understand and learn
that there is so much more to a horse than a human riding it. There is a world of the
horse that has nothing to do with humans and this is the natural world of the horse
that contains the real 'goodies' of being with horses. Riding the horse should be the
icing on the cake of any relationship with a horse. It is actually relatively easy to
get a saddle on horse for the first time. Try getting the horse used to an 10x12 foot
tarp flapping and waving in the wind. Then get so you can drape the tarp over the horse
in the wind. Then get the horse to walk over the tarp and then to stand on the tarp
patiently. This is a greater challenge than getting on the horse. Through doing the
sacking out process a lot for the next 3-4 months, you and your daughter will come to
really have a relationship with this horse that is built on trust and respect. If you
have an arena, paddock or round pen you could be doing some 'at liberty' training as
well. This is a ton of fun. You could also do some very elementary trick traing too.
There is so much you could be doing that does not involve riding the horse.
Generally, I start a horse (first few rides) as a two-year-old. I will do extensive
sacking out and at liberty play (notice I say "play" rather than "work" as playing has
a different feel than working). The actions may actually be the same and exercise
happens during both. But I rather play than work as the mind set is different. I may
gently ride the horse once a week lightly (perhaps just a little trotting) and that
all. At three the horse is generally ready for some real miles. Perhaps getting some
good education about horses would help you and your daughter understand more about
them. The purchase of a training DVD or two is the most cost effective and efficient
way to gain the knowledge adb education about horses you could use. It will show you
training methods it would take you years to get. There are many good DVD's in the backs
of all horse magazines. I hav several described within the shopping corral of my website
that would be very helpeful to you. No matter whose DVD's you get, get several and
watch them. You cannot begin to understand how valuable that knowledge is now. Once you
view the DVD's you will thank me forever and so will our horse. You simply cannot get
enough education and get it fast enough. Simple solution, huh? I remain available to
respond to specific questions and assisit in you in any way you like. Please help your
daughter to realize there is so much more to horses than humans riding them. Thanks for
your email and I hope you all have a terrific Holiday Season.
Sincerely, Franklin