Posts Tagged ‘untrained horses’

Trained versus Untrained Horses

For most people (e.g. excluding large breeders, horse dealers and such), it is usually best that you purchase a horse which is already trained to the level you will be using the horse at. If you will be using the horse for basic riding it should be trained to this level pre-purchase; if you are using it for advanced riding then you should buy a horse that is trained to the advanced level. If you are using it for show jumping, it should already be trained for show jumping.

Of course, one can purchase an untrained horse or a partly trained horse. Such a horse will be less expensive to buy. Also, you can instruct a trainer on exactly how you want the horse trained, and you can have the experience and pleasure of participating in this. However, against these advantages, there are a number of disadvantages:

Training Costs. The cost of training will be in addition to the cost of the horse. To begin with, there are the costs of the trainer. In some cases the trainer will come to you but if not, you will need to transport the horse to the trainer or stable the horse with the trainer, either of which will be additional costs. Due to individual differences, it can be difficult to state precisely how much it will cost to train a horse, but such costs are frequently (one could even say ‘usually’) under-estimated. It is often the case that when one adds in all the final costs of training, it would have been less expensive to have purchased an already trained horse.

Accidents. Occasionally there are accidents during training, even with good trainers, especially during early training when the horse is less predictable. Even in the case of minor accidents, there may be vet costs.

Mis-Training. Trainers vary both in terms of approach and in quality. Furthermore, in order to secure the training contract at an economical level, trainers may rush the training or under-estimate the amount required. If this occurs, at best you end up with an incompletely trained horse and at worse a horse which has been mis-trained, resulting in undesirable behaviors.

Feel. Two horses, trained in exactly the same way, will provide a different riding experience due to individual differences. Horses differ due to breed, build, training and individual genetics. Consequently, how comfortable you will be riding a horse is more predictable with an already trained horse than with an untrained one.

Health Examination. A trained horse is easier to evaluate for injuries or other defects as one can ride it and one can watch it carefully while being ridden in each gait. Although one can examine an untrained horse, the examination by necessity is less complete.

Because of these factors, buying an already trained horse is often less expensive, less risky and less stressful than buying an untrained or partly trained horse and then having it trained up.

You should not try to train a horse yourself, unless you are a professional horse trainer or working under the complete supervision of a professional horse trainer. When non-professionals train horses, the horse will almost certainly pick up bad habits and behaviors (which are very time consuming and expensive to correct), as well as the risk of accidental injury to the novice trainer.

You should also be wary of buying a partly trained horse based on the seller’s commitment to fully train it. Having made the sale, many sellers will rush the training and cut corners, in order to minimize their costs and receive payment as soon as possible. One should only make a purchase commitment when the horse is fully trained and you have ridden it to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the result.

Doug Stewart is the owner of Horses for Sale and a professional horse breeder.

Author: Doug M Stewart
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff

In this series of articles I will explain how to take a young/ untrained horse and safely teach it to lead. This will help to deepen your relationship, and the level of communication with your horse. Each article will have a systematic approach that will be both easy to understand, and to teach your horse. I will break down each baby step and teach you how to teach your horse each lesson. There will be examples in the training phase that has corrections and also what responses to watch for in your horse. My hope is that this will “demystify” some of the concepts in working with young/ untrained horses.

This article is written on the assumption that you have already taught your horse to accept a halter. It is also based on the assumption that you have handled a young or untrained horse before. If you are NOT comfortable in handling a young or untrained horse please consult with a professional trainer.

Part 1: Overview of Equipment

First of all you are going to need several items in order to make this safe for both you and your horse:

1. A halter that is in good condition and is correctly fit to your horse.

2. A sturdy lead rope that is also in good condition.

3. A dressage whip

4. A riding helmet that is ASTM/ SEI certified

5. An indoor or outdoor arena (not a round pen, you need a “flat” wall)

6. Gloves (optional, but good protection for your hands)

First of all, the equipment should fit your horse correctly. To make sure that we are on the same page I will explain how to correctly fit a halter to your horse. It should be on tight enough that the throatlatch (the piece that lies underneath the horses throat) is not more than couple of inches from the jowls. You want enough space for a couple of fingers to fit between the throatlatch and the throat. When the halter is on you also need to have room to fit two or three fingers underneath the noseband and below the cheekbone. The halter should lie no more than an inch below the cheekbone. See figure 1 for horse halter anatomy.

Figure 1 Labeled Halter

Remember, the halter needs to be correctly fit to your horse so that is does not slip off or twist around on your horses face. If the halter twists around on your horses face it can cause discomfort, and make training much more difficult.

A sturdy lead rope is another piece of necessary equipment. Soft cotton lead ropes with a brass bolt snap are very sturdy and easy to attach or remove from the halter. It is also fairly “soft” on your hands and does not cause you to get rope burn if you chose not to use gloves.

The next piece of equipment is a dressage whip. The reason for a dressage whip is they are a good length (39″ to 43″) to use easily and quietly during training. The whip becomes an extension of your arm and creates a shape or position that the horse understands. It is not used to punish a horse but rather to reinforce the commands given.

An ASTM/ SEI certified helmet is the next piece of equipment that is needed, especially when working with young or untrained horses. I have a strict helmet policy for all of my students. My philosophy is you can never be too careful when working with an animal that can weigh around 1000 pounds.

The final piece of equipment is the arena. I recommend using a flat wall arena and not a round pen for teaching a horse to lead. Using a flat wall helps to keep the horses body straight. Using a round pen will tend to angle the horse’s haunches towards you, which can make it difficult to stay out of the “kicking zone”. If the horse’s haunches can easily reach you then you increase your chances of being kicked.

The main reason for using an arena is you will a have a full corridor of aids. The outside wall will actively work as another you on the other side keeping your horse straight. (During riding the outside wall works as your outside seat bone, outside leg, and outside rein.) These aids help to communicate a particular “shape” you want the horse to follow. The wall will keep your horse from turning his haunches away from you and will not add the extra confusion of not having outside aids. One last reason for using an arena is if your horse gets away from you then he will not have much of a place to go. This will make it easier to catch your horse and start working with him or her again.

Working with a young or untrained horse can increase the odds of accidents; safety for both the handler and horse must always come first. Next month’s article will focus on the training of your horse, and will go into details that make this safe, simple, and enjoyable

Learn something new every month from Horse Logic. A new article will be featured every month in From the Horses Mouth by: Sara McKiness from Horse Logic.

Author: Sara McKiness
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty tariff