Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Untrained 8 1/2 year old

From: Elizabeth

Jessica, thanks so much for your wisdom. I never get to read my magazines, but I love scrolling thru your questions and answers and reading your suggestions. I appreciate that previously you answered a question i asked about a 28 year old gelding who was having trailering problems. Unfortunately, the horse died very suddenly and unexpectedly, before I was able to get my 4-horse back on the road and trailer him any where. Which brings me to the current question.

I have a gelding who will be 9 on 9/16 of this year. I bred the mare and have had him since he was born. He has never been boarded anywhere and has had daily contact with individuals, primarily me. however, for various reasons, primarily that my riding time has been extremely limited and when I did have time, i chose to ride/work with the above mentioned older gelding, or ride my children on an older mare (the dam of this young gelding) he has never been trained. Well, now it is his turn. I need him to be my riding horse and need to get on with his training this spring. I am concerned of course that he is almost 9 years, but has never been asked to do anything other than stand for the farrier or vet, worked on a lead line, and trailered a couple of times a year when moving from one pasture to another. Only on a rare occasion has he even been left in a pasture alone, while his two buddies were taken for rides.

His sire was full Arab; dam is 1/2 Quarter and 1/2 app. he exhibits a great personality, being slightly flaky at sudden noises and when it is windy. Do you have any particular words of advice when I begin his training. I have taken great comfort in what one trainer told me - she would rather work with a horse like that who had had no bad experiences, rather than retrain one who had had bad experiences. I would like to do the training myself, but my training experience is very limited too. Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated. I know this is a pretty wide open question, but even advising on a starting point will really be appreciated. Thank you so much.

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth! I'm sorrry to hear about your old gelding. As for training your younger one, this sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Yes, of course it's possible to train a horse of this age, and it happens more often than you realize, for reasons much like those you mentioned. It also happens for other reasons -- deliberate planning, for instance. I've known more than a few old cow-hands who were responsible for training horses at large working ranches, and who were convinced that once a horse had learned his basic manners -- how to lead, stand, etc., and how to accept the weight of a rider -- that horse should be turned back out until he was old enough to do "real" work, and they generally agreed that eight or nine was the right age to come in and start work. And interestingly enough, all of these men just took it for granted that a good ranch horse should go on being a good ranch horse into its late twenties.

I'm in complete agreement with the trainer who told you she'd rather deal with a mature horse that has NO "baggage". There are distinct advantages to this. You'll need help, though, just as you would need help to train any horse. Can you get help from this particular trainer? That would be my first suggestion.

With this horse's breeding, he's bound to be intelligent and very aware of everything that goes on around him. Sudden noises and windy days make all horses nervous -- not just your untrained horse, but all horses. It's horse nature, and it's not something you're going to change. Just be aware of it, and realize that the sound of a car backfiring or a sudden rustle in a cornfield will cause your horse to startle. Windy days are not days for intense training or for the introduction of any new concept or skill -- if, on a windy day, a horse can keep most of its attention on you and do the things it knows how to do, you've done very well.

You'll need to start this horse the way you would any other, so no matter who helps you, remember that training is a matter of understanding, communication, gradual physical conditioning, and skills acquisition. In other words, let your horse learn step by step, just as all horses need to do -- don't tie yourself to a schedule, and don't ever assume that because he is a certain age he "should know X" or "should be able to do Y". Let him acquire his skills in order, and build on his understanding. Teaching horses is very much like teaching children -- in both cases, you need to focus on skills acquisition, NOT on meeting the demands of an arbitrary timetable.

Don't be afraid to give him time off, and don't be afraid to take things slowly. I know you're probably in a bit of a hurry, but remember that if you train correctly and well (which means SLOWLY, giving the horse a chance to learn and benefit from and build on each lesson), you won't have to RE-train. If you rush the horse, you or someone else WILL have to re-train him later... again, I suggest that you get help from the instructor you mentioned, who obviously understands this. It's a vitally important concept, and one that not all trainers understand, so do your best to get this one to help you. A trainer with a good understanding of horses and humans, and a good attitude toward teaching and learning, can make all the difference in the world to your horse's progress. Your job will be to learn everything you can, do your homework, and always remember that this is supposed to be FUN for the horse and for you. ;-)

And one more thing -- don't forget that this horse hasn't been ridden, and it will take him time to develop his muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. He's "walking around the field fit", which isn't at all the same thing as "riding horse fit". Muscles can develop in a few months; support structures take much longer, bones take at least a year. Take your time, keep him (and you) enjoying the entire process, and let me know how it goes.

Jessica

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