How Much Does Your Yearling Do??

[minishowgirl]

Ive been working on showmanship and obstacle with my yearling mini. Shes doing really good and doesnt seem confused at all. Is this too much for a yearling?? Ive been teaching her to walk, trot, square up, pivot, walk over poles, go over the bridge, and good old spook training. What do you teach your yearlings??

 

[disneyhorse]

Because horses are precocial species, they can learn things within minutes of being born, unlike humans. They really shouldn't ever be treated like "babies" although they will require lots of patience and an understanding they aren't physically mature enough to handle weight on their back or lots of small circling such as lunging.

What you are doing sounds appropriate, and its good to challenge their brains and give them a job!

 

[minishowgirl]

Thank you. Shes a fast learner too!!

 

[shalakominiatureshowhorses]

Mines a 2 yr old now, and when he was a yearling i put a harness and a bridle on (without the check) and did ground work in that. I put long lines on like 6 months later. Now, we are almost ready to pull a cart behind him! I could never get him to do the trail things your doing, so congrats haha. I also did and still do horsmanship excersises (halterless, no lead) with Devil when he was a yearling and we run around the pasture and play with a yoga ball! Its lots of fun if you like running or want to get in shape haha, helps me during track season

 

[targetsmom]

We don't have any yearlings at the moment, but we have a 2 year old that is ground driving well that we hope to hook this fall and then leave until spring. We also have 3 foals about to be weaned (4 months old) that we have been taking over the obstacles in our back yard and one (Bunny, in avatar) is almost a pro already, while the other two are more challenging in opposite ways! No two will be the same. I hope to be able to show Bunny in trail next year as a yearling. I did it with our now 8 year old mare Princess and it gave her a head start on her Pinto Championship which she earned as a two year old. I would do showmanship with her, but more likely I will be doing that with the now 2-year old. I would be a bit careful not to over-do the pivots, and I would let your mini tell you what they can handle. If they seem confused abut what you are asking (rear, get frustrated, etc) then I would do something else. Sounds like you are off to a great start with your yearling!

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Yep I teach my yearlings to do all that. I even teach them to lounge. No I don't do it to the point it hurts them but it doesn't hurt to teach them in moderation. The best time to teach a horse is when they are young and they haven't learned bad habits. The older they get untrained or unhandeled the harder it is.

 

[Matt73]

You really should not longe a yearling at all; it's horrible for their joints. You don't have to "hurt" them to,be doing damage; it may show up years later as arthritis etc.

 

[minishowgirl]

She loves to pivot never gets grustrated because I praise for the effort. When they are that young I praise them for the slightest attampt to do what I want. I am going to put a harness on her once show seasons over. Ill hold off on teaching her to lounge though. Thanks everyone glad to hear about what you do with your yearlings!