Hi Claire
My youngster is ages 2 and a half, he is 16 hands 2 Croatian Sports horse called Santiago. There are photos of him on my intro thread. I have done alot of training from the ground with him already, desensitisation work, walking under and over plastic sheets, rubbing plastic bags all over him by hand and tieing one to end of lunge whip and waving around on floor in the air and all around him. Tieing plastic bags to flapping stirrups whilst lunging. He accepted the saddle and the bridle and he is very calm to the extent that my 3 year old son has even sat on him and he didnt bat an eyelid.(otherwise wouldn't risk putting son on him!).
I started out teaching him free lunging in a roundpen and then work on lunge and then long reining.
I dont see a problem with a small amount of lunging at this age as long as the ground is good and the sessions are kept short. I break this up also with pole work, making a labyrinth, fan shapes, squares etc. Next mission is to get him to go into horse box!
The reason i have done alot with him already is because the yard where i kept him wouldnt let me turn him out as was stallion and then after gelding for a whole 3 months (
) so i had to work something with him everyday or he would have gone stir crazy!
I dont think there is a dedicated thread for youngsters but there are lots of blogs on here about youngsters so have a good dig around (i wont tell your otherhalf!!
). I am a bit shy to do a blog although it would be very helpful to get opinions and input from the enlightened ones.
Anyway, let me know how you get on with your babe.
