What would you do with a 2 year old?

[Emilymeg]

Purely curious here, posting this on various forums, and will be interesting to see responses.


I guess, it depends on how much handling the horse has had at the beginning as well.

Would you get them used to tack? Bit them? Longline? Walk out in hand?

Or nothing?


Looking forwards to all your replies

[DollysMum]

My 2 year old's been bitted, worn a saddle, wore rugs all last winter (cause he's a poof!), been led out "hacking" alone and in company, done groundwork in the school including jumping small jumps in hand a few times, been bathed, plaited and taken to shows. I've short reined him (holding the reins above his withers rather than being behind him) but not long reined (could do with someone at his head the first few times). I expect the same manners and obedience from him as I do my older pony but try and keep his sessions short and sweet.

[ChrissieW]

Haven't a clue what the correct answer is, but what I do/have done with my 2 year old, who I got at 18 months old with minimal handling is :

- Taught basic leading/space manners
- grooming/foot handling
- loading
- leading with another horse
- bitted but not worked in bridle yet
- stands at mounting block with no one else holding her and lets me stand on block and pat her all over quite happily
- hose pipe/bathing
- rugs
- learnt to be left on her own in field or stable quite happily
- has jumped a very small cross pole in hand (once) and done trotting poles and attempted plastic, but I must admit to not doing this recently and its something I maybe ought to work more at - ie obstacles/spook busting and its not work I would do a lot of.
- I do take her in the school fairly often whilst others are working/jumping/cantering etc around her, just to stand, so she gets used to that.
- would have done showing this year if she hadn't decided to get an allergic reaction and go bald on her head and neck!! 
- in hand leading out, on her own, although now we are going a bit further afield, I plan to go with another horse to give her a bit of emotional support.

Since Daisy does all the above fine, nowadays I just mainly bring her in to groom 2-4 times a week and walk her out in hand once or twice.    Trying to progress this to further afield, but time restricts me with bringing Minnie back from her injury this year.

She's also learnt/learing ride and lead, but I don't plan on doing this extensively till next year.     My plans for the winter till she is 3 are to carry on the walks and basic ground work stuff in the school, get her used to various bits of equipment, boots etc over the winter, some trips in lorry to see friends ready for the showing season next year.

For me I don't see any need to teach her to long rein/lunge or have proper tack etc on till next year when she is 3.      I will then spend next summer doing all that, long rein her out, carry on in hand walking her out and ride and lead and then probably back this time next year if she is ready, turn away and bring back for proper work as a 4 year old.    If she's not ready, I'll leave it till the following spring when she is rising 4.

For me the most important thing is the in hand hacking, which she does in a rope halter, not bitted, as I believe that it helps strengthen feet/legs for future work, plus gets her out seeing a bit of the world and traffic etc.     I'm not one that agrees in keeping youngsters in a field till they are brought in to do proper work at 3/4 and straight into a soft school - we wouldn't do that with an older horse who had time off, so I don't understand doing it with a youngster.

Daisy will continue with the little walking hacks, gradually making them longer next year till she can go out on proper hacks with the others in hand or ride/lead to make sure that when she is introduced to school work prior to backing her tendons and ligaments are up to the job.      Plus I've seen a fair few late broken youngsters who spent all their previous years out with herds on grass with the MOST atrociously flat and rubbish feet!

I am lucky where I keep her though in that I have access to safe riding routes with no proper roadwork, just local traffic which is ideal for her education.     Not sure I'd be brave enough to do it if I had to tackle proper roads!!

[catkin]

basically manners;

leading properly, foot handling, being groomed everywhere, rugs and equipment, baths, having to stand in on their own for short periods, etc etc

also de-spooking (i used to take the welsh princess with me if I was pegging out washing or putting out the bins!) and out for walks on quiet lanes and paths to see the world.

oh - and lots and lots of time to be a horse and grow up, turned out in preferably mixed-age company.

what happens as they get on to 3 and 4  years depends upon the mental and physical maturity of the horse.

[Emilymeg]

I lied, this is completely not 'just curious'. 

I am getting Abbie (Megs foal) back she has just turned 2 now. Hopefully collecting her on Sat!

Interesting replies so thank you, nice to compare to what I had in my head.

[ash]

Wow this is interesting!

Faith is doing basic manners and handling, and we are starting gentle flexing and yielding stuff to help her start to become more bodily aware.

I'm afraid I find the idea of bitting, in hand hacking, jumping etc., with a two year old a little bit shocking.  The concussion alone on young immature joints is asking for trouble IMO.  Sorry guys.  

Obviously my tree hugging tendencies coming out there. 

[siskin]

I did most of those things, including walks on and off road.

I'm not saying I'm right at all, but I really didn't think concussion would be a problem unless trotting forever which I couldn't keep up with anyway, I was more concerned about not moving enough to develop strong bones, tendons, good shock absorbing structures etc... Keeping my adults semi-feral on the hill a while back made me appreciate how much they move if good food isn't under their snozzles, over varied terrain, including hopping over ditches and bogs, and what couch potatoes they are otherwise. Surely this is in line with what they've evolved to do, though of course they wouldn't have lived so long to develop joint problems...

Don't want to sidetrack the conversation, but really want to know if there's more I should be considering on this...

He tried a bit in once, because he was curious. He liked it, but he's not allowed, so it'll be his way of rebelling, like smoking... "Freckles, have you been wearing Sky's bit again...!"

[ash]

Moving around on varied and natural terrain is excellent.  Lots of moving about on tarmac roads is not great for immature joints, nor is the concussion and camber great for backs either.

If you live somewhere, like the New Forest for example, where you are walking out on natural surfaces etc. then that is absolutely great.  It's roadwork I would be really worried about with such a young horse.

The couch potato look is definately, definately not good for young'uns, totally with you there.

Maybe I've just led a sheltered life, but I've never heard of doing all this with a two year old.  Three and upwards absolutely, but never, ever heard of it with a two year old, and we used to have plenty of youngsters staying with us when we lived in Cornwall, most of whom belonged to endurance riders, and hunting folk.

[siskin]

What would you consider lots? I have no idea of distances but do people walk about 2.5mph, or did i invent that?

[MagsnDan]

I dont like to have seen them do to much. Basically handling and good manners and maybe a small amount of introducing them to the odd spooky item. One of my pet hates is over handled babys. I HATE starting them when they have been over handled

[ash]

What would you consider lots? I have no idea of distances but do people walk about 2.5mph, or did i invent that?

For me, and this is just totally my opinion, any roadwork is too much (unless they have to get to a field or something).

I just really don't get it, why would you? They are babies for such a very, very short time.  Speaking personally, I just believe it is absolutely unnecessary, and symptomatic of society's desire to rush horses into work.  There is nothing that has been mentioned here that can't just as well wait until the horse is older, and better developed physically and mentally.

I really don't mean to offend anyone by that, it is just purely how I feel personally.  Let babies be babies while they can.

[siskin]

Where the spotty one lived before was well off the beaten track and realising when the fences weren't always on he would take any opportunity to leave the rest of the herd and wander off short distances, but entirely out of sight, along the forestry tracks. It wasn't at all ideal, and I'm not suggesting for a moment it was, that he should be able to do that, but his sense of adventure and independence appealed to me.

Maybe its the term roadwork, or indeed any work, but that surely doesn't describe the parts of our outings that were on the 1/4 mile tarmac drive, or other investigative strolls.

I feel I'd have not been letting him be the curious youngster he was if I hadn't taken him out to explore. Every baby is bound to be different, but his emotional development seemed eager for stimulation. After our first few outings he would go to the bottom gate when he saw me and hope I would be coming that way to take him out. I never bribed him to do so, and I would never go get him if he didn't volunteer when he saw the headcollar in my hand.

I don't think he has an abnormally boring life, 3 companions and lots of horsing around with them, he just appears to have a taste for adventure.

He has never looked back, called for, or hurried home to his companions. Often he suggests with a point of his nose that we cold make a detour to visit the goats (an obsession along with sheep) on our return journey, so I don't think he sees it as work either!

I'm sure we're well behind in conventional schedules but I'm very happy, we're in no hurry. I am going further afield now he's three and that includes roads, I really hope I'm not making a mistake but doing my best with the information i have.

I'm certainly not offended Ash, I like to hear what you have to say.

[ChrissieW]

Completey agree with you Siskin.   

Ash I think your idea of "hacking" is different from mine.    My "hacks" with Daisy comprise one or twice maybe every week or most likely 2 weeks a gentle stroll down the drive and along the "road" which consists of a very quiet dead end lane, but lots to see and experience - taking all of 10 mins max at an amble!!!

Horses by their very nature are designed to move miles and miles from birth, what do we do, stick them in sedentary fields for 3 years.     A lot of youngsters that I have known have this start to life and not been out of a field on different surfaces have ended up with joint or foot issues, maybe a coincidence, I don't know.

I think there is a middle ground there.     I don't think anyone (well I'm not!) is talking about miles of treking out on roads with a 2 year old!     

However, I do know one very high profile farrier who blames a lot of the foot problems he sees later in life on the fact that as youngsters the horses are kept on soft grass fields and then expected later in life to be a 4WD over any ground!

Daisy certainly isn't being concussed to death I don't believe, she absolutely adores her little walks, which will not be getting any longer this year, but will as a 3 year old - I'd rather have her "hacking" out in hand and ride and lead then either a) backed and ridden out or b) in a field doing nothing.

Unfortunately I don't have (and don't know many people that do in this country!) acres and acres of varied terrain for her field with many different field members to recreate a natural herd and natural movement, so I think personally it is a good idea to try to recreate just a small part of that.

I also believe, but cannot remember where I read it, that there is some recent research that suggests small regular amounts of low impact exercise on a hard surface is actually very beneficial in creating tough joints/tendons etc, but I could be completely wrong.

[winnieandben]

Well my young horse (now 4 1/2) went out for in hand walks as a 2 year old learnt to long rein (talking about getting used to the ropes and 5 to 10 min session of walk halt left right), just the very basics and very gentle sessions prob did it about 4 or 5 times total at 2.  She also went out to a few in hand shows, from 1 year old so learnt to get bathed, stand to be plaited etc.  Apart from trotting up at shows all work was done in walk and always kept light.
At 3 she learnt to lunge / long rein properly was backed and very lightly hacked out and then turned away til rising 4 and then taught classical in hand work.  Then again left until the spring, re backed and did a little schooling and hacking and is now just mostly hacking out.

Next spring when she is 5 we will start a bit more serious schooling and a bit of jumping and some shows again.

At the moment we mostly walk do some trotting but still no canter as she is not quite balanced enough at times.


My personal opinion is that it is good for them to walk out in hand gently as babies and I feel it helps strengthen them up.  I may well be wrong but it has worked for my horse.

[ash]

I think you are right Chrissie in that horses in general are exposed less and less to varied terrain, mostly I think because people are hacking less and less, possibly because of increased traffic on the roads, or perhaps because of time pressures.

I absolutely agree that exposure to varied terrain makes a positive contribution to a horse's physical development.  It also helps develop their sense of balance, and encourages them to think about where they put their feet, and produces that all important 'fifth leg' that can come in very handy!

However I think taking a 2 year old out on tarmac in a ride and lead situation for example, or longlining them etc. is just a little too 'forced' for my liking.  This is a far cry from a pootle down the drive and along the lane for ten minutes.  Similarly longlining again, I can't help thinking is asking for a bit too much 'structure' from a 2 yo.  I really think it would be fine to wait until they are three or so to do this kind of stuff.

I guess I am lucky in that I have  PP track that has undulations, stony bits, rough bits etc., and that part of it runs by a busy road, so yes, I am spoiled.

Anyway, I didn't mean to clamber up on my soapbox so quickly folks.  Soz.