Oh, beauty! I don't know much about training horses. How old are they when you begin to ride them? How do you work with her in the meantime, on a line? in a corral?
And are those beautiful pastures yours? Do you seed them?
Although she looks quite big and strong (and is), it will be another year before her spine and spinal muscles are fully developed. Some people begin training and riding before that happens (especially for race horses), but it is better for the horse to wait until they are three or so to begin riding them. I will begin training her under a practice saddle (without my additional weight) this year.
You can train with a corral, but I just use a lunge line. The Apache just used to walk out amongst the horses, which is also a good practice (as long as you remember to bring a rope or whip to make sure they understand about being respectful of your personal space -- a horse of 800 to 1,400 pounds needs to be very respectful of your space).
The pastures are mine. We seeded them when we first got here, including with a small amount of clover (not too much, as rich foods are dangerous to horses); but mostly we spread any hay that gets wet or moldy out on the ground. The horses won't generally eat wet hay, but it contains seeds which sprout, and the hay itself helps protect the seeds while they are growing.
Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteOh, beauty! I don't know much about training horses. How old are they when you begin to ride them? How do you work with her in the meantime, on a line? in a corral?
ReplyDeleteAnd are those beautiful pastures yours? Do you seed them?
Grim, she is absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteA lovely young lady indeed!
ReplyDeleteLittleRed1
Thank you, all.
ReplyDeleteT99,
Although she looks quite big and strong (and is), it will be another year before her spine and spinal muscles are fully developed. Some people begin training and riding before that happens (especially for race horses), but it is better for the horse to wait until they are three or so to begin riding them. I will begin training her under a practice saddle (without my additional weight) this year.
You can train with a corral, but I just use a lunge line. The Apache just used to walk out amongst the horses, which is also a good practice (as long as you remember to bring a rope or whip to make sure they understand about being respectful of your personal space -- a horse of 800 to 1,400 pounds needs to be very respectful of your space).
The pastures are mine. We seeded them when we first got here, including with a small amount of clover (not too much, as rich foods are dangerous to horses); but mostly we spread any hay that gets wet or moldy out on the ground. The horses won't generally eat wet hay, but it contains seeds which sprout, and the hay itself helps protect the seeds while they are growing.