Bringing on a young horse can be such an exciting and rewarding task. You will be helping a physically and mentally immature animal to learn its job and what is expected of it in different situations. Both Amy and Tommy, our co-founders and managers here at Thorpe Farm, have worked with breakers and young horses destined for racing, eventing, showjumping and other disciplines and they have a lot of experience. It’s easy to think that after a horse is broken to ride then its education is about moving it up the levels. But of course, there are lots of other things that a horse gets used to, before and after it’s broken in. Vet and farrier visits start very early, but what about therapeutic tools such as physio and water treadmill sessions? Hacking out and even using the gallops need to be introduced in the right way so that the horse is happy and confident, with a clear understanding of what is being asked of it.
Here are some of Amy and Tommy’s top tips for introducing a young horse to the gallops, the water treadmill and its first hack, which we hope you’ll find useful. Remember that with any training for young horses you need to keep the sessions short, reward them when they get it right and be patient with them. They don’t ‘speak human’ as well as an older horse and they will sometimes get it wrong.
Introducing a young horse to the water treadmill
We introduce horses to the water treadmill at any age from two years upwards, with the amount of work they do depending on their fitness levels and developmental stage. We even have some owners who bring their young horses for a few gentle sessions before they start breaking them in to help them cope with the physical demands of carrying a rider for the first time. Here’s how we introduce a horse to the water treadmill to make sure it’s a safe and fun experience for them:
We first walk the horse around and through the treadmill, praising it and letting it have a good sniff and look at it. Then, we shut the doors and turn on the treadmill but without water, so that it learns to cope with the movement and how to regulate stride length depending on the speed of the belt. Once the horse is happy with this, we add water to a maximum of fetlock depth so that the horse gets used to the feeling and the noise of it. A young and unfit horse wouldn’t be asked to walk on the treadmill with very deep water while it builds up basic muscle strength.
How to hack out a young horse for the first time
You might associate hacking with longer riders, maybe taking in a pub, and cantering along bridleway but for a young horse, it’s going to be overwhelming. We aim for a 10-minute ride on a quiet lane or track and have the youngster walk on the inside of a steady lead horse. Once they are confident, which could be after one session or several depending on the youngster, ask them to lead. Then you can try a hack on their own when they are ready, recruiting an on-foot volunteer if needed for support. It’s better to start more cautiously and build confidence up slowly than to scare them which could mean they develop a napping or spinning habit!
Taking a young horse on the gallops
The idea of taking a young horse on the gallops might sound a little bit bonkers, but here’s why it’s a good plan. The gallops are a safe way to introduce young horses to open spaces, with perfect footing and running rails, so here’s how we go about taking them up the gallops for the first time. You don’t want your young horse to get over excited, especially when their brakes haven’t been fully tested, so remember it’s perfectly OK to walk and trot up them to start with, introducing collected canter when it’s safe. Use a lead horse who is totally steady and will listen to their rider, even if the youngster gets strong or moves ahead of them. One key challenge for a young horse is learning to go forwards under saddle and that’s hard to do in the school. Their balance will be challenged when they go around the corners and the rider’s weight will shift as well, and a young horse often doesn’t have the core strength to stay collected. On the gallops a horse can learn to go forwards and carry themselves properly while slowly building up core strength and fitness.