Why are so MANY people interested in schooling a YOUNG horse?
Most often it is because it is difficult nowadays to find a well-trained horse that is sound and on the market. That is why many riders, especially those searching for quality, consider purchasing younger horses even if they lack the experience to train a youngster.
Finding a suitable trainer with the knowledge and patience to train both the horse and rider is the next difficulty. Unfortunately the subject of teaching young horses carries very little weight in the exams for trainers, at amateur and professional levels alike. Apart from those specialising in the preparation of young horses for sales or Young Horse Championships there are only a few riders working in this field.
Without a suitable trainer the new owner or rider of a young horse will discover very quickly that teaching a youngster is not easy. It is a very complex subject requiring profound knowledge, special abilities and ideally some experience as well.
The basic teaching of a young horse is much more than training it to walk, trot or canter.
Training means building the foundations that enable the horse to carry a rider, physically as well as mentally. The horse must be trained well enough to be able to move freely and without any tension – as if there was no weight on its back. This calls for building suitable constitution and condition. Only systematic training will develop the body. A young horse that has been given solid and well-rounded education will last a lot longer. A young horse not given this opportunity could easily be ruined at a young age by being asked too much and the wrong questions.
In Europe only a few people are lucky enough to grow up with horses, either because their parents ride or because they come from a farming background. Most riders there arrive in their horse haven via a riding school or pony club. In Europe they learn with school horses.
But wherever you live in the world, one day the big moment arrives and buying your own horse seems possible.
While preferences vary as far as colour, height, talent and character of the new family member are concerned, most buyers want the same: a horse, five to eight years old, with a solid and well rounded education.
Very quickly it becomes evident those horses are very rare and even if they are available they often fall into the too-expensive category. Therefore the horses within the budget are younger and suddenly the buyer finds himself with a four or even three-year-old.
Once home, it may turn out that the rider’s knowledge, acquired with school horses, might not be enough for training a youngster.
The trainer of a young horse needs to spot the motive behind every action immediately. That applies to the handling of the horse as well as to riding.
Harmony – the main objective
Only a small percentage of riders grow up with horses or come from a rural background. Love of nature and animals are the main attractions that draw people towards horses. Harmony is their desire – a harmony in relationship as well as in motion. To achieve this it is necessary to train and teach the horse and to work on his shortcomings and weaknesses.
Susanne Miesner
