# How long did it take you to break your horse?



## MacabreMikolaj

What is your idea of "broke"? No horse is fully trained in a week and a half. That is nothing to brag about. The average person can have any horse accepting weight in a day, and halfway green broke within a week and a half. To actually TRAIN a horse takes a helluva lot longer then that.

I started training my Paint filly last May when I bought her. That entailed five months of groundwork before I backed her (age being the issue, not her mind). She was walking, jogging, whoaing and turning within a couple days of backing her the first time. It's been four more months of working on her to get her to the point where she is walking, jogging, and cantering with ease, turning lightly, and responding to leg pressure.


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## White Foot

A week of riding and you already rushed into jumping? 0_o


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## ShadowFaxIsMyBaby

I know you people all probably think im just somebody that is lying about this but I ground worked her for three days and she was doing everything I asked her to. I was able to mount her on the 4th day without trouble and she will walk, trot, canter and gallop on command and also will turn with leg pressure. Plus she also backs up for me without any problems. And it wasnt really rushed in, I worked every day with her and started her over ground poles and then up into 1 foot jumps. She will also follow me around the pasture and she obeys my commands. I am in no way abusive and her recent owners who are big time racers at Penn National observed my training with her a little. When I say break a horse i mean be able to mount and ride for an hour without any problems.

The TB has never reared on me, tried to buck me off, bite me or any of the bad vices. So saying that I broke her in a week, is me saying the truth, I may be sixteen but I know my horses. I use pure natural horsemanship and it obviously works. so dont say im rushing my horses into jumping because I am not, I worked her into it. Even after starting her over ground poles, I set up a two foot jump next to a one foot jump and send her around with my mare that jumps four foot and they will jump the jumps together. In no way am i rushing my horse into jumping she gained me trust and does what she is asked.


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## MacabreMikolaj

You were jumping a 3 year old filly?


Nobody is impressed by a bragging 16 year old. You're right, I don't believe you. I've been around horses my entire life, and unless you're the protege of Monty Roberts, I don't believe for a single cotton pickin' second that you took a filly from unridden to behaving like a perfect showhorse within a week and a half. The question is, how much work did she have on her before you got her?

It'll be interesting to see what happens when you brag about your prowess and someone hands you an actually unbroken and untouched horse to "tame and cut a cow with" in a week.


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## ShadowFaxIsMyBaby

im talking about the Thoroughbred. The paint was bought at an auction and I didnt really train her over jumps until after a couple weeks. I show a lot of horse training promise to some people. And the paint was a bucking bronc the first time I tried to mount her. It took me a week to get her used to being mounted and then I discovered she did better with english. She was more trouble than my TB was. I couldnt get her to turn with the bridle, or any of that. The Thoroughbred is who I had the most success with. The paint on the other hand was a little more work. I was able to get a saddle on her within a week and a half and mount her, but she wasnt broken in and trained like I was able to do with my Thoroughbred. And a lot of people that are trainers that have seen me work with horses have seen a lot of promise in me, like the fact that I was able to mount a crazy horse that hadnt been ridden in a 3 months and fought with everybody that rode him in the large arena and I had never even seen him, and i had no problems with him. I may not be Monty but I could be like him one day, with the promise people see in me.

And I thought it was the 7 year old Thoroughbred mare we were talking about, not the supposedly three year old filly.


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## MacabreMikolaj

Y'know, people tend to believe you even LESS when you contradict yourself. You said she was 3, if you trained her to jump in a few weeks, she was STILL three. So you essentially just admitted that you DID jump the filly.

So, you took an already broke to ride TB that had been a broodmare how to be ridden? That's not breaking a horse in the slightest. You re-schooled her - which everyone here has done.

I just don't understand the point of trying to brag and make yourself sound cool. You'd sound a lot cooler if you didn't sound like you were trying to show everyone up with an unrealistic situation in the first place. When someone works that fast with a horse, I don't care WHAT method you're using, it's to fast and the holes ARE there.


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## ShadowFaxIsMyBaby

what i am saying about the Thoroughbred is that she only knew how to gallop right when she came out of a gate and she did better then her old owners thought she would do when I got her. I am not trying to brag, and I knew somebody would think I was. I have been around my horses my whole life and whether I am younger then you are not, I know what I am doing and I know it may seem like I am a sixteen year old with a "bragging" problem, I am not. 

This is why i dont like being around people or talking to people because they just think i am a little liar and know nothing which is the complete opposite. I dont see why i even bothered with joining this site. Everybody is just gonna ignore me like they always do and call me a liar and all of that good stuff. Im better off just disappearing and live my life with my two horses and do what I am meant to do with my life.


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## Void

We "broke" my OTTB in an hour  can I have an award too?


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## kevinshorses

By my count you have been around MAYBE 5 different horses in your vast experience. When I was 16 I rode that many every day and they changed every month or two. I was also a know it all and got on the nerves of my betters as I'm sure everyone that trained horses as a youth did. I was lucky to have people around me that would help knock me down a peg when I was getting too big for my britches. If you keep bragging about your "ability" someone will bring you a horse that really is untouched and then you will learn how much you don't know. I hope it happens before your next thread as I don't think I can take much more of you like this.


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## kiwigirl

ShadowFaxIsMyBaby said:


> Well I got this paint last year and it took me a week and a half to break her. She was three years old and had never been ridden before, and I was succesfully able to train her very quickfully. And I also got a Thorougbred two years off the track in January. She hadn't been ridden in two years and only knew how to run, and It took me about 4 days to break her and then the week after that start her over 1 foot jumps. Her recent owners board her baby right next door and were driving by the week after they gave her to me and saw me cantering around the ring. They stopped and complimented me on it, and further told me that they might send the next mare up to my house for me to train. I say I could make a lot of money from doing that.
> 
> So how long did it take you to break your horse?


 Your talking about jumping the OTTB aren't you, not the paint filly? And as for breaking the TB, you were more kind of reworking her rather than actually breaking in from scratch.

I 'broke in' my mare in two days, that is I had a saddle on her back a bit in her mouth and was riding her forward. I spent a further two weeks in the yard refining backwards, stop, forwards, steering. I am a funny person I have this funny belief that it takes a young horse a while to gain the muscle required to carry a rider correctly. I do not trot my horse for the first three months, just lots of good treks with challenging obstacles like creek crossings, uphills and down. Once I feel that the horse is really becoming balanced I introduce a trot. I have been riding my horse for over a year and am just now really introducing the canter, she is well muscled, fit and she canters beautifully.

So it is over a year and I now feel that my horse is quite broke. She has been ridden on her own, with large groups of people, with a couple of other horses. She has been around misbehaving horses. She has been ridden in traffic, traveled in a float and a truck, been to the beach. She has crossed numerous rivers, slide down very steep hills on her haunches, pushed through slips on a track. She has mustered cattle, and worked them in the yards. She does all of these things confidently with no problems. 

If you have/can do all these things with your horse I consider it broke. If you haven't/can't - it aint!


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## wild_spot

I'm with Kiwigirl - It takes time for a horse to learn to balance themselves under a rider and even more time to build up the muscles to do it safely.

I've been starting a mare and have been riding her for a month or two now - We are only just cantering in short bouts and only riding for 1/2 hour at the most.

How quickly you can get things done is no indication of quality - Striving to do it quickly is when you end up with bad situations.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad

I don't ground work a new prospect, I spend no time preparing the horse. I just saddle and while someone holds climb aboard. Sometimes in as little as 15 minutes from the time the horse arrives and I do ride that horse 2 times every day for a few days until I feel I have a hold of him and then I head out on trail where the real training begins..
Usually we are on trail in 3 or 4 days and he will run trail daily after that for the first 3 or 4 weeks.. I have a pretty good handle on them in a month. Usually better then the people I ride with.
I prefer to run trail ALONE so the horse and I can concentrate on each other and he doesn't relie on another horse.
I usually come close to finishing a horse in 2 years but most of my rides are planed tests, planed experiences and not just aimless riding around. I add a degree of difficulty to each outing.
He will work gates, he will work leads, he will work sidepassing, he will work on stops, turns, backing. He doesn't get away with just simple wandering.
Traffic, constructions sites are a biggy to me.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad

kiwigirl said:


> I do not trot my horse for the first three months, just lots of good treks with challenging obstacles like creek crossings, uphills and down. Once I feel that the horse is really becoming balanced I introduce a trot. I have been riding my horse for over a year and am just now really introducing the canter, she is well muscled, fit and she canters beautifully.
> 
> !


I too am not too quick to canter a new horse. I do trot them after a few weeks, when I feel they have learned to handle my weight better but cantering is something I don't do for a long time. 
I want a horse in really good shape, a chance to leg up before he ever canters. I also feel I want a fully matured horse before he spends hours at the lope. My old guy did nothing but lope but my new guy spends most of his time trotting, long miles but trotting.
I do work leads now for short easy lopes but nothing to wear him down, and certainly not over heavy footing.
I feel trotting is like putting money in the bank and loping is making withdrawals. You better have lots in the account before you start withdrawing.


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## Jacksmama

Hun, don't delete your account. I don't think anyone was calling you a liar. It is possible to "break" a horse in a very short amt of time, but they aren't "trained" IMO. I have apprenticed with a trainer for 4 yrs and I can say from personal experience that it takes a while to "finish" a horse. If you have had that much success in a short time I would say you do have a way with horses and there is a really good foundation to build on there. Its entirely possible that your TB slid right into jumping, they have a natural ability for it. As far as jumping the Paint, I would definitely encourage you to take it very slow with her on the jumps, physically a horse is not equipped to handle big jumps at that age. Doesn't mean she won't and could be really good at it, but her legs just may fall to pieces when she hits 6-7 yrs old if you jump too high too early. 

I hope you don't take this the wrong way. While I will agree that some of the responses you've gotten are a little aggressive, you are also very defensive. I know its hard to take criticism sometimes, believe me I know,lol. But try not to take it so personally.


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## mls

ShadowFaxIsMyBaby said:


> I broke her in a week, is me saying the truth, I may be sixteen but I know my horses. I use pure natural horsemanship


Natural horsemanship and broke do not belong in the same sentence.

I start my horses, then I proceed to train - for the rest of their lives. I will not break them.


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## GottaRide

ShadowFaxIsMyBaby said:


> Ugh I am just gonna get my account deleted. People always treat me like this no matter where I am. I dont see why I bother. I am just gonna live peacefully with my horses.


 
Someone needs to learn a little bit about modesty and humility.


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## Ridehorses99

wild_spot said:


> How quickly you can get things done is no indication of quality - Striving to do it quickly is when you end up with bad situations.


VERY WELL SAID. It's not about how fast you get it done. It's about how correct the training is and does it set the foundation to continue and finish the horse in any discipline. I'm certainly not judging anyone's ability to train a horse, but the original poster's question was asking about how quickly have you broke a horse. IMO, speed of "breaking" a horse is not something that would ever measure a person's ability to train.


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## Seahorseys

I'm sure for others that have been subject to many different horses and have lots of years into the art the time varies, and they are, probably much quicker than I have been so far because of it. In my experience, I bought a horse that was not halter-trained or desensitized to people, she was four, born on the pasture, raised on the pasture. i bought her because I fell in love with her. I know that can be a huge mistake. I thought, hey, I'll read a book, watch some videos, I've ridden for 12 years, I can do it, no problem. BIG MISTAKE! I quickly learned I was way in over my head, even with a seeimngly mild-mannered, level-headed mare. I had to get over myself and seek tons of help from professionals, I went through a period of time when I was honestly scared I would ruin this horse and years down the road she would become some trainer's problem. I've spent so much of my money, and even more of my time trying to stay on top of it...she seems to learn quicker then I do. I bought her in July, have spent 5 months concentrating on groundwork, and just recently she has been considered "green-broke" to ride. A big part of the delay in work has come because of my learning curve and the amount of confidence you need to build in yourself before you take on such a huge task. If she had needed to be re-trained or if I had encountered any big vices in her training, I have come to terms with the fact that I would have needed to re-home her. Right now I just work really closely with a trainer, trying to absorb as much information as I can. i would never hitch my sign up as a trainer unless I had years and years of experience or a long-term apprenticeship with a class A trainer, which I do not. I'm not sure that many people decide one day "Hey, I'd like to be a horse trainer and make lots of $$$" I think your born into it, or it just develops as a result of many years of being exposed to all different types of horses and scenarios.


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## kevinshorses

mls said:


> Natural horsemanship and broke do not belong in the same sentence.


Yes most people that are really into natural horsemanship never have broke horses!


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## Walkamile

mls said:


> Natural horsemanship and broke do not belong in the same sentence.
> 
> I start my horses, then I proceed to train - for the rest of their lives. I will not break them.


Very well said! I don't feel the job of saddle training is ever truely finished. But that's the adventure in it. And like Riosdad, I add new challenges (sometimes they are added for me by circumstances) to continue to build on. 

Walka has been trained using NH and common sense, never pitched a fit over the saddle or bit, but I also don't rush things. Our relationship is to be for a lifetime (his or mine whichever ends first). How fast things are accomplished isn't the goal. How well they are, to me, is.


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## Walkamile

kevinshorses said:


> Yes most people that are really into natural horsemanship never have broke horses!


 
To quote the "Larry the cable guy", "NOw that's funny!" LOL!


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## Alwaysbehind

ShadowFaxIsMyBaby said:


> what i am saying about the Thoroughbred is that she only knew how to gallop right when she came out of a gate ....


Maybe I am reading this wrong. I keep reading it over and over again. Thoroughbreds canter counter clockwise, most people would call that to the left, not to the right.

But maybe that is not what you are trying to say. Not sure. Maybe you mean immediately?

I think the part that has people confused about the 3yo paint is this line



ShadowFaxIsMyBaby said:


> im talking about the Thoroughbred. The paint was bought at an auction and I didnt really train her over jumps until after a couple weeks.


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## Speed Racer

Yep, TBs race to the left, not the right. So do QHs and Ayrabs, for that matter. All races on tracks are run to the left.

JJ will be at my trainer's approximately 6 months before he's ready to come home. That's because she's not just restarting him, but fine tuning him. 

You can get a horse under saddle in a week and a half, but no way are they going to have all their leads, gaits, and cues down by then.

After 6 months JJ will be ready for me to foxhunt with, but he and I won't be completely trained to each other for quite awhile. 

A _good_ horse/rider team takes time. No way is a week and half anywhere close.


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## dressagexlee

Well, most horses _do break_ if you don't train them, don't condition them, and push them too far, too fast. I don't think she's lying guys! She's really breaking that filly, for sure!
</pessimistic humor>
I never did like the word "break" for training horses...

Honestly I can't fathom jumping even a four year-old over anything higher than, well, a ground pole. But a three year-old with hardly a pixel of training?
There are two three year-olds at my stable that are already jumping three feet. Yes, you read correctly. Guess what? Those horses are miserable; they are lame at least every two weeks, the trainer doesn't give a flying shoe, and the owners are too incompetent to see that anything is wrong. Never mind that one rider got her face rearranged by the horse's back foot, that she fights with him every ride, or that she gets drug around the barn aisle in attempts to lead him (with _two_ chains, one over his nose and one under). And the other one? Not a single one of it's owners can ride it. It actually bucked my sister off (who was paid to be exercising him, and was not aware that he bucked because the owners didn't disclose it to her) _and_ kicked her in the head _in the same week_. 
Neither have any ground manners or respect for their riders/handlers, neither are very good under saddle, but they are both beautiful, _expensive_, with undeserved problems brought on by people.


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## Tasia

Dont beat me up over this though most people may agree.
Broke means something different to everyone. To me there is 3 catagories. 1.Being able to tack up,stand quietley, let the rider sit on the horses back... I consider this to started. 2. Horse is starting to carry rider walk trot and canter and can stop when asked this is what I call green broke. 3. A horse WTC is staying collected and in the bridle and is not easily spooked...This is broke to me. Saying that I believe no horse is ever finished. There is always bumps on the road. Just me .02.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad

There are people that can spend their whole life trying to learn to ride, trying to train a horse and then there are people that can just do. I have hung around boarding stable for 50 years and I see very few honest horse people, sure there are lots that ride, lots that spend alot of time trying but very few that can actually do.

Give me any basic problem such as sidepassing, leads, stopping , not standing to mount, barn sour etc etc and in a short session I will have them past it FOR ME.

It is the people, not the horse that need to learn.
Within a month, a unhandled stud puke I can turn around to be better then most expect in a lifetime.
Again it is the people that need education. I also believe some are born with it and others will never achieve it.


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## PaintsPwn

It didn't take long to break my horse... Just throw him into a tree... a nice big one.


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## SeWHC

Hmm, here is an idea of how things panned out with a 5 horse commission I had a few years ago. 

5 completely un-handled 3 year olds, all vaguely related but one. I worked with three of them a day....

Daisy
Ruby
Lexi
Emma
Maya

I'd go.... Daisy, Ruby, Lexi one day, Ruby, Lexi, Emma the next, Lexi Emma Maya the next, and so on. 


The odd horse out was Emma. The four related horses all progressed at the same rate. Within 4 months they were walk/trot/canter turn on the haunches/forehand, sidepassing, etc, almost ready for amateur shows. Emma though, she was completely different. At that 4 month mark she was barely safe enough to trot on. She had a totally different disposition and was very headstrong. She took much different training methods, and it was like... she'd hit a brick wall, she'd struggle to understand something, and then she'd all of the sudden understand and progress like crazy until she hit another wall where she regressed. It took Emma 6 months to be where the other four were at the 4 month mark. 

In the end, Emma was a much flashier, show ready horse. I don't know why. 


The point is, every horse is different. Every bloodline is different, and every horse has different strengths and weaknesses.


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## TravelerandTequila1234

Um you are all being very rude! She is just trying to ask a simple question. "How long did it take you to break your horse?" Not "What do you think when I say this?" You adults need to stop coming down to a 16 year olds level. I am 14 and I have re-schooled many OTTB's and actually have broke about 4-7 horses I have owned. So age does not matter.


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## bubba13

I know this is an old thread, but it's a good thread, and there may be some value to continuing the discussion. 

The OP, I believe, is long gone, so there's no point in answering her original questions, except to point out that she was, in fact, quite full of it. Many people can have a horse riding around in a day, but that's sure not broke. And starting a young, green horse on jumps that quickly is just asinine--asking for injuries and blow-ups.

I started "training" when I was 13-14, too. Like most kids that age, yep, I was a bit of a know-it-all, though I don't think I had quite the celebrity complex exhibited here. The guidance I received wasn't all that great, either. But I did manage to break out my first horse, starting from scratch, and a second one at age 16. Both of those mares have baggage from some of the mistakes I made, but overall, they're good, useable horses, so I must have done some things right. But I do find that, even at 21 now (with much more experience and ability), I still have trouble undoing some of the bad habits my 15-year-old self inflicted on those horses. And I thought they were perfect at the time!

I now get paid to ride, break, and train horses--and this is completely off topic, but a large spider just dropped down from the ceiling and is currently hovering right in front of my face--and I think I do a commendable job. They're safe, sane, usable,_ improved_ horses when I'm done with them. But they probably aren't as good as they _could_ be, either. Point being, I'm still learning, and I ain't Monty Roberts yet (and I don't particularly want to be....).

For the original topic, I can have a horse riding around in one day, broke w/t/c in 30 days, consistent and sane trail horse in 60-90 days, and "finished" (or well on the way) in 2-3 years.


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## TravelerandTequila1234

And Bubba yes I know. You can ride a horse and the horse still wont be considered broke. It takes time, Consistency, And Knowledge!


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## Spyder

bubba13 said:


> and this is completely off topic, but a large spider just dropped down from the ceiling and is currently hovering right in front of my face-.


Really...probably one of my cousins.

:happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance:



TravelerandTequila1234 said:


> Excuse You. Im 14 I'm A KID!


That is why this forum LIMITS the interaction of members under 15.

The use of this excuse is NO excuse at all.


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## bubba13

TravelerandTequila1234 said:


> Excuse You. Im 14 I'm A KID!


Congratulations. I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT I'M IMMUNE TO CRITICISM!

Also, before you start considering yourself some kind of hotshot trainer ("I am 14 and I have re-schooled many OTTB's and Actually have broke about 4-7 horses I have owned. So age does not matter."), you might want to reread some of the threads you've started here. You certainly don't come across as someone who knows how to break, train, school, or care for horses....This sounds harsh, and I don't necessarily mean it that way, but remember we were all kids once and we've got the benefit of hindsight and experience.

Doing a little less bragging and a little more listening and absorbing might do you a world of good. Taking some lessons from a truly skilled (and honest) trainer would probably help, as well.


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## TravelerandTequila1234

bubba13 said:


> Congratulations. I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT I'M IMMUNE TO CRITICISM!
> 
> Also, before you start considering yourself some kind of hotshot trainer ("I am 14 and I have re-schooled many OTTB's and Actually have broke about 4-7 horses I have owned. So age does not matter."), you might want to reread some of the threads you've started here. You certainly don't come across as someone who knows how to break, train, school, or care for horses....This sounds harsh, and I don't necessarily mean it that way, but remember we were all kids once and we've got the benefit of hindsight and experience.
> 
> Doing a little less bragging and a little more listening and absorbing might do you a world of good. Taking some lessons from a truly skilled (and honest) trainer would probably help, as well.


Yes. Notice In The Threads I Say " Just Want Other Peoples Opinions, It Is Always Nice To Learn New Ways"


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## bsms

bubba13 said:


> ...I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT I'M IMMUNE TO CRITICISM...


I'm ex-military. If it doesn't start with at least 6 cuss words, I don't recognize it as criticism. :wink:


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## DuffyDuck

I'm not reading all the pages, read the first two ;D

It depends what you mean by broke, my understanding of broke is walk trot canter basics. 
Backed is throwing a saddle on and getting a person to accept a rider.

We call broke 'angeritten' so just started, can do walk trot canter, but doesn't specify HOW.

Backed is 'roh' or raw, basically.

LOL bsms, army brat here ;D
Takes a lot to make me pale so I'm hearing you there:lol:


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## mls

I don't want to break my horse!


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## mom2pride

If you are JUST talking about the bare bones basics...turn, stop, back, walk, trot, and canter, then sure, I can get a horse going fairly well in a week or two; heck I could do that in a day if I really wanted to, but why push a horse that hard? And that week or two time frame is IF he has had decent ground work done on him, and done correctly...if not, I go back over those holes first, and then go concentrate on getting him broke to saddle and rider. Getting a horse broke isn't just about getting on and going for a ride...imo anyway. 

Now, getting the horse truly broken in for everything you want it to do, that takes more than a week or two, and how long it takes will depend on the horse. Eventually you hit walls with every horse, and that takes experience and knowledge to know how to deal with each particular problem; sometimes it's just stubborn behavior, and sometimes its fearful behavior, and if you treat it the wrong way, you can ruin the horse for a long time.


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## smrobs

I do guess it depends on your definition of "broke" :wink:. I know I'm not the only one that sees ads on CL all the time with some variation of "Broke to ride, been saddled and rode 10 times (somtimes more, sometimes less)". However, I, like others, consider a horse like that "started". A broke horse is one that is trained enough so that you can get the job done with little or no problems.

As far as starting them, providing they are normal horses that are relatively confident/calm around people and are not broncs, I normally expect turns, stops, and w/t both ways on the first ride. Beyond that, everything I do depends greatly on the horse and how it feels to me.

Filly on her first ride









Same filly on her 11th ride. Neck reins pretty decent, solid at w/t, not bad at canter.




 
A different mare at about 30 days, give or take.




 
I also had a half sister to the bay mare that ended up taking 30 days just to get her w/t in the roundpen because she was horrified of people and instead of just spooking, she would turn tail and run or fight like a beyotch if she couldn't get away.


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## QHriderKE

It may take years for a horse to be truly "broke", but it also depends on your definition of "broke", as said several times above. 

For us, if we sell a horse as a "broke" horse, we mean it's been roped off of, neck-reins, can do basic maneuvers (rollback, lead changes and so on), loose rein in all gears, soft in the face and soft to your body as well, but also, the horse would have been exposed to a lot of different situations you can't possibly cover in 60 days. 

I find that to get a truly broke horse, you have to let them mature, grow into what you're asking, and have a lot of miles and wet blankets under their belts. 

For example, we have a 6 year old mare who was started at 3, rode fairly hard at 4/5 for ranch work, started heeling, started pulling calves at brandings this past Spring, and I've been doing collection work with her for the past few months, but on the occaision. She is no where near broke. She charges into a lope, which is a no-no, and doesn't change leads very well either, but she just doesn't have the experiences my 10 year old broke mare has.


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## Countrygal892000

Fist off I just want to comment that age does NOT have anything to do with the ability to connect with a horse and train it. The first horse I ever trained I still own and I started training her when I was 13. She was three years old and I was running barrels on her within a year. That was 9 years ago and to this day I still do routine touch ups with her. A horse's mind is never truly at full capacity, it is never done learning. And another thing I want to add to all the young trainers out there. Just remember one thing: You can become a horse trainer with practice, patience, and determination. Never give up. But also remember that until you pay for EVERYTHING (hay, grain, board, shoes, tack, vet care, etc) You will have no understanding about how lucky and difficult it is to actually "train" a horse. Yes you might have been able to saddle you horse and climb on it's back in three days... whoohoo... but did you earn the money to put food in it's belly and a blanket on its back? Did you spend countless hours in the heat and rain with this horse? Being able to climb on a horses back and make it walk, trot and lope in a week is amazing for anyone... but just because you do that, your work isn't over. So it's not to be bragged about. You have many YEARS ahead of you! My horse was three when I got her and she is now 12. I am no where near done training her and I never will be. She can run barrels and poles, I can rope off of her, she can slide stop and spin, but she has so much more capacity to learn. So putting a saddle on a horse and sitting on it is the extremely first step to a million more. I am not trying to put anyone down or discouraged anyone. But just remember that once you start, you are committing to thousands of hours of work.


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## MarleysGirl

Ok I'm not sure if I am stepping into a dangerous thread here. I have a 4 year old green broke mare who is just starting under saddle. She is my first horse to actually break. Before I purchased her she only led, blanketed, and met with the farrier and vet. She has a spunky and fresh side that we're working on but the dominance and respect has been gained by her. So far, she lunges both on the line and off of it, loads and trailers, accepts her saddle and accepts her bridle. She finally understands moving off the hand and what my personal space is. I've been working on her for about 3 months now. She has allowed me to mount and I have had a few good weeks with her... All of a sudden she bucks when I go to mount and will back up and buck when I am seated. Am I moving to fast for her? I have been riding for a number of years, am no expert but thought I was doing ok with my girl. I will get a trainer if I need it but I wanted to see what I could do myself.

What steps do you suggest I take with her training? Did I jump the gun on something? I didn't let her throw me, I made her settle walk across the round pen and stand so I could dismount. She then went into heat and became a major mare and I haven't been on her again. I feel that was a mistake and I need to jump back on.

Also I have her in a d ring snaffle. I have everyone throwing different bits at me saying what I should use. My eyes are crossed from researching. Is there a bit that would work best?? I am looking to break her western mainly just for a joy ride for me but I may play around with barrels and poles. She can cut in her turns like it's nobody's business, so I'm curious what she can do.


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## MarleysGirl

I meant to say I gained the dominance and her respect


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## kiwigirl

Hey MarleysGirl, I am no expert on breaking in horses I have only done my own, However I have watched my neighbours (two brothers) break in their horses for years.

One brother has always been a rip **** and bust type of trainer, he likes the excitement of starting a horse. He would work with the horse for a couple of days, get on its back have it walking around a yard and then he would lose interest. He really couldn't be bothered with the mundane schooling and consistency that is regard to create a good horse. After he lost interest the horse would basically be turned out. Without fail, every time the horse that he "broke" would be a bucker and a rearer when it was brought back in.

Now, the other brother is a much better horseman and very patient, I followed his techniques when I broke in my own horse. It takes very little time to actually get on a horses back BUT it is the days that follow, the time and consistency required to help a horse make the transition from an independent creature that allows you to sit on its back to an active partner.

I am not in anyway suggesting that you are like the first brother in attitude. However I think you dropped the ball and did not follow through once you started backing the horse. In my experience most young horses go through a "try you out" stage, I have noticed that with a horse that has a good solid starting foundation it is usually after about a year of riding, when they are fit and confident carrying a rider and like to push the boundaries. Fortunately this should be easy to nip in the bud because you established great basic communication from the get go. It sounds like you have been inconsistent starting this horse and to be honest it is the one thing you really can't afford to be when you start a youngster.

My suggestion is that you go back to the beginning and start absolutely from scratch. Treat her like she is an unbacked horse, once you decide to start the process again, clear your schedule and dedicate yourself to the job. I spent two weeks riding in a yard working on brakes, turning, backing, yielding front and hind quarters, one rein stop. Once you start you can not afford to stop until you have the foundations you need to make a solid riding horse in place. 

Good luck.


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## MarleysGirl

Thanks, I definitely appreciate it. She just came home yesterday from a hospital. We were running tests since my barn owner was convinced she had an ovarian tumor. She is fortunately healthy as a whistle and I do plan on getting down there daily to work on her. Today was day 1, so I hope it progresses. I definitely will not ruin her though, if it becomes to much I will look for a trainer or a clinic for help in the matter.


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## easyrider

I'm no horse training expert but I have broke one horse. I bought it when she was 10 months old and she is now 7 years old. I have had to work with her off and on because I'm busy working but when I could I started ground work and worked her in the round pen. I was able to get her to a point where she accepted a saddle and I was able to get on her and walk and trot. I beleive getting a horse to that point isn't hard. What is hard is to train her to be a well rounded, tempered horse for working on her hooves, trail riding without her spooking etc. This takes a long time and a lot of patience
Both me and the horse has learned a lot during our learning/teaching sessions. I believe what I have learned from this horse will help me with the next horse, although, no horse is the same but they all repond to the same pressure points it is just a matter of them getting to understand what you are trying to do. Like I said I'm no expert just someone with a hobby.


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## bellagris

I was up on my mare within a week, this was my first time training a horse so I wouldn't say she was fully broke until really this fall (so about a year) but by spring I was trail riding her, crossing water, going past cows, showing her under saddle and in hand at a show in a ring. The real test was in the show ring warm up with over 15 horses doing all 3 gais in all directions and she behaved. 
Someone more experienced could have gotten the results much faster, but as it stands i was happy to take my time and have instruvtion from the ground to ensure it was done properly. I'd rather take my time and make sure I don't miss anything


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## highlander

Completely off topic. Smrob you have a very calm way about you, kinda struck me while watching the videos.
I started riley myself but he is always learning as am I. He's quiet a difficult horse who can be very unpredictable in new situations so before I progressed with him I solidified everything he'd learnt already so it was all natural to him. He's settled in well to his work but isn't doing loads of trot work, certainly isn't jumping, and is not cantering until he's balancing himself properly.
I don't think age has much to do with it apart from a naivety most teenagers have. You can be good without bragging, more people have respect that way.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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