# Sending a horse for training at the feedlot



## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I was thinking about sending my 3 year old to a cattle feedlot for 1 month sometime during the winter, so she gets a lot of experience around cattle, and a lot more time under saddle in a day that I can give her in the winter. 

I was wondering what she should know before sending her off. Training wise.


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## Hackamore (Mar 28, 2014)

This is a question you should be asking the riders at the feedlot. 

I put horses on cattle not long after starting them under saddle. Usually after about 10 to 15 rides, but this will differ between riders & levels of experience.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

So what should they know? Would just knowing how to walk, trot, stop and steer be okay? I haven't gotten her loping yet.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Breezy2011 said:


> So what should they know? Would just knowing how to walk, trot, stop and steer be okay? I haven't gotten her loping yet.


That would be enough for me. Not much loping at most feedlots.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I admit to not knowing about feedlots. Will one rider, who knows what he is doing, be the only one using your horse? Or do you leave the horse for just any worker to get on and do whatever?

I would be very picky about who got on my 3 year old green horse.


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## dernhelm1984 (Dec 19, 2013)

It might be different where you are, but I have to mention that in my area people don't send horses to the feedlots for training. They send them for "attitude adjustments"...

I know I wouldn't send a horse out there. Nothing against feedlots. I just know that the guys who work at ones around here just want to get their jobs done. They can give a horse a job for sure but they are not professional trainers (mostly). 

I would call the feedlot and ask very specific questions, especially about who will be riding her, and maybe just go check it out for a day. Watch the riders, the horses, etc. and judge whether or not your little one could handle the environment or the type of riding you see happening. It's your decision ultimately. I am just telling you what I think from my experiences here.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Another thing that would be handy for her to have at least a basic idea of is leg yielding/sidepassing. While there generally isn't much loping in a feedlot (especially in winter when it's slick), there is a lot of gates to open and close and it is much easier to teach that to a horse who will already yield to your leg.

As for a couple of other questions that subsequent posters asked, I'll talk about the feedlots around this area.

Who will ride the horse depends on who the OP sends her to. Around here, most cowboys use their own horses and they have anywhere from 2 to 5 available to ride at any given time. Riding one horse every single day for a month is a great way to wear down a real problem horse, but it can destroy a good horse if it's done wrong. Just like people, if they get worked too hard, too often, it will wear them down and make them more prone to injury, illness, etc.

Most places do keep a herd of "lot" horses that anyone can go catch and use if they need one, but they generally aren't great horses. If that was the "training" my horse would get, I would never send them there.

It really depends on who is riding the horse. A decent trainer can put more handle and finesse on a horse in a month in a feedlot than most good trainers can do in 3 months of arena work. The difference is that one has a job that they need to do and the other doesn't. 

My brother used to ride a lot of outside horses when he was working in a feedlot. In 30 days, they were better horses than most average riders ever see. I loved doing daywork on my customer horses whenever I had the chance; made them progress so much more quickly than just drilling by themselves.


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## dernhelm1984 (Dec 19, 2013)

Smrobs, thank you for explaining how it works. I don't want to come off as having a bad attitude about possibly training at a feedlot; I just wouldn't trust a majority of the cowboys who work around *here* with any horse of mine.  

OP, out of curiosity, what are you planning to do with this girl? Do you want her as a ranch horse, a pleasure horse, a cutting horse, etc?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

At the feedlot the horses are probably ridden about 4 hrs per day. Why not do that yourself it you can make the time. Just get her out on the trails and put miles on her. If you're in hilly country then you can shorten the time considerably to around 90 min. The rougher the country the more she will think how to negotiate it with the weight of a rider and saddle.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I would love for her to be able to be a good ranch horse, sorting cattle, and maybe even cutting eventually.

I would also like to get her out in the fields for trail riding (around my area, we don't have trails, just open fields for the crops) but that isn't why I want to send her off to a feedlot. 

I have been looking into 2 feedlots. One in Alberta, one in Saskatchewan (where I live). Both are ladies that would be riding her. 

I have heard good things about the one here in Saskatchewan, and the lady who would be riding her. The one in Alberta I have not heard much about. 

Mostly, I would just like to get Breeze more 'hard working' miles on her. If they could get her loping, side passing, backing up, and being roped off of, that would be great, but I would be working on most of those things anyways, before sending her off. 

I would probably send her up for either the month of November before the snow, January or February.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

About the roping thing, you might ask the woman who will be riding her. Around here, there are a lot of feedlots that don't allow their cowboys to even _carry_ a rope due to the liability of possible accidents.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I know the one in Saskatchewan does roping off the horses she rides. She put some time on a gelding I use to ride, and roped off of him, while he was up at the feedlot for 3 or so months. She started to teach this gelding to neck rein, side pass, be roped off of, herd cattle, doctor, etc. 

It isn't a must for me though, as I could do that myself when she is trained better, I just think she does it with all the horses she rides.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I know guys in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming who work at feed lots and take in outside horses. 

They do usually have to have their own, but if they can make extra dollars making a young horse handy, they'll do it. 

I like feedlot work for the patience it teaches. Lots of slow work that lets a horse learn cows.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

That is exactly why I want to send her to a feedlot! The one in Saskatchewan charges around 500-600 a month per horse. The one in Alberta charges 650 a month. 

I think, if I send her to any, it will be to the one in Saskatchewan, as it is closer, cheaper, and I have heard good things.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

That's always a plus then if she can rope off her some


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Pen riders are like any other riders. Some are good, some bad and some are really ugly.

I would not let anyone ride a horse of mine at a feedlot, a sale barn or anywhere else if I did not like the way their horses rode out in the open. 

I've seen horses used by pen riders that rode and handled beautifully. I've seen other braced on a tie-down, wringing their tails from constant gigging with a pair of rock grinders and never rode right. I bought one at the sale in Amarillo that was a great horse. I had him for years. I bought another there and he only turned one direction, only moved off of one leg, about knocked your teeth out without a tie-down and took longer to straighten out than he would have to train from scratch.

It is just like sending a horse to a ranch cowboy to work for a while. Some are great hands and there are others I would pay to stay off of my horse. Check out horses that they have ridden before. The horses don't Lie.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

The one rider in Saskatchewan in good with riding her horses. I have ridden a horse that came back from her, and the only issue with him was he got a little lazy from standing around for a good majority of the day. She also didn't use a tie down or anything on him. 

I have looked into what this person does though. And I am having second thoughts about sending her off, only because the one in Saskatchewan has a 3 month minimum for every horse sent, and horses have to wear shoes. I don't want Breeze to wear shoes, and I only want to send her for 1 month. 

Although the option is still there, I think Breeze will be better off staying at home for now, and I will try and find the time to ride her longer then I have been (I ride her for approx. 40 mins-1 hour)


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Is there anybody you know who moves cattle? I agree, a 3yo needs to be handled by your or someone you trust bc they are soaking in information all of the time. I imagine a friend with cattle may let you ride with him or her and let your young horse watch and hang with seasoned horses.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

The shoe thing, if you want her to be used in a feedlot, you may have to compromise on that one. Riding any horse for several hours a day, every day, some on concrete, and with rocks in the alleys and pens, even the best feet will be worn off to nothing and the horse will be lame in just a few days.

I can understand that you want her to stay barefoot, but contrary to popular belief, there are some places/jobs that a barefoot horse cannot survive without being lamed; working in a feedlot is one of those jobs. 

If you could talk her into just doing a single month, would you consider doing like I did with the last horse I sent home (horses at my barn cannot survive a working life without shoes either due to rocky pastures and roads)? I put shoes on her when she got here, then pulled the shoes off and trimmed her up nice before she went home.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

If I do send her off, I will let them put shoes on her, if they are taken off before she comes home. I would also not send her unless she was only there for 1 month. 

I do know some people who have cattle and use their horses on them. I could talk to them and see if I could put some rides on Breeze with the cattle and their horses sometime when they are out checking them, rounding them up or something.


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